Susanna Gretz

This was a simple counting book about Teddy bears. Susanna Gretz initially shows us some dirty teddy bears and then she shows us them in the washing machine, the dryer, and all of the other steps as the teddy bears became good as new. It was a cute story with wonderful, colorful illustrations and fun text.

Riley the dog and Rose the cat stay in on a rainy day to draw pictures. Unfortunately they disagree. Riley draws abstractions (draw dots, lines, and shapes) which Rose insists on turning into objects (trees, bugs, sun, flowers, lollipops, tents, flags) -- and so they fight. Then start again. Out of Riley's zigzag and rectangle, Rose sees a boat -- which suddenly Riley sees as well. And the adventure continues with a sail, a storm, and they hop aboard.

A good book for preschoolers demonstrating how to play well with others and respect each others feelings.

This picture book is a wonderful example of a fantasy book. While the story is very believable for the reader, there are aspects which are not realistic and give the story a fantasy label. The main aspects are that the two main characters are a cat and a dog which talk to one another while they are at home.
Art Media: gouache
Appropriate Age: Primary