Book of the Week!

This week's book of the week is the wonderful "I am the Dog/I am the Cat" by Donald Hall and Barry Moser. Hall is a great poet who wrote, among other things, "Without," an amazing book that chronicles the death of his wife, the poet Jane Kenyon. I read "Without" when I was in college and I thought it was the best poetry I'd ever read.

More importantly, however, Donald Hall also wrote the book that has remained a favorite for Annika for months and months: "The Ox-Cart Man," another favorite of mine as well. He won the Caldecott Medal for that book. Needless to say, Hall can write.

Barry Moser is a great illustrator who has done a lot of different things, including great etchings adorning the cover of my favorite Ralph Waldo Emerson biography and my favorite Henry David Thoreau biography. He's great.

"I am the Dog/I am the Cat" tells the story of life from the perspective of the dog and the cat. Ezra laughs at this story at least 5 times each time we read it. It's a really simple book, but it has great humor and amazing illustration. I think Hall does a great job getting the personalities of the dog and the cat (and, by extension, the personalities of the people who own dogs and cats). It's funny for kids, funny for adults, and funny the second and third time you read it. Since kids around our place like to read the same book about 15 times in a row every night, this one is a good one to keep around.

So if you're hunting for a hilarious, beautiful, and re-readable kids book, check this one out. You won't be disappointed.