Everybody Says Meow

“Welcome to that magical time when everybody says, ‘Meow!’ ” begins a wide-eyed, toothy cat. As a clowder gathers (“MEOW!”), a dog peeking around the page’s edge immediately foils plans with a “Woof.” Quickly adapting to the hound’s verbal limitations, the cat announces a new plan: “Everybody says, ‘Meow.’/ One guy says, ‘Woof.’ ” The only problem? The frog that shows up out of nowhere (“DID SOMEBODY SAY, ‘RIBBIT’?”). It’s easy to see where things are going, and when the lead feline declares the moment “that magical time when everybody says whatever they want,” the colorful crew joyously celebrates with the noise of their choice—until another newcomer arrives with a page-emptying sound of its own. Working in pen, ink, and watercolor, Lombardo’s bright scenes focus all the attention on her cast as they discover that not everybody says “meow”—and that more friends make things much more fun. Ages 4–8. [em](Nov.) [/em]