I SEE A BAT

The excitable and expressive, big-eyed dog who barked enthusiastically through I See a Cat (2017) returns!

Careful observers looking at the endpapers might spot the upside-down bat sleeping in a tree outside town. On every subsequent page, there’s something new for the dog and readers to view through or against big double doors: “stars,” “moon,” “bowl” (sadly, empty, as the dog notes with an anguished expression). In four wordless vignettes, the agitated dog tosses and turns futilely with the bowl, then carries it to a sleeping boy (luckily, ignoring the sleeping cat). The dog falls calmly asleep, waking to see more bats (nonplussed expression), the sun (hopeful expression), and finally the boy—bringing food! The eloquent lines of ears, mouth, and tail convey the leaping dog’s initial joy and then blissful satisfaction. Where the earlier book used just 10 different words, this one uses 11 to tell a simple yet effective story. The sentences are reassuringly repetitive in structure (“I see a bat,” “I see the boy,” “I see the sun”); the bowl vividly punctuates the scenes; and the backgrounds offer just enough visual interest without distracting readers. The boy is curly-haired and brown-skinned.

Still short and sweet; still enticing new readers to engage eagerly with dog and words.