Cat and Dog: A Tale of Opposites

PreS-Gr 3–Are cats and dogs really opposites? In this funny picture book, they are! Each spread has two opposite words with a cat and dog. The language is impressively sophisticated, comparing not only simple, concrete subjects such as up and down, but also more abstract concepts such as brave and afraid. The uncluttered art work gives the book a modern feel, but also helps readers grasp the simple narrative of a day in the life of the cat and dog. So what if nimble is not the opposite of heavy? The meanings account for nuances of language. The dog and cat characters are perfect foils for this story, with a happy ending that leaves the audience wanting more. This is a wonderful story for oral language development. The youngest readers will love pointing at things in the pictures and talking about the action on each page. It would also work well as a text for language development for ESL students. Although the text is simple, the vocabulary is fairly complex and the art work won’t seem too babyish for bigger kids.