Review by Booklist Review
This hysterical mix of smart art and insightful story begins when Flabby Cat and Slobby Dog try to sit on the couch as they always have. Unfortunately, it seems the sofa has shrunk. What should they do? What they always do! Eat and sleep. The story line is unwavering: as the sofa gets smaller, the eating and the sleep continue. Eventually, they must try something else. So they watch TV. On the tube they see a cunning tiger and a wild wolf. Cat and Dog decided to seek out their TV friends; perhaps they can offer them a home. They walk the earth, swim the seas. Sometimes there's no food. There is certainly no tiger and wolf, so they make the arduous journey back home. When Cat and Dog arrive, they finally see themselves fit and trim and able to sit on their sofa. The not-so-subtle message may make an impression on overweight kids, but all readers will appreciate the humor and understand both the tendency to make excuses and the good feeling that comes with a problem solved.--Cooper, Ilene Copyright 2009 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
The dimwitted titular hero and heroine of this story eat too much and exercise too little; when their comfy home can no longer accommodate their ever-growing girth, they decide to visit a "cunning tiger" and "wild wolf" from a TV show, in hopes that the animals might take them in ("They are our distant relatives, after all," notes Flabby Cat). Although that goal is never realized, the quest itself proves just the ticket, as its hardships transform them from out-of-shape to sleek and svelte ("When they were hungry, they had to hunt for food. So they couldn't eat and eat and eat"). Ross's watercolor cartooning displays its customary energy and wry wit, and these frequent collaborators deserve praise for being able to walk the fine line between comedy and cruelty in their portrayal of the consequences of obesity. But the book never quite escapes the clutches of didacticism. Ages 4-8. (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 2-Longtime friends Flabby Cat and Slobby Dog have fallen into comfortable, lazy routines, doing nothing but eating and sleeping. When they can no longer fit on their couch, they ignore what is happening to them. And when they outgrow their house, they tell themselves that it has shrunk. They set off to find their "distant relatives," a tiger and a wolf, in hopes of living with them. The pair walks hither and yon, through cities and fields, to no avail, and food is scarce. Returning home, they spy their sleek new selves in a mirror: "For the first time in a long time, they felt really comfortable with who they were." Ross's watercolor and line cartoons depict the animals growing larger and larger, with clothes straining over their stomachs and food covering most surfaces in their home. However, the pictures may prove confusing as they are at odds with the text ("the cushions almost filled the room," etc.), and children may not understand the pair's underlying problem, and that they have slimmed down because they have gotten more exercise.-Susan E. Murray, Glendale Public Library, AZ (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Eating right and exercising is undoubtedly an excellent prescription for good health. Unfortunately, good advice, however well intentioned, rarely makes for an enjoyable story, particularly when it's delivered in a condescending tone. Willis invites readers to laugh at, not with, her characters by making them both fat and stupid. The anthropomorphized animals, shown living in squalor and wearing stereotypical lower-class clothing, believe that their sofa is shrinking. They comfort themselves with food and sleep and television until the day that they simply can't fit into their cozy house. Setting out to find their "distant relatives," the "cunning tiger" and "wild wolf," they travel the world only to wind up back home again, much slimmer and much happier. Ross's typically scratchy illustrations capture the action of the plot but can't inject enough individuality into the characters to make readers really care about them. His comedic skills are sorely underused, which is too bad as the heavy-handed message could have used some help. Skip this sermon and enjoy a nice walk outside instead. (Picture book. 4-7) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
