Woof Meow Tweet-Tweet

Boyer, Cecile. 2011. WOOF MEOW TWEET-TWEET. NY: Seven Footer Press. ISBN: 9781934734605 [Suggested Grade Levels PreK and up]

REVIEW

“Do you know how to tell the difference between a dog, a cat and a bird?” Well, do you? This is how the book WOOF MEOW TWEET-TWEET begins. The simple story compares and contrasts the habits of each of the creatures and what typically happens when they encounter one another.

The book’s twist is in the illustrations. Instead of drawn figures of the animals who make these specific sounds, we are presented with onomatopoetic text in their place; the words WOOF MEOW and TWEET-TWEET appearing in place of the creature. A fun play in text alignment has WOOF showing its tricks by sitting, begging and lying down, while MEOW appears on rooftops and lounging on a comfy chair. TWEET-TWEET appears on power lines and in trees.

The message is simple and straight forward and the text representation of the animals act in a rebus-like fashion. Simple illustrations run throughout in a retro color pallet dominated by oranges and green. Back matter includes the names of the fonts representing the animals and their creators, including the font for MEOW which was specifically created for this book.

CONNECTIONS

Add some noise making creatures to the story and carry it forward. Maybe the house pets will go on a car ride to the country. Who will they see? How will they appear? Create a story board, and don’t forget to draw your sounds!

RELATED BOOKS

Additional books that push the boundaries of page and text:

Tullet, Herve. THE BOOK WITH A HOLE. ISBN 9781854379467

Tullet, Herve. PRESS HERE. ISBN 9780811879545

By Marianne Follis