MEOW!

From Arnold (Katya’s Book of Mushrooms, 1997, etc.), a retelling of a story by Vladimir Grigorievich Suteev that will bring shouts at story hours. Since even toddlers know who says “meow,” the fun of this book is not just in the guessing, but in the reaffirmation that a cat is a cat is a cat. A loud “Meow!” wakes up a puppy, who immediately sets out to find the source. He meets a rooster, a mouse, a bee, a fish, and a frog, each of whom greets him with its own unique noise, but the cat always eludes the pup (though not readers, who’ll find the orange feline peeking around corners on every page). While the final encounter ends with some hissing, the puppy goes to sleep satisfied, until into his dreams comes a low “Mooo.” Arnold’s brash illustrations are great for this classic Russian children’s tale, capturing the puppy’s energetic bumblings and the cat’s prickly-backed hiss perfectly. A very welcome author’s note places Suteev’s work for readers and may inspire them to turn Arnold’s text into a classroom play. (Picture book. 3-6)