Meow Said the Cow

PreS-Gr 1—When Cat is awakened by the barnyard's raucous rooster, he grumpily decides to use a little magic to solve the problem. The next thing readers know, the rooster opens his beak and all that comes out is "Squeak, squeak, squeak." With that spell working well, Cat soon mixes up the sounds of the other farmyard denizens, resulting in mayhem everywhere. The animals soon realize who is at fault and demand their voices back. Cat succeeds at reversing the spells, except for one. The rollicking text is paired with large, colorful digitally produced art that has the kinetic animals fairly popping off the spreads as they figure a way out of their dilemma. Varied perspectives keep the action going, and the text is integrated flawlessly into the art. While the reason behind the magic is a bit obscure, young readers will appreciate the frolic and fun and the saucy cat's comeuppance at the end.—Marge Loch-Wouters, La Crosse Public Library, WI