Dogs and Cats by: Steve Jenkins

1. Bibliographic Data
Jenkins, Steve. Dogs and Cats. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2007.

2. Plot Summary
Dogs and Cats is an informational book about where dogs and cats came from, different breeds, facts, and other interesting information. The book is about dogs on one cover, and then the reader flips the books and reads about cats. The dog side of the book explains how dogs evolved from wild animals, and how the different breeds are created. The author explains how they get along with people and other dogs. There is a section that tells about puppies, and their behavior and eating habits. The author then provides a picture that points out all the dogs senses, and which ones they use best. The book meets in the middle with the cat section by explaining how dogs and cats interact. The cat side of the book points out of all the same characteristics and the history of cats.

3. Critical Analysis
Dogs and Catspresents accurate facts about the lives and characteristics of dogs and cats. The organization of the book is split up into two parts through its flip book format. The reader can pick which animal they want to read about first, then flip the book over to read about the other animal. The book has cute, colorful pictures that depict the different breeds of dogs and cats. This is a great informational book for children who are interested in animals. The information flows nicely, and the author makes it interesting for the child.

4. Awards and Review Excerpt(s)
*Mind the Gap Award, 2008
*Childrens Literature..."Cat and dog aficionados alike will be pleased with this artistic yet factual rendering of their favorite four-legged companions. Readers who start the book from the gold endpapers are treated to a wealth of information about man’s best friend; those who flip the book and start from the red endpapers enjoy pages about their independent felines."
*Booklist..."Award-winning illustrator-author Jenkins offers readers a delightful and insightful grab bag of facts about a human's best friends."

5. Connections
*Take a poll of which animal the children like best, a dog or a cat?
*Have the children share stories about their animals.
*Let the children draw pictures of them and their fury friends to accompany their stories.