Product Description

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #321562 in Books
• Published on: 2006-03-08
• Original language: English
• Dimensions: .9" h x 8.72" w x 8.70" l, .26 pounds
• Binding: Paperback
• 32 pages

From Publishers Weekly
In this when-in-Rome story, a stray dog alters his canine ways to appease half-a-dozen grouchy cats. Widget, a scruffy Westie, wanders into a farmhouse where he finds "six cats, six warm beds, and six bowls of hot food." The well-fed cats glare at him. "I wish you could stay," says the grandmotherly caretaker, Mrs. Diggs. "But I'm afraid the girls just can't stand dogs." Widget utters a hopeful "Meow?" Thereafter, he adopts feline ways, until the inevitable emergency ("Mrs. Diggs... fell down. She didn't move") compels him to bark and save the day. The McFarlands, who imagined a teddy bear mimicking a bird in The Pirate's Parrot, once again depict an adaptable outsider. Widget's name aptly suggests an unspecific, versatile object. In Jim McFarland's pen-and-ink and watercolor wash illustrations, the ingratiating dog appears the same size as his adoptive sisters, with pointed ears and a scruffy, upraised tail; he even casts a cat-shaped shadow. This story line offers no surprises, but it gives a fond account of cross-species conciliation, and, at their best, the pictures of the hero attempting to adapt to his housemates' behavior hint at the sly wit of James Stevenson's artwork. Ages 3-6.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
reS-Widget is a stray dog-homeless, cold, wet, and hungry. He finds his way to a warm, cozy home but then has to exercise all his ingenuity to convince the six female felines in residence to accept him. With a light and humorous touch, text and illustrations charm readers as Widget charms the cats by pretending to be one of them. The funniest spreads are of Widget and "the girls" facing off all puffed up, then hissing and spitting. The pup quickly realizes that purring, playing, and even using the litter box is the ticket into this household. In the end, the cats accept him on his own terms-as a dog-since it is barking, not meowing, that saves the day after a mishap suffered by their human guardian, Mrs. Diggs. Illustrations, apparently watercolors, are detailed and realistic with cartoon touches that add to the humor, as when six pairs of cats' eyes are all turned toward Widget, whose own wide eyes are trained in turn on them. This is a preschool crowd pleaser, just right for storytime.

Dorian Chong, School of Library and Information Science, San Jose State University, CA

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
*Starred Review* Ages 3-6. Widget, a cold, hungry stray dog, ventures into Mrs. Diggs' house and hopes he's found a home. Unfortunately, as Mrs. Diggs says, "the girls just can't stand dogs." The girls, Mrs. Diggs' six cats, don't seem to like Widget at first sight. But when he meows, purrs, and uses the litter box, they start to accept him, and, after a few pages, he's having so much fun with the cats that he sometimes forgets he's a dog. One day, though, Mrs. Diggs falls and no amount of meowing and caterwauling can summon help. Widget begins to bark and the cats bark too, bringing the neighbors to help their friend. From the initially suspicious faces of the cats to later sights such as a cowering Widget and "the girls" treed by a Chihuahua, the ink-and-watercolor-wash illustrations bring out the book's humor. In an age of slick graphic sophistication, this is a fresh, unpretentious approach that speaks directly to children. With its short text, appealing art, and good old-fashioned story, this picture book will be a crowd pleaser in story times and a favorite of cat lovers and dog lovers alike. Carolyn Phelan
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