When Mu Meets Min

Gr 1–3—A Chinese farmer and his wife receive a gift from a friend: a puppy named Min. The dog is smart, friendly, and brave. The couple find themselves in need of a cat, however, when their farmhouse is overrun with rats. The farmer's friend doesn't see how a dog and a cat could be friends, but when a lovable kitten, Mu, joins the family, she and Min prove him wrong, playing together in the yard and sleeping curled around each other. Over time, the animals grow apart, and before long aggressive fights regularly break out between them. Just as the farmer and his wife decide to give one of the animals away, Mu has an accident; while chasing a mouse, she falls into the water tank. With no one at home, Min is her only chance, and the dog runs two miles to fetch the farmer, who comes home just in time to save the cat from drowning. From then on, Min and Mu keep at a respectable distance, and the farmer's friend marvels at the way they get along. This subtle resolution is refreshing, as Min and Mu arrive at a new understanding about each other without reverting to a saccharine friendship. Translated from Chinese, the text is plain and direct, befitting the allegorical tone of the story. The mixed-media illustrations have a strong sense of movement and a rough, unrefined quality that similarly suits the tale.