You Are Not a Cat!

Reviewed by: Deidre Walsh - Goodall Library, Sanford, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: December 12, 2016

Review

Everyone has that likeable but annoying friend. Meet Cat and his annoying friend Duck. Duck thinks he is a cat and loves to meow. Cat, increasingly frustrated and irritated with Duck, tells him he is a duck and ducks say Quack Quack. Duck even attaches two leaves to his head so that he can have cat ears. Cat repeatedly tells Duck he is a duck and should go Quack Quack. And Duck repeatedly tells Cat he is a cat and goes Meow. Cat is at his wits end. Duck soon decides that he is a parrot and starts to mimic everything Cat says and does, thus infuriating Cat even more. There is quite a bit of humor depicted not only in the story, but in the illustrations as well. The illustrations were created with sumi ink washes, pen and pencil drawings, and assembled and colored digitally. There is lots of color. Green and blue dominate. But there are splashes of purple and orange as well. The illustrations are so well done. Note the amusement on the squirrel's face as he is watching Cat and Duck interact. And how Duck attempts to dress as a pirate parrot, not just a regular parrot. As it turns out, Duck just has a vivid imagination and loves to play dress-up. Cat's expressions are priceless. The text is all done in dialogue bubbles between Cat and Duck. The words are simple and direct, thus making this a good beginning reader for slightly older beginning readers. There are not many unfamiliar words. And there is quite a bit of repetition of words such as cat, duck, no, meow and such. This title would work well in large group settings. Young listeners will love to join in making the animals sounds and joining in on the refrains echoed by both Cat and Duck. Pair with Bernard Most's "Cow That Went Oink", Julia Donaldson's "What the Ladybug Heard" and Deborah Burss' "Book Book Book" for a noisy and fun animal story time. A first purchase.

Overall Book Score: excellent