BirdCatDog

October 6, 2014
In this first title in the Three-Story Books series, Nordling (The Bramble) and Spanish illustrator Bosch tell three related stories simultaneously through wordless sequential panels. On each page, three sets of panels run parallel—one across the top for the bird of the title,
a second in the middle for the cat, and the third along the bottom for the dog. They’re all pets in the same household, and after they leave the house, they meet other animals, chase them, and are chased by them—and sometimes they meet and chase each other, too. When they do, both sets of panels record the encounter, each from that animal’s own perspective. Though there’s lots of cheerful action, the story isn’t out for laughs. The focus is on carrying out the storytelling task, a seriousness of purpose deepened by the declaration at the end: “We are all heroes of our own stories,” a squirrel intones. It’s not quite the right lesson to take away from this experiment, which has more to do with how every event can be seen from several perspectives—a point it makes most effectively. Ages 5–9.

October 1, 2014

PreS-Gr 2-A compelling, engaging, and original wordless graphic novel for young children in which readers can determine the hero. The three perspectives of the different title characters are delivered concurrently in three by three cells, each third adding new details to the same story. The drama unfolds as the bird flies out the window after escaping its cage, the cat wakes up up from a nap eager for excitement, and the dog stands guard, master of his domain, the yard. The tale accelerates as each story line advances independently from one another, with color-coded panels helpfully delineating each point of view. Kids will have fun tying the separate threads together. The wordless graphic novel format will empower young and struggling readers, while giving them the opportunity to claim ownership of the narrative. The quirky digital art adds humor to this effective and imaginative title. A must-own for elementary school libraries.-John Trischitti, Midland County Public Libraries, TX

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from October 1, 2014
A serene suburban tableau cleverly describes the separate, exciting adventures of a bird, a cat and a dog, each the hero of its own story. In one of these stories, a lemon-yellow bird seeks freedom from its cage and finds itself encountering fierce raptors and a curious cat. In a neighboring backyard, an orange cat craves adventure outside of its fence, meeting a wily feral opponent. Nearby, a tough-looking gray dog strives to guard its doghouse from intruders and maintain peace. Readers, be advised, don't let the seemingly simple, wordless nature of this offering fool you: This innovative charmer can be read four different ways. There is the bird's story, soaring across the top panels in bright, cheerful azure tones, which can be read alone. Similarly, there are the cat's escapades, creeping across the middle panels against a richly verdant palette, and the dog's tale, in ochre, earth tones, marching across the bottom. Each animal's adventure could be read individually, or all three could be read traditionally, left to right and then top to bottom, following each of the nine panels that occupy most of the pages. Multiple readings are not only expected, they are required. Stylish and inventive and an excellent examination of point of view. (Graphic adventure. 4-8)

COPYRIGHT(2014) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

October 15, 2014
Grades K-3 This cleverly formatted wordless graphic story follows three adventuresthose of a bird, a cat, and a dogover the course of one day. All three stories' panels appear in rows across each page, so little ones can choose to follow each individual story (with a unique color palette for each animal), or they can read each page as a whole and see the larger narrative that unfolds across the three animals' experiences. The bird escapes its cage and flies out the window of the house, enjoying its freedom until a bird of prey starts chasing it. The cat saunters outside and first tries to chase the bird, before it encounters a wild cat. Meanwhile, the dog guards its yard as both the cat and the bird travel through it on their chases. The bird's peril adds just enough drama for young readers, and the wordless story allows them to make up their own dialogue and narrative based on the pictures. Bosch's colorful illustrations add lots of humor, too, for eagle-eyed kids who like to spot details.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)

January 1, 2015
In this innovative wordless picture book told entirely through cartoon panels, three pets escape the ennui of domestication for brief, interconnected adventures in the wild. An introduction explains that readers may read across the six-by-three distribution of rectangular panels for the protagonists' parallel plot lines -- the Tweety-like yellow bird in the blue-saturated top row of panels; the orange tabby in the green-toned middle row; and the bluish-gray guard dog in the yellow-hued bottom row -- or read from top to bottom to "get the whole story." Expressive, accessible art wordlessly follows the pets' adventures, during which each animal not only interacts (badly) with the other two pets but also comes snout-to-snout (or beak-to-beak) with a wild version of itself: a hawk, a lynx, a wolf. While the consistent panel grid sacrifices the more dynamic layout and pacing afforded by a variety of panel sizes and shapes, this structure (with its protagonist-color-complementing rows) unobtrusively guides readers along. And it's that much more effective when that structure breaks into a dizzying and hilarious double-page spread of all six creatures in a high-speed chase through the pets' backyard, a bemused squirrel looking on. Once they have chased off the interlopers, the triumphant pets settle down for well-deserved naps on their well-defended home turf. katie bircher

(Copyright 2015 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)