Winning! Houndsley and Catina by James Howe

CATINA WANTED TO BE A WRITER.

Attired in her classy leaf-print caftan and with her cup of ginger tea, Catina seated herself at her writing desk to write a chapter of her book.

One day her friend Houndsley politely asked how her book was going. Catina reported that it was called Life Through the Eyes of A Cat and that it going splendidly, had seventy-three chapters so far, and would no doubt win her lots of prizes.

But when Houndsley asked politely if he could read it, he saw that it was full of wrong spellings crossed out and the first chapter, on mice, concluded with "I am bored writing abut mice. Who cares?"

Houndsley could not think of anything good to say about about her work, but he was honest.

"I AM AT A LOSS FOR WORDS," SAID HOUNDSLEY.

"I AM SPEECHLESS!"

"THANK YOU, HOUNDSLEY!" SAID CATINA.

"NOW I KNOW I WILL BE A FAMOUS AUTHOR!"

Every Saturday Houndsley made dinner for Catina and his friend Bert. They were not an easy pair to cook for. Bert only liked worms and seeds. And despite her cathood, Catina was a vegetarian.

But one Saturday night Bert praised his worms and broccoli aux poppy seeds. To please Catina, the worms were made of tofu, and she raved over the novel dish. Bert urged Houndsley to compete in the upcoming Cooking Contest, and Catina insisted that it was his duty to share his skills with the world. And, besides, the contest was going to be on TV!

The two persuaded Houndsley to enter the cookoff, and he prepared to show off his friends' favorite recipe, Three Bean Soup with Rice.

Houndsley arrived cheerfully for the contest, but it seems that nothing went the way it should.

First, a big can of tomatoes fell on his foot. Then the rice wouldn't get done. And in all the fiddling with the heat under his pot, Bert forgot to put any of the three kinds of beans in the pot. His three bean chili was a No Bean Bust!

"I THINK I BROKE A TOOTH ON THE RICE!" SAID ONE JUDGE.

"I DON'T TASTE ANY BEANS!" SAID ANOTHER JUDGE.

And all three judges laughed when the third judge suggested it should be called "No-Bean Soup!"

But an invitation from his best buddies to watch the fireflies come out consoles Houndsley, in revered children's author James Howe's gentle story about life's little failures, Houndsley and Catina: (Candlewick Sparks) (Candlewick Press, 2021).

Howe's tale of three friends, written for early chapter book readers, drolly stresses the wisdom that not everyone can win first prize and it's possible to do something just for the pleasure it brings to you and/or your friends. Mary-Louise Gay's pencil and watercolor illustrations are lively and expressive, interacting with and amplifying the text wonderfully. Howe's tales are a wonderful addition to the canon of beginning-to-read books, especially when two best friends help each other.

James Howe is the noted author of his perennial best-seller series, Bunnicula: A Rabbit-Tale of Mystery and sequels, Bunnicula in a Box: Bunnicula; Howliday Inn; The Celery Stalks at Midnight; Nighty-Nightmare; Return to Howliday Inn; Bunnicula Strikes Again; Bunnicula Meets Edgar Allan Crow (Bunnicula and Friends) and his hit middle school series, The Misfits (Turtleback School and Library Binding Edition).