Review by Booklist Review
Is there any greater metaphor for the communication issues between males and females than the famously contentious relationship of cats and dogs? Using this well-worn concept, Weeks crafts a genuinely sweet story of a dog whose wooing (woofing?) of a cat is thwarted by the language barrier. Typically the dog likes doggy things, Running and panting, / sniffing and growling, / Rolling in things, digging and howling. But from his first sniff of a lovely white feline, he is muzzle over paws in love. But when he cries, I love you! all the cat hears is woof woof woof woof. Readers, of course, can clearly see the cut-out hearts pouring from the dog's chest and eyes. In fact, everything about Berry's wildly colored and wholly unpredictable collage work has a passionate pop-art zeal. During a conciliatory digging session the dog unearths a different kind of bone a trombone which he then plays to express his true feelings. Once again, the universal language of music (and love) trumps hissing and barking.--Kraus, Daniel Copyright 2009 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 2-An ordinary dog who likes to do ordinary dog things ("running and panting, sniffing and growling, rolling in things, digging and howling") happens to notice a pretty little cat and promptly falls in love. He smiles; she notices his large teeth. He approaches; she retreats. He calls up to the tree where she's hiding, "I love you!" But what she hears is, "Woof, woof, woof, woof." His affectionate whispers sound very much like growls. It's only when he digs up a very special brass bone-a trombone, in fact-that he finds a way to communicate his love in a language she understands. This affectionate and funny story is told almost musically, in rhythmic (if occasionally uneven) verse by expert storyteller Weeks. Berry's exuberant collage illustrations spill over the pages, gorgeously chaotic and filled with heart.-Susan Weitz, formerly at Spencer-Van Etten School District, Spencer, NY (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Weeks offers up a charming and humorous story about the love of a dogfor a cat. As in many love stories, matters do not go as smoothly as the would-be lover might wish. When the two speak in their native vernaculars of "woof" and "meow," only misunderstanding ensues. Fortunately, using his dog talents for sniffing buried treasure, the pooch finds a common language in music with the help of a shiny golden bone he digs up from under the ground. It is a special musical 'bonea tromboneand he plays a love song to the sweet, bemused kitty. Music hath charms, and all's well in a book filled with wordplay. Much is revealed in Berry's lively, colorful and often hilarious collages that accompany the rhyming text. The beagle-ylooking dog and delicate white cat appear against photocollaged backgrounds that include fabrics, flowers and lots of shiny doodads preschoolers will delight in spotting. A book of wit and tenderness that is absolutely "Best in Show." (Picture book. 4-8) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
