A cat and dog illustrate the concept of opposites--and friendship--in this charming picture book by Italian author/illustrator Tullio Corda, who lives in France, his first title to be published in English.
"Brave/ Afraid," "Slow/ Fast," "Nimble/ Heavy": a pair of furry friends go through their day on opposite sides of the personality and behavior spectrum. A blue, sausage-shaped dog seems continually baffled by the sly orange cat that zips around, lunging for birds and falling out of trees. But do opposites make enemies? Decidedly not! Readers see, in a waggishly tense finale, that some friends balance each other perfectly.
Each spread depicts the cat and dog representing opposing experiences. After the cat knocks a potted plant off the shelf and onto the dog's head, the dog is "Upset" while the paw-licking cat is "Unconcerned." As soon as the stalking cat gets "Near" the bird, the dog bumbles onto the scene, causing the bird to fly "Far" away. Briefly, the friends are in the same state, "Down Low," while the bird is "Up High" in a tree. Uncluttered, light-colored backgrounds allow kitty and pooch to remain front and center, while the most basic of text--mostly two-word pairings translated from the original French by Taylor Barrett Gaines--conveys a surprisingly rich and humorous story. Corda is masterful in showing emotion in the faces of the animals, even with the simplest features. A thoroughly fun, laugh-aloud picture book. --Emilie Coulter, freelance writer and editor