From School Library Journal
Grade 1-3-In this Jewish folktale, a dog outsmarts three cats that harass and attempt to terrorize him when he moves into a new house in the country. Finally, Dog offers them gold in exchange for making as much noise as he heard in Bialystok. The cats eagerly accept his challenge, but after three nights they are left exhausted and greedier than ever. The dog asks that they come back and make more noise, even though he can no longer afford to pay them. Refusing to give him "something for nothing," the cats "never disturbed the peace and quiet of Dog's country cottage ever again." The bold, vibrant watercolors, many of them spreads and full-page illustrations with lots of pink, orange, green, and purple hues, are wonderfully evocative and detailed. In an author's note, Stampler explains that although she has found oral remembrances of this tale, she has not located other written versions. An appealing story that would make a fine read-aloud with lots of sound effects.
Genevieve Gallagher, Orange County Public Library, VACopyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Gr. 1-3. A city dog moves to the country for some peace and quiet in this Yiddish folktale first relayed to the author by her Eastern European grandmother. Dog can't stand the cacophony of the Bialystok market: "'I will not stay in this banging, clanging, rumbling, shouting, moaning, groaning, clip-clop, clip-clop city for even one more day!' he howled." True to his vow, he packs up his belongings in a cart and settles happily into an abandoned house in the country. But what's this? His first night of bucolic tranquility is shattered by the "dreadful clatter" of three rascally cats who like to stir up trouble. In the end, however, Dog tricks the village vandals into tiring of their own game, and peace is restored to his country cottage. Cohen's wildly colorful, highly stylized paintings are lively and lovely, but they compete with, rather than complement, this old-fashioned tribute to the triumph of wit.
Karin SnelsonCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
