Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Gudeon's first picture book uses naif stick figures and candy-colored backgrounds to create a book that feels as if it might have been drawn and written by an actual child. "Breakfast Time," it reads on the first page, which shows a stick-haired girl at a table with her red cat, Meow, beside her, bowls of what looks like porridge in front of them. "Yum, Me," it says under the girl. "Yum, Meow," it reads under the cat. She pulls the cat in a red wagon ("Go, Me. Go, Meow"). Gingerly, the text tiptoes into poetry as it describes the many things she and Meow do together: "Stump jumping./ Leaf leaping./ Slip sliding./ Hide hiding." The two enjoy the whole day with no interference from parents or friends; the only doubtful moment is when the girl loses Meow and falls off her tricycle. Meow reappears promptly (and can be found, reassuringly, hiding in the background in all the spreads in which the girl looks for her). The book's lighthearted devotion to everyday pleasures should please youngest readers. Ages 2-5. (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-K-Simple, childlike pictures and a minimal, childlike narrative describe a day in the life of Me and her constant companion, Meow, her red cat. Beneath a stick figure sun, a smiling child extends her arms above the greeting, "Good morning, Me!" On the facing page, Meow is stretching above the words, "Good morning, Meow!" The two eat breakfast together, and then Me pulls Meow in a red wagon outdoors. They engage in "Stump jumping. Leaf leaping. Slip sliding. Hide hiding." Meow hides from Me, who rides her tricycle, determined to find her pet. When the child falls and weeps, the cat comes to comfort her. As the day continues, they sing, play hide-and-seek, and dress up, ending with "Dream Dreaming." The primitive figures are expertly posed and arranged with simple props on color-saturated spreads to reflect the joy and devotion the companions share. Children as young as two years will appreciate the brevity, rhythm, onomatopoeia, and repetition in the text. Gudeon's work brings to mind the simple composition of Mo Willems's I Am Going! (Hyperion, 2010) and the bold colors of Todd Parr's The Grandma Book (Little, Brown, 2006). Me and Meow may inspire children to talk about a special friend and events in their day.-Laura Scott, Farmington Community Library, MI (c) Copyright 2011. 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
Gudeon's picture-book debut is high on style and charm as it introduces Me and Meow, a little girl and her cat, in a beginning-readerfriendly tale.Childlike, boldly colored illustrations follow the characters through their daily routine. Minimal backgrounds include just a few items rendered in nave style: A cheery sun establishes the initial morning setting; a window with the sunrise outside indicates an interior breakfast scene; then a house and tree show that they are playing outside. This echoes the text's control and repetition, inviting new readers to decode the story with support from pictorial cues. Me and Meow engage in "Stump jumping. / Leaf leaping. / Slip sliding./ Hide hiding," and then the sneaky kitty stays hidden and Me goes off to find it. In her haste, she has a tricycle accident, and a brilliant use of facing pages has her saying "I will find my Me... / ...ow!" across the gutter; the "ow!" illustration depicts the tearful little girl, her trike upside down beside her. Meow emerges to comfort her, and the two carry on with their day of play until it's time for "Dream Dreaming. / Night night, Me. / Night night, Meow."More, Me and Meow. More. (Picture book/early reader. 2-6)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
