Oops, Pounce, Quick, Run!

October 26, 2015
The turbulent relationship between a yellow dog and a gray mouse unfolds through a snappy alphabetical series of words and phrases. As story opens, the mouse is “Asleep” in his den when the dog’s “Ball” lands in its lap (“Catch”). Twohy (Wake Up, Rupert!) creates lively action sequences in pen-and-ink illustrations that reveal the animals’ path of destruction as they give chase: the mouse careens toward a coffeepot (“Kitchen”), while the dog knocks over a lamp while rounding a corner (“Living room”). The whirlwind chase reads like a Sylvester and Tweety Bird episode, but terror turns to tenderness as the mouse returns the ball as a gift (“To dog” reads the tag), and the two fall asleep in a heap as buddies (“Zzzzz”). To-the-point text and clear situational comedy create a graspable, gratifying read. Ages 4–8. Agent: Elena Giovinazzo, Pippin Properties.

Starred review from October 15, 2015
Leave it to a cartoonist (in this case, a regular contributor to the New Yorker) to cleverly create a picture book-length comic strip out of the alphabet. A mouse is Asleep in a chair opposite a hole in the wall when a Ball bounces through the hole into his lap. Next, a Dog's nose pokes through the hole followed by its Feet, and the chase is on! The mouse Jumps, hiding behind a curtain, but his tail gives him away: Oops! Will this end badly? No, the shrewd mouse gives the dog a wrapped present--a new ball. Each letter appears on one page, typically exemplified by just one word (exceptions are I'll chase, To Dog, Living room, Very Cool) with the capital letter in a colorful type. The simple line drawings of the gray mouse and brown-eared, yellow-furred dog place the two characters front and center against the white backdrop, dramatizing the action and reactions. Some of the word choices are obvious, such as Pounce, Quick, Run, Wag, and only a few are unexpected: Missing, Nowhere, Unwrap, and Xoxo. Twohy could have gone the traditional route of portraying a cat-and-mouse adventure, but using a dog gives the romp relatively more energy and excitement. Give this "alphabet caper" an F for Fun. (Picture book. 4-9)

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December 1, 2015

Toddler-PreS-An alphabetical romp that tells what happens when Dog accidentally rolls his ball into Mouse's house. Dog is irritated about the missing ball and winds up chasing Mouse out of his den and all through the house. The story resolves with Mouse wrapping the ball up and giving it to Dog. Dog unwraps it, thinks it's very cool, wags his tail, sends "XOXO," and finally says yes. Then the two of them happily take a nap together: Zzzzz. Twohy's fast-paced book is spare, with simple line illustrations, few colors, and one or two words per page. Felt-tip pens and India ink were used to create these illustrations, and the lines Twohy uses in his drawings convey Dog's curiosity and Mouse's panic to escape, as well as the energetic antics of the story. This book will work nicely as a one-on-one read but will also be a good pick for toddler storytimes. VERDICT A general purchase for early childhood collections.-Liz Anderson, DC Public Library

Copyright 2015 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2016
Shelves may groan under the weight of abecedaries, but this one stands out with its use of alphabetic structure to tell a spare, fast-paced story through cartoon illustrations that excel at conveying movement. Cover art immediately shows readers just how inventive Twohy's approach is as he eschews a typical pairing of cat-and-mouse antagonists: here it's a dog and mouse. An opening picture from within a mouse hole reveals the occupant sleeping in a recliner. The only text is the word Asleep; then a page turn shows an orange Ball bouncing toward the startled mouse; on the facing recto the mouse Catch[es] it. Whose ball is this? It belongs to (page turn) Dog, of course. A chase ensues, one letter at a time, and this is where Twohy's illustration shines: on page after page, motion lines, blurs, and loose, energetic lines combine to show the dog in hot pursuit of the frantic mouse. In a feat of expert pacing, Twohy halts the chase with a full double-page spread to illustrate Missing, prompting the reader to scan the scene right along with the dog in search of its prey. After yet more chasing, the mouse retrieves the ball and returns it to the dog, whose speedy acceptance provokes reconciliation ( Xoxo ). Given how inventive the rest of the book is, it's rather surprising that the ending acquiesces to picture book convention as dog and mouse drift off to sleep ( Zzzzz ), but it's a logical conclusion given all that chasing. megan dowd lambert

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