From School Library Journal
PreSchool-Grade 2–While trapped in the house on a rainy day, Riley the dog and Rose the cat, trying desperately not to get into a fight, decide to draw pictures. As if their very feline/canine natures don't make this difficult enough, it turns out that their artistic natures clash as well. Riley, ever literal, draws circles, triangles, and spirals and wants them to be exactly that while Rose, who is more of a dreamer, thinks more abstractly. To her a simple circle can become a bug, a flower, the sun, etc. Still, Riley thinks she's ruining the integrity of his shapes, and even with all their peaceful intentions, a fight erupts. Once they get that out of their systems, they decide to give drawing (and getting along) one more try, and this time they actually do learn to see the world a bit more through one another's eyes. This clever story is packaged in clean, attractive pages with comical cartoon illustrations, making it great for sharing aloud. Pair it with Peter Reynolds's
The Dot (Candlewick, 2003) for young artists who think they can't draw, use it to talk about shapes, or read it with siblings who sometimes just don't see eye to eye.
–Julie Roach, Watertown Free Public Library, MA Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
K-Gr. 3. It's raining outside, so shaggy-dog Riley and his kitty friend, Rose, agree to stay inside and draw pictures together. They also agree not to fight. After taping large sheets of paper on the wall, they begin. But Riley likes drawing basic shapes, and Rose likes drawing stories; where Riley sees triangles, Rose sees tents. Soon, despite their good intentions, they quarrel. One last picture on the wall brings the bickering to a halt: the stories and the shapes come together, and Riley and Rose find themselves inside their own artwork on a high-seas adventure, enjoying each other's creativity and friendship. The lively text is read-aloud friendly, incorporating child-familiar dialogue, interactions, and humor. The colorful gouache art is charming, too, filling the pages with expressive characters and distinctive childlike artwork that perfectly matches the story. An engaging, insightful take on how creativity can bring different personalities together.
Shelle RosenfeldCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
