Cat and Dog by Helen Oswald and Zoe Waring
| Cat and Dog by Helen Oswald and Zoe Waring | |
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| Category: For Sharing | |
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Reviewer: Ruth Ng
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| Summary: An unlikely friendship that revolves around scrapping with each other, this may not have the positive message you wish to impart to your little ones, but it's a fun story to share! | |
| Buy? yes | Borrow? yes |
| Pages: 32 | Date: July 2015 |
| Publisher: Top That Publishing Ltd | |
| ISBN: 9781784452865 | |
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Cat always sleeps in the day, and Dog always sleeps at night, but in the evening, when they're both awake, they always meet for a scrap! One day, however, they have a really big argument, bigger than they've ever had before. Will they ever be able to be frenemies again?!
My favourite thing in this book is the pictures. Cat and Dog are both so sweetly drawn; they're very cute, even when they're fighting! Cat has that superior look that cats manage to carry off so well, and Dog is, well, a little bit silly, and definitely fed up of Cat! I like the pictures showing the two animals eyeing each other up, after their huge argument, as actually they're both missing each other but are too stubborn to say. They both have such large, round heads too, there's something very endearing about them and the soft drawings of where they live are delightful.
The story itself is fun, and easy to follow for little ones. I liked how it showed that a large argument about differences in character can leave a friendship broken, and I also liked that both Cat and Dog try to fix the argument, firstly by apologising (but each is asleep when they try this) then secondly by finding a solution to their problem, so Cat looks for a way to keep Dog awake in the night, and Dog also looks for how he can keep Cat awake in the day! My only quibble really with the story is that their whole dispute resolution process ends in them continuing to fight with each other! It does make for a funny ending, but if you're looking to resolve toddler fights with a peaceful solution then this isn't the 'story with a learning outcome' that you need!
Still, sometimes it's nice to read a story that is just a story about dogs and cats fighting, without looking for the twist of how to apply it to your real life. So, put your judgements aside (unless you are specifically a dog person or a cat person - I'll let you guess who I was rooting for!) and settle down for a snuggly read with two very cute characters.
Further reading suggestion: For one of my favourite 'stop fighting and share' stories, please do take a look at Banana by Ed Vere and for more cat and dog delights you really can't go wrong with Harry the Dirty Dog by Gene Zion and Mog the Forgetful Cat by Judith Kerr.
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You can read more book reviews or buy Cat and Dog by Helen Oswald and Zoe Waring at Amazon.co.uk Amazon currently charges £2.99 for standard delivery for orders under £20, over which delivery is free.
You can read more book reviews or buy Cat and Dog by Helen Oswald and Zoe Waring at Amazon.com.
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