Review by Booklist Review
As twilight falls, a dog stretches out on a rug and watches the view through big glass doors. The sights from his indoor vantage point are relayed in short, declarative sentences: "I see a bat. I see stars. I see the moon." Turning his attention to matters closer to home, he looks down and sees his bowl, which is sadly empty. Meisel's expressive inkand-watercolor cartoon artwork captures the pooch's droopy-eared and downcast-eyed disappointment. A wordless spread shows comic canine contortions around the bowl in the hopes of finding a missed morsel. After a bedtime visit to his boy to beg for more food fails, the dog falls asleep. In circular fashion, the sun comes up, bringing more sights to see, including bats (both the mammal and baseball variety) and a boy carrying a big bag of food. With a handful of words and a pleasing circular storyline, this entry in the I Like to Read series is a fetching choice for kids beginning to read on their own.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 2--A charming addition to the "I Like to Read" series. Meisel continues the adventures of the curious dog from his book I See a Cat. This time, the dog watches out the window as the sun goes down and the bats come out. It's not until the moon is out that the dog realizes the food bowl is empty; but by then, his beloved boy is fast asleep. Simple, three-word sentences and structured repetition are perfect for kids learning to read. The colorful pictures effectively illustrate each sentence, helping guide new readers as they piece words together. For a book with few words, Meisel still manages to convey warmth and gentle humor with this simple but engaging story for new readers. VERDICT Perfect for all early reader collections.--Savannah Kitchens
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
The excitable and expressive, big-eyed dog who barked enthusiastically through I See a Cat (2017) returns! Careful observers looking at the endpapers might spot the upside-down bat sleeping in a tree outside town. On every subsequent page, there's something new for the dog and readers to view through or against big double doors: "stars," "moon," "bowl" (sadly, empty, as the dog notes with an anguished expression). In four wordless vignettes, the agitated dog tosses and turns futilely with the bowl, then carries it to a sleeping boy (luckily, ignoring the sleeping cat). The dog falls calmly asleep, waking to see more bats (nonplussed expression), the sun (hopeful expression), and finally the boy--bringing food! The eloquent lines of ears, mouth, and tail convey the leaping dog's initial joy and then blissful satisfaction. Where the earlier book used just 10 different words, this one uses 11 to tell a simple yet effective story. The sentences are reassuringly repetitive in structure ("I see a bat," "I see the boy," "I see the sun"); the bowl vividly punctuates the scenes; and the backgrounds offer just enough visual interest without distracting readers. The boy is curly-haired and brown-skinned. Still short and sweet; still enticing new readers to engage eagerly with dog and words. (Early reader. 4-7) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
