09/27/2021
In this English-language debut by Corda, the companionable relationship between a canine and feline is cleverly communicated through skillful visual storytelling, via the simple lens of opposites. The tale begins with a bright orange cat (“Awake”) eyeing a big teal blue dog across the gutter (“Asleep”). Leaping across the spread, the cat (“Brave”) pounces on the dog (“Afraid”), launching the duo into a day-in-the-life-style adventure involving hide-and-seek, a game of chase, and a tag-team attempt at ensnaring a teal songbird. Alongside standard opposites are some unusual combinations (e.g. “Oops!” and “Phew!”). Round-eyed, subtly gradient, and stylized illustrations match the spare text while providing movement between and beyond pages: the “Slow” dog appears at the edge of the left page, just in time to see the tail and hind legs of the “Fast” cat disappearing off the far edge of the next page. In a later scene, the cat (“Nimble”) scales a tree trunk occupying the gutter, while the dog (“Heavy”) looks upward from the opposing page. Against plenty of white space, Corda’s scenes fully play with the constraints of the page, giving the picture book an unrestrained, romp-like ambiance. Ages 3–6. (Sept.)
"The companionable relationship between a canine and a feline is cleverly communicated through skillful visual storytelling." — Publishers Weekly
"The dog and cat characters are perfect foils for this story, with a happy ending that leaves the audience wanting more. . . a wonderful story and charming as well." — School Library Journal
“Concepts never made me laugh this hard. An orange cat and blue dog illustrate opposites in the most hilarious of ways as they go through a day of waking up, chasing one another, getting into trouble, and … being friends? A perfect combination of words and illustration, and a concept book that tells a cohesive story.” — Momreadit.com
The faces of Cat and Dog speak volumes in this ode to opposites that packs piles of expressive storytelling into its spare pages." — The Virginian-Pilot
“The perfect book to introduce or reinforce antonyms to kids.” — Beaglesandbooks.com
“Telling a story with only 32 words seems nearly impossible but Tullio Corda has done it." —SincerelyStacie.com
"Employing a simple palette of vivid oranges and bright blues which expands to include yellow and green, the illustrations implicitly extend beyond the page, drawing us into the action, and leaving visual clues as to what to expect next. . . a good choice if you are looking to share a story with younger children of different ages." – World Kid Lit
11/01/2021
PreS-Gr 3—Are cats and dogs really opposites? In this funny picture book, they are! Each spread has two opposite words with a cat and dog. The language is impressively sophisticated, comparing not only simple, concrete subjects such as up and down, but also more abstract concepts such as brave and afraid. The uncluttered art work gives the book a modern feel, but also helps readers grasp the simple narrative of a day in the life of the cat and dog. So what if nimble is not the opposite of heavy? The meanings account for nuances of language. The dog and cat characters are perfect foils for this story, with a happy ending that leaves the audience wanting more. This is a wonderful story for oral language development. The youngest readers will love pointing at things in the pictures and talking about the action on each page. It would also work well as a text for language development for ESL students. Although the text is simple, the vocabulary is fairly complex and the art work won't seem too babyish for bigger kids. VERDICT A good story for use with a variety of applications, and charming as well. —Debbie Tanner, S. D. Spady Montessori Elem., FL
2021-06-29
A cat and dog who live together explore opposites.
A red cat and a blue dog tell a story that, on each spread, features pairs of opposites, usually one word each. On the first spread, the cat watches the dog sleep on a rug: “Awake” and “Asleep.” The book’s type colors match the protagonists’ coloring: red for the cat and blue for the dog. The cat—sly, mischievous, and usually annoyed—likes to antagonize the dog, starting on a spread where it attacks the resting dog (“Brave” and “Afraid’). While the dog is “upset” after the cat topples a potted plant onto its head, the cat is “unconcerned.” They head outside, unsuccessfully chase a bird, and end up hugging (“Friends!”), though the cat still looks bothered by the affection. Readers can remove the book’s dust jacket to see the cat looking over his shoulders at readers on the “Front” cover; on the “Back” cover, the cat is now fully turned away. The pairings of opposites are straightforward, though one is unexpected: “Oops!” as the cat falls off a tree branch while stalking the bird, who says, “Phew!” Though individual moments can be amusing, both dog and cat are rendered in ways that convey little to no expression or character, which hinders engagement. The story, translated from French, is scant, and plenty more concept books about opposites exist that offer more substance.
Stylish, but its story doesn’t stand out. (Picture book. 3-8)
