SHORT DOG, LONG DOG

Colorful canines manufactured from yarn illustrate rhymes about words with opposite meanings.

This excellent companion to Catside Up, Catside Down (2023) opens with four pages of funny verse and even funnier art: “Short dog, Long dog, Huge or tiny. // Itchy on the head, Or scratchy on the hiney.” The final illustration in that series depicts a long, lavender dog with its butt rubbing against a potted cactus, an eye closed in ecstasy. Two crescent-shaped bits of lavender yarn above the hound’s hindquarters serve as motion lines. Similar details throughout are a comical treat for the eye and the ear alike. Large, bold print set against stark white backgrounds—with a few creative exceptions—set off the knitted wonders. Granted, not all are knitted; some varieties are appropriately shaggy. In addition, one page of opposites shows the difference between knitting and purling. The text provides simple, one-word opposites, as well as a few phrases that indicate contrasting ideas—often with marvelously complementary art. The words “Dressing in a suit, / Or grooving in tie-dye” are paired with an image of one dog fixing a tie in a mirror while another sports a vibrant T-shirt and headband. The facial expressions capture both dogs’ essences: uptight and proper vs. goofy and mellow. The ending, where a knitted brown-skinned child cuddles with the pooches, ties up—or knits up—everything perfectly. Listeners and emergent readers alike will be enthralled from beginning to end.

High entertainment from lowly antonyms.