Hudson and Tallulah Take Sides

The only thing that Hudson, a scruffy brown dog, seems to have in common with neighbor Tallulah, a white cat with ginger markings, is the fence separating their yards and the antagonism they share. On an excursion around the neighborhood, their differences repeatedly surface. Tallulah turns up her nose at dumpster-diving Hudson’s “feast”; Hudson yawns as Tallulah gleefully chases a butterfly. But after Tallulah warmly greets the mail carrier by contentedly wrapping herself around his legs, Hudson is outraged (“He’s my enemy”), and each glowers: “Stay on YOUR side.” Luckily, it’s not long before a puddle of bathing birds simultaneously attracts the adversaries; their mischievous romp through it sends birds flying and becomes the first of many activities they appreciate equally. Aptly captured by married team Kang and Weyant (You Are (Not) Small), the unlikely friends’ comic path to camaraderie unfolds nearly wordlessly, with expressive gouache and graphite scenes that burst with physical humor, showing that even those who fight like cats and dogs can be friends. Ages 4–8. [em]Agent (for author and illustrator): Holly McGhee, Pippin Properties. (May) [/em]