Two Together

Starred review from January 29, 2024
Caldecott Honoree Wenzel continues to explore perspective in this companion to They All Saw a Cat and Inside Cat—a story about a feline, Bell, and a hound, Bone, headed homeward. Gentle rhymes and short, chiming lines situate the two as they wander the natural world “for a moment. For a day.// Two together on their way.” Bone, stroked in rich brown paint splotches, galumphs along carrying a hefty bone, and the world the dog perceives is also made up of organic, fingerpaint-like shapes. Bell, smaller and leaner, is drawn in delicate, scribbly lines, and all the cat meets is rendered in the same style. Bone sees a tree as dark green waves; Bell, sitting in it, perceives each distinct leaf in varied hues. Along the way, their points of view communicate their individual takes as the two encounter precipitation (Bone grins, Bell bristles) and a darkening sky (the areas around nocturnally sighted Bell are brighter). Free of conflict, the story’s excitement is found in discovering how the beings each sense the world—and in knowing that those differences don’t prevent their curling up by the fire together at day’s end, “warm and safe” in the eyes of another. Ages 3–5. Agent: Steven Malk, Writers House.

March 1, 2024
This companion to They All Saw a Cat (rev. 11/16) and Inside Cat (rev. 11/21) follows a cat and dog as they each confront and perceive the surprises that await them. At first, the dog is rendered with bold, painterly strokes while the cat is depicted with softer hues and pencil-like lines. As the duo interacts with creatures and structures along their path, different forms showcase each animal's unique outlook. In some instances, a point of focus (a bee, a house) is drawn in dueling styles, revealing contrasts (or similarities) between the two characters' points of view. A stream is jaggedly drawn for the cat, but calmer, rounder curves spotlight the dog's perception of it; two different styles depict a bear (frightening to both) with shaky intensity. Short sentences pace the textual narrative with thrilling immediacy. As day turns to night, vibrant colors on darker backgrounds drown out the once-hefty white space, filling the page as the starry skies and the animals' house (now within reach) are brightly illuminated. At this point, perspectives and styles switch: the cat is illustrated the way the dog was earlier and vice versa. A new cohesive visual style emerges as the pets enter their home and snuggle together before running outside for another adventure. A thought-provoking celebration of stepping into the unknown and working to understand and embrace the lenses of others. Elisa Gall

(Copyright 2024 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

Starred review from February 1, 2024
Seeming simplicity yields rich rewards in this sensory-steeped tale of adventure and friendship. Color-sapped outlines of a wilderness kick off this tale of a dog and cat traveling together. "Two together headed home. / Cat and dog. / Bell and Bone. / For a moment. For a day. // Two together on their way." After they peek at their reflections in the water, different artistic styles are used in the following pages to depict each animal; the dog is rendered in curved acrylics, the cat in spiky colored pencil. Sometimes the very page splits in two, one side portraying the dog's perceptions and the other the cat's. After a toad waylays them, they encounter a bear, a cave, and a rainstorm. As night falls, the colors grow deep and sumptuous, and home appears like a beacon. Inside, the two are now more rendered more realistically and in more detail than ever before. That is, until they go out again to prowl the night. Featuring the singsong nature of some of the best nursery rhymes, the tale reads with an effortless lilting quality, gently rhyming. Yet it's the art that's the showstopper here, and one wonders if the two are crispest in the home because we're seeing them the way their human owner does. What is unquestionable is the friends' affection for each other, the pair sticking side by side through thick and thin. A masterful consideration of perception, exploration, and, ultimately, love. (Picture book. 3-6)

COPYRIGHT(2024) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

March 15, 2024
Preschool-Grade 3 Caldecott Honor Book creator Wenzel gleefully expands on the classic notion of a dog and cat as opposites as he pairs a dog rendered as an exuberantly flowing swoop of loose paint daubs with a cat crafted as a wiry scribble of tight colored-pencil strokes. Details in this cleverly imagined world remain muted until noticed by the pair--and while Dog sees a bird's plumes as gloopy swirls, Cat's view shows the same wing as sketchy wisps. With spare rhyming text outlining their homeward journey, the friends bound cheerfully along, with every encounter presenting a dual view, half swoosh and half scrawl. After fleeing a bear, fording a river, braving a cave, and withstanding wind and rain, the contented companions curl up together safely at home, where they now share a single style of soft strokes and warm colors. Though Wenzel's charmingly devised dual visuals may be a tad perplexing at first, young readers will certainly delight in deciphering the differences in this whimsical world where an unlikely pair sees everything in opposition--except their own shared friendship.

COPYRIGHT(2024) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

September 13, 2024

PreS-Gr 3-A sweet story of two pets, a cat and a dog, returning to their home and getting lost along the way. Readers are taken on an adventure down paths, across streams, past bears and a cave, until they finally find their way back home with the dynamic duo. The repetition of the phrase "two together" allows for listeners of the story to assist in reading and interacting with the read aloud. While the story is fun and cute, the real gems are the illustrations. Dog, and all it sees, is painted with large brushstrokes while Cat and everything it sees is rendered in thin, quick colored pencil and chalk lines. The dynamic between the two styles helps demonstrate how perspectives can be different from person to person: when crossing a river, the dog sees soft, moving water while the cat's portion is jagged and fast, perfectly illustrating their two very different opinions of water. At another point in the story, the two enter a cave and dog's areas are visible but shadowed while cat's sections are bright and colorful, drawing attention to the fact that while both animals can see in the dark, our feline friends have a better ability to do so. VERDICT A great short and interactive picture book to engage preschoolers and older kids alike.-Jennifer Ritzie

Copyright 2024 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2024
his companion to They All Saw a Cat (rev. 11/16) and Inside Cat (rev. 11/21) follows a cat and dog as they each confront and perceive the surprises that await them. At first, the dog is rendered with bold, painterly strokes while the cat is depicted with softer hues and pencil-like lines. As the duo interacts with creatures and structures along their path, different forms showcase each animal's unique outlook. In some instances, a point of focus (a bee, a house) is drawn in dueling styles, revealing contrasts (or similarities) between the two characters' points of view. A stream is jaggedly drawn for the cat, but calmer, rounder curves spotlight the dog's perception of it; two different styles depict a bear (frightening to both) with shaky intensity. Short sentences pace the textual narrative with thrilling immediacy. As day turns to night, vibrant colors on darker backgrounds drown out the once-hefty white space, filling the page as the starry skies and the animals' house (now within reach) are brightly illuminated. At this point, perspectives and styles switch: the cat is illustrated the way the dog was earlier and vice versa. A new cohesive visual style emerges as the pets enter their home and snuggle together before running outside for another adventure. A thought-provoking celebration of stepping into the unknown and working to understand and embrace the lenses of others.

(Copyright 2024 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)