Me and Meow

by Adam Gudeon

Overview

This is a sweet story about a little girl and her cat.

They are the best of friends, and they do everything together—stump jumping, leaf leaping, slip sliding, and lunch munching. But what happens when Meow goes hide hiding?

Written in singsong text with childlike illustrations, this is the perfect book for children just learning how to read.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780061998218
Publisher:	HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date:	09/13/2011
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	9.10(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Adam Gudeon is a children's book writer and illustrator who attended the Pratt School of Art & Design in Brooklyn, New York. He lives with his wife, Monica, and children, Ezra and Iris, in Great Barrington, Massachusetts. Though highly allergic to cats, he loves them anyway. This is his first picture book.

Adam Gudeon is a children's book writer and illustrator who attended the Pratt School of Art & Design in Brooklyn, New York. He lives with his wife, Monica, and children, Ezra and Iris, in Great Barrington, Massachusetts. Though highly allergic to cats, he loves them anyway. This is his first picture book.

Editorial Reviews

Gudeon's first picture book uses naïf stick figures and candy-colored backgrounds to create a book that feels as if it might have been drawn and written by an actual child. "Breakfast Time," it reads on the first page, which shows a stick-haired girl at a table with her red cat, Meow, beside her, bowls of what looks like porridge in front of them. "Yum, Me," it says under the girl. "Yum, Meow," it reads under the cat. She pulls the cat in a red wagon ("Go, Me. Go, Meow"). Gingerly, the text tiptoes into poetry as it describes the many things she and Meow do together: "Stump jumping./ Leaf leaping./ Slip sliding./ Hide hiding." The two enjoy the whole day with no interference from parents or friends; the only doubtful moment is when the girl loses Meow and falls off her tricycle. Meow reappears promptly (and can be found, reassuringly, hiding in the background in all the spreads in which the girl looks for her). The book's lighthearted devotion to everyday pleasures should please youngest readers. Ages 2?5. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

This very simple story is likely to be just right for twos and threes who are just transitioning into stories. It features a little girl and her cat Meow who do all kinds of things together, from block building to block knocking down to lunch munching. When Meow decides to play hide and seek at bedtime, her young owner finds her in time for both of them to get to sleep. Gudeon's illustrations have the charm and feel of a child's drawing—just past the stick figure stage. The red cat and her owner are superimposed on brightly colored backgrounds and the text is kept to a minimum. However, there is plenty for children to converse about as they look through the book with an important adult—which makes this a perfect vehicle for supporting language development. Reviewer: Mary Hynes-Berry

Children's Literature - Mary Hynes-Berry

PreS-K—Simple, childlike pictures and a minimal, childlike narrative describe a day in the life of Me and her constant companion, Meow, her red cat. Beneath a stick figure sun, a smiling child extends her arms above the greeting, "Good morning, Me!" On the facing page, Meow is stretching above the words, "Good morning, Meow!" The two eat breakfast together, and then Me pulls Meow in a red wagon outdoors. They engage in "Stump jumping. Leaf leaping. Slip sliding. Hide hiding." Meow hides from Me, who rides her tricycle, determined to find her pet. When the child falls and weeps, the cat comes to comfort her. As the day continues, they sing, play hide-and-seek, and dress up, ending with "Dream Dreaming." The primitive figures are expertly posed and arranged with simple props on color-saturated spreads to reflect the joy and devotion the companions share. Children as young as two years will appreciate the brevity, rhythm, onomatopoeia, and repetition in the text. Gudeon's work brings to mind the simple composition of Mo Willems's I Am Going! (Hyperion, 2010) and the bold colors of Todd Parr's The Grandma Book (Little, Brown, 2006). Me and Meow may inspire children to talk about a special friend and events in their day.—Laura Scott, Farmington Community Library, MI

School Library Journal

Gudeon's picture-book debut is high on style and charm as it introduces Me and Meow, a little girl and her cat, in a beginning-reader–friendly tale.

Childlike, boldly colored illustrations follow the characters through their daily routine. Minimal backgrounds include just a few items rendered in naïve style: A cheery sun establishes the initial morning setting; a window with the sunrise outside indicates an interior breakfast scene; then a house and tree show that they are playing outside. This echoes the text's control and repetition, inviting new readers to decode the story with support from pictorial cues. Me and Meow engage in "Stump jumping. / Leaf leaping. / Slip sliding./ Hide hiding," and then the sneaky kitty stays hidden and Me goes off to find it. In her haste, she has a tricycle accident, and a brilliant use of facing pages has her saying "I will find my Me... / ...ow!" across the gutter; the "ow!" illustration depicts the tearful little girl, her trike upside down beside her. Meow emerges to comfort her, and the two carry on with their day of play until it's time for "Dream Dreaming. / Night night, Me. / Night night, Meow."

More, Me and Meow. More. (Picture book/early reader. 2-6)

Kirkus Reviews