BOW-WOW'S NIGHTMARE NEIGHBORS

Bow-Wow is back (Bow-Wow Bugs a Bug, 2007), here in pursuit of mischievous ghost cats that reside next door.

The story begins with Bow-Wow sleeping soundly on his cozy teal dog bed, but a trio of bright white felines arrive on the scene. While one bites his tail, the others take his bed, leaving the poor dog to recover from the shock of what happened. Of course, he follows his attackers across the street to a gloomy estate. Here is where the real antics occur. First the pup trips on a loose floorboard that leads to a fall headfirst down a chute. When he lands, he discovers a seemingly haunted picture with moving eyes. Escaping other tail-biting cats, he searches through room after room for his bed. Each time he sees a bit of teal he is disappointed. A dress, a burglar’s bag and a toilet seat cover are found—and unexpected silly surprises result. Throughout the quest, readers will glimpse dozens of white cats shape-shifting to better hide from or attack the dog. In this completely wordless picture book, Newgarden and Cash cue readers with various techniques taken from comics. In some scenes, a series of smaller frames builds to a dramatic turn of events, and page turns are never predictable.

Concept and execution could not be better. Readers of all ages are the winners the moment they open this book.