Two Together

Caldecott Honoree Wenzel continues to explore perspective in this companion to They All Saw a Cat and Inside Cat—a story about a feline, Bell, and a hound, Bone, headed homeward. Gentle rhymes and short, chiming lines situate the two as they wander the natural world “for a moment. For a day.// Two together on their way.” Bone, stroked in rich brown paint splotches, galumphs along carrying a hefty bone, and the world the dog perceives is also made up of organic, fingerpaint-like shapes. Bell, smaller and leaner, is drawn in delicate, scribbly lines, and all the cat meets is rendered in the same style. Bone sees a tree as dark green waves; Bell, sitting in it, perceives each distinct leaf in varied hues. Along the way, their points of view communicate their individual takes as the two encounter precipitation (Bone grins, Bell bristles) and a darkening sky (the areas around nocturnally sighted Bell are brighter). Free of conflict, the story’s excitement is found in discovering how the beings each sense the world—and in knowing that those differences don’t prevent their curling up by the fire together at day’s end, “warm and safe” in the eyes of another. Ages 3–5. Agent: Steven Malk, Writers House. (Apr.)