See the Cat: Three Stories About a Dog
by David LaRochelle; illus. by Mike Wohnoutka
Primary    Candlewick    64 pp.    g
9/20    978-1-53620-427-8    $8.99

In three brief stories, this beginning reader inventively supports both traditional and visual literacies. The first chapter, “The Cat,” opens with the sentence “See the cat” on an otherwise blank left-hand page. On the right-hand page, a dog responds, declaring, “I am not a cat. I am a dog.” The text on the left pages continues to expand and embellish the description, and the dog reacts with increased frustration (“I am NOT blue and I am NOT a cat”). There is more to the tale, however, and humor ramps up as surprises occur. The gutter effectively separates the dog’s words (shown in speech balloons) from the words of the narrator (always set on blank pages). In one scene in the second story, “The Snake,” the dog reaches back over to the previous page, pencil in hand, to modify the sentence “The mad snake is going to bite the dog.” None of the secondary characters speaks (including a large, purple, buck-toothed hippo whose not-funny role is as a threat to “sit on the dog”). Short sentences carry a steady rhythm, with word repetition scaffolding language acquisition and offering clever callbacks. Gouache illustrations in subdued hues enliven and support the narrative. This entertaining exploration of words, images, and how they function together to tell a story will be popular with fans of Mo Willems. ELISA GALL

From the September/October 2020 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.

The Bear in My Family
by Maya Tatsukawa; illus. by the author
Preschool, Primary    Dial    32 pp.    g
3/20    978-0-525-55582-7    $17.99
e-book ed.  978-0-525-55583-4    $10.99

A child asserts that there is a bear in his family, and indeed the illustrations show a little boy sharing space with a large gray creature. “Scary, right?” The bear is loud, bossy, and messy. Though the grownups don’t see it, we do, as the bear roars the protagonist awake, hogs the chips, and effortlessly picks the boy up and dangles him upside down. Viewers may catch on early that the “bear” is in fact an older sibling. A clever family photo shows Mom holding a newborn (whose blanket matches the main character’s sweater) and Dad with a cub on his shoulders; the text reads, “For some reason, my parents think the bear is family.” One day, after being sent outside to play, the boy is sitting dejectedly on a swing. When some bullies arrive, he experiences the upside of having a bear (and big sister) in his corner. The digitally created art “with handmade textures” is spare, with rounded edges and subdued hues that defuse the anger and de-claw the danger. Younger sibs everywhere should relate to our protagonist’s point of view — and to his eventual realization: if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em. ELISSA GERSHOWITZ

From the May/June 2020 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.