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Check It Out: Delightful pictures tell dog vs. cats tale

By Jan Johnston
Published: February 7, 2015, 4:00pm

I hope you don’t think I’m really weird by writing about a Halloween book during the month of valentines and groundhogs. To be honest, I didn’t even consider this week’s book a spooky holiday book; I just liked it — a lot. It wasn’t until later when I looked at the book’s subject headings (a very librarian thing to do) that Halloween popped up. What I really want to impress upon readers is that “Bow-Wow’s Nightmare Neighbors” is funny, smart and a solid charmer, regardless of the time of year.

Dogs versus cats: it’s an animal relationship that’s been touchy ever since the first Fido and the first Fluffy set eyes on each other all those millennia ago. Maybe it’s because I’ve been a cat parent for so long and have become very accustomed to their mischievous nature, but I believe cats really do enjoy provoking dogs. I’m not declaring this to be a universal truth because I have experienced the opposite situation — when a big, lovable German shepherd delighted in teasing her feline companions (I’m sure I could see the twinkle in her eye as she gently pestered them). But cats do seem to revel in their role as instigator — often to the dismay of many a beleaguered canine.

Take Bow-Wow, for example. This poor orange terrier just wants to sleep peacefully on his soft, green bed. But his neighbors — a clutter of naughty pussycats — have other plans for the unsuspecting pooch. The story begins with the tricky tabbies peeking through a window of Bow-Wow’s house. The tired little pup has no idea that they are about to bite his tail and steal his favorite green bed, doggone it!

Now, Bow-Wow may be greatly outnumbered, but he’s not about to let these injustices continue. Yowling then running, he follows the furry little stinkers as they vanish into a house located across the street. What happens next? Well, I don’t want to spoil the fun, but I will say that the kitties’ lair is a bit spooky, and the whiskered rascals have more surprises in store — some vexatious, some pretty darn cute — for their canine neighbor.

What I haven’t mentioned before is that this high-spirited picture book is completely wordless. All of the action — and there’s plenty of it — takes place through illustrations. A visual delight, the book “tells” Bow-Wow’s story with a clever combination of intensity and nuance. Little ones will have no trouble understanding that Bow-Wow is in a bit of a pickle, thanks to his impish feline neighbors. Older readers will delight in the rich pictorial detail that supplies the tale with an extra edge of humor, acting something like a bibliographic “wink and a nod” to its savvy audience.

Can a feisty orange terrier find a way to get along with such devious kitties? To find out, consider doing this: the next time you give your furry friend a treat, treat yourself by checking out this snappy picture book from the library. You won’t be barking up the wrong tree.

Review
&quot;Bow-Wow's Nightmare Neighbors&quot;
By Mark Newgarden and Megan Montague Cash
(Roaring Brook Press, unpaged)
Review "Bow-Wow's Nightmare Neighbors" By Mark Newgarden and Megan Montague Cash (Roaring Brook Press, unpaged) Photo
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