Short Dog, Long Dog

Starred review from December 15, 2024
Colorful canines manufactured from yarn illustrate rhymes about words with opposite meanings. This excellent companion toCatside Up, Catside Down (2023) opens with four pages of funny verse and even funnier art: "Short dog, Long dog, Huge or tiny. // Itchy on the head, Or scratchy on the hiney." The final illustration in that series depicts a long, lavender dog with its butt rubbing against a potted cactus, an eye closed in ecstasy. Two crescent-shaped bits of lavender yarn above the hound's hindquarters serve as motion lines. Similar details throughout are a comical treat for the eye and the ear alike. Large, bold print set against stark white backgrounds--with a few creative exceptions--set off the knitted wonders. Granted, notall are knitted; some varieties are appropriately shaggy. In addition, one page of opposites shows the difference between knitting and purling. The text provides simple, one-word opposites, as well as a few phrases that indicate contrasting ideas--often with marvelously complementary art. The words "Dressing in a suit, / Or grooving in tie-dye" are paired with an image of one dog fixing a tie in a mirror while another sports a vibrant T-shirt and headband. The facial expressions capture both dogs' essences: uptight and proper vs. goofy and mellow. The ending, where a knitted brown-skinned child cuddles with the pooches, ties up--or knits up--everything perfectly. Listeners and emergent readers alike will be enthralled from beginning to end. High entertainment from lowly antonyms. (more antonyms)(Picture book. 4-9)

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February 1, 2025
Preschool-Kindergarten Hrachovec is a highly skilled artist and popular Instagram creator known for her extraordinary yarn work. Her adorable, knitted creations are rich in details and charm. This follow-up to Catside Up, Catside Down: A Book of Prepositions (2023) swaps felines for canines and uses rhyming stanzas to introduce a variety of opposites words. The pages are filled with vibrant, colorful photographs of cute knitted dogs in imaginative and playful poses that demonstrate the word pairs. Some choices will be expected (hot and cold, fast and slow), but others introduce a higher range of vocabulary (cheerful and dour, foolish and clever). Both the rhymes and the large-scale illustrations make this a great choice for group sharing that will hold young listeners' attention. Following the main text, a list of "zesty antonyms" will tempt word hounds with exciting pairings, such as loquacious and laconic. A visual treat that is as delightful as it is intellectually enriching.

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