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BOW-WOW-MEOW

Name: BOW-WOW-MEOW
Author: Blanca Lacasa
ISBN: 978-84-945415-7-5

From the Égalité series

by Blanca Lacasa ; illustrated by Gómez ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 8, 2017

Sweet and effective.

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Fabio is not your ordinary dog.

Young Max, a little white boy, is a bit concerned that his beagle, Fabio, doesn’t behave like other dogs. He won’t play fetch, he doesn’t roll over to have his belly tickled, and he doesn’t bark or even wag his little tail. When Max shouts, “Bow-wow,” Fabio just stares back at him silently, with a puzzled expression. One night, Max gets out of bed to pour himself a glass of water and realizes Fabio is nowhere to be found. It’s like he’s disappeared, by magic! Max tries the same thing the next night, and the next. No Fabio. Max decides to stay awake and hide, so at last he sees Fabio sneak out of the house (readers will notice the dog’s tail wagging madly); Max follows him to a place where cats hang out. Fabio seems to have fun doing cat things, sharpening his claws and climbing up drainpipes and getting tangled up in a ball of yarn. He even “bow-wow-meows.” The next morning, Max fills a dish with milk, all the while quietly bow-wow-meowing. All of a sudden, Fabio’s eyes perk up, and he purrs and rubs himself up against Max’s legs. Fabio is happy at last! Lacasa’s simple story of love and acceptance steers clear of didacticism and is well-served by Gómez’s uncluttered pictures, which delightfully capture a range of animal emotions.

Sweet and effective. (Picture book. 3-6)

Pub Date: May 8, 2017

ISBN: 978-84-945415-7-5

Page Count: 40

Publisher: NubeOcho

Review Posted Online: March 5, 2017

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2017

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

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A DIFFERENT KIND OF FAIRY
by Susana Torrubiano ; illustrated by Giulia Orecchia

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I AM MINE ALONE
by Raquel Díaz Reguera ; illustrated by Raquel Díaz Reguera ; translated by Cecilia Ross

- BOOK REVIEW
RUBY THE RAMBUNCTIOUS
by José Carlos Andrés ; illustrated by Lucía Serrano ; translated by Cecilia Ross

- BOOK REVIEW
SHEEP NUMBER 19
by Blanca Lacasa ; illustrated by Jorge Martín ; translated by Cecilia Ross

- BOOK REVIEW
FEMINIST KIDS
by Blanca Lacasa & Luis Amavisca ; translated by Cecilia Ross ; illustrated by Gusti

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LOVE FROM THE VERY HUNGRY CATERPILLAR

by Eric Carle ; illustrated by Eric Carle ‧ RELEASE DATE: Dec. 15, 2015

Safe to creep on by.

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Carle’s famous caterpillar expresses its love.

In three sentences that stretch out over most of the book’s 32 pages, the (here, at least) not-so-ravenous larva first describes the object of its love, then describes how that loved one makes it feel before concluding, “That’s why… / I[heart]U.” There is little original in either visual or textual content, much of it mined from The Very Hungry Caterpillar. “You are… / …so sweet,” proclaims the caterpillar as it crawls through the hole it’s munched in a strawberry; “…the cherry on my cake,” it says as it perches on the familiar square of chocolate cake; “…the apple of my eye,” it announces as it emerges from an apple. Images familiar from other works join the smiling sun that shone down on the caterpillar as it delivers assurances that “you make… / …the sun shine brighter / …the stars sparkle,” and so on. The book is small, only 7 inches high and 5 ¾ inches across when closed—probably not coincidentally about the size of a greeting card. While generations of children have grown up with the ravenous caterpillar, this collection of Carle imagery and platitudinous sentiment has little of his classic’s charm. The melding of Carle’s caterpillar with Robert Indiana’s iconic LOVE on the book’s cover, alas, draws further attention to its derivative nature.

Safe to creep on by. (Picture book. 3-6)

Pub Date: Dec. 15, 2015

ISBN: 978-0-448-48932-2

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Grosset & Dunlap

Review Posted Online: Feb. 1, 2021

Categories:

CHILDREN'S HOLIDAYS & CELEBRATIONS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE FOOD?
edited by Eric Carle

- BOOK REVIEW
WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE BUG?
edited by Eric Carle

- BOOK REVIEW
MY FIRST I SEE YOU
by Eric Carle ; illustrated by Eric Carle

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IT'S NOT EASY BEING A GHOST

From the It's Not Easy Being series

by Marilyn Sadler ; illustrated by Stephanie Laberis ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 13, 2024

Too cute to be spooky indeed but most certainly sweet.

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A ghost longs to be scary, but none of the creepy personas she tries on fit.

Misty, a feline ghost with big green eyes and long whiskers, wants to be the frightening presence that her haunted house calls for, but sadly, she’s “too cute to be spooky.” She dons toilet paper to resemble a mummy, attempts to fly on a broom like a witch, and howls at the moon like a werewolf. Nothing works. She heads to a Halloween party dressed reluctantly as herself. When she arrives, her friends’ joyful screams reassure her that she’s great just as she is. Sadler’s message, though a familiar one, is delivered effectively in a charming, ghostly package. Misty truly is too precious to be frightening. Laberis depicts an endearingly spooky, all-animal cast—a frog witch, for instance, and a crocodilian mummy. Misty’s sidekick, a cheery little bat who lends support throughout, might be even more adorable than she is. Though Misty’s haunted house is filled with cobwebs and surrounded by jagged, leafless trees, the charming characters keep things from ever getting too frightening. The images will encourage lingering looks. Clearly, there’s plenty that makes Misty special just as she is—a takeaway that adults sharing the book with their little ones should be sure to drive home.

Too cute to be spooky indeed but most certainly sweet. (Picture book. 4-6)