I Am the Dog I Am the Cat
A rottweiler and a green-eyed cat are the stars as well as the narrators of this second work from Hall and Moser ( The Farm Summer 1942 ). Hall's evenhanded and whimsical poem/play analyzes the nature of each species: "DOG: I am the dog. / I like bones. / I like to bury bones. / As for eating, I can take it or leave it-- / but I like it when they feed me. CAT: I am the cat. / I won't care whether they feed me or not / as long as I get fed." Moser's paintings give each animal in the book a specific personality--the rottweiler shakes diamond beads of water from his coat or frightens "the burglar disguised as a UPS man"; the cat peers intently through a window at a finch or sits like a queen atop a purple cushion. The feline rather disdainfully describes dogs as "nervous and well-meaning"; the simultaneously "dignified, / guilty, / sprightly, / obedient, / friendly, / vigilant, / and soulful" dog says categorically that "cats are weird." The absence of a clear story or plot, however, coupled with the arch tone of the text, may make the book more accessible and enjoyable to adult readers than to children. All ages.Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.