Body Language: What's Your Sound, Hound the Hound? by Mo Willems

WHAT'S YOUR SOUND, HOUND THE HOUND?

WOOF!

It's party time for Cat the Cat and her friends. Cat the Cat brings goodies in a wicker basket covered with a jaunty plaid napkin, and Hound the Hound provides a luscious-looking layer cake which Cat balances neatly on her tail while Hound the Hound volunteers his signature sound.

Rounding up the other party goers, Cat the Cat challenges each to come up with their own characteristic greeting. Chick the Chick offers a perfect PEEP! and Cow the Cow comes up with a mighty "MMMMMOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" as they add their contributions to the party. But then Cat the Cat asks the same of Bunny the Bunny. Bunny looks stricken, and his ears sag.

" ............"

All the friends look at the speechless Bunny the Bunny and suddenly decide that what he needs is a group hug, which he he gets from Cat the Cat, Chick the Chick, and even Cow the Cow.

Mo Willem's recent emergent reader, What's Your Sound, Hound the Hound? (Cat the Cat) (Balzer & Bray, 2010) offers a minimal text illuminated by his clever black-line and pastel water-color illustrations which has a lot to say about sensitivity of others. Fans of the Cat the Cat series will want to party with Cat the Cat and her empathetic friends, in this very easy first venture in early emergent readers.