DOG SAYS, CAT SAYS

A cat and dog experience the same day in the same house in completely different ways.

The big, black dog wakes ready to play, but the orange cat isn’t sure it will leave its bed at all. The dog is sad that its young humans have to leave the house for the day; the cat doesn’t even notice (or so the cat would like you to think). The dog says, “Mailman’s here. I must bark! Stay away from us!” while the insouciant cat comments, “That guy never comes indoors. Why make such a fuss?” Dog is eager to explore what’s inside a box, but the cat only cares about claiming the box as a snuggery. Just before the kids get home, the dog waits excitedly by the door as the cat keeps watch from across the room, where it is calmly lounging. When the kids return, the dog surrenders itself to much billing and cooing; the cat subjects itself to being petted—but only a bit. In this contrasting manner, the story follows the animals through the rest of their day, leading to a sweet ending at bedtime. Singer’s rhyming text faithfully describes an ordinary day in the life of furry siblings and their humans, a black-haired girl and a ginger-haired boy, both White-presenting. Sánchez’s pencil drawings, colored using Photoshop, heighten the humor and mesh nicely with the text. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

A satisfying read for dogs, cats, AND their young humans.