Cat Says Meow and other an-i-mal-o-poe-ia by Michael Arndt

Michael Arndt is an award-winning graphic designer and his debut picture book, Cat Says Meow and other an-i-mal-o-poe-ia, reflects his love of animals and typography brilliantly. Subtly elegant, Arndt's book begs to be read slowly and repeatedly. Onomatopoeia refers to the formation of a word by imitating the sound made by the object or action it is describing. Words like "buzz" and "murmur" are onomatopoetic, as are animal sounds. With the invention of the word "an-i-mal-o-poe-ia," Arndt combines the visual of the animal, crafting the illustration around the sound that the animal makes.

Cat Says Meow and other an-i-mal-o-poe-ia will entertain readers of all ages. Arndt's use of text in his illustrations is ingenious and some readers may have to look closely to find the letters that add up to the sound the animal makes. Little listeners will be drawn to the crisp illustrations and the chance to make animal sounds. Best of all, listeners learning the alphabet will delight in picking out the letters that make up the animals. 

And, to top it all off, the end papers for  Cat Says Meow and other an-i-mal-o-poe-ia are fantastic and deserved to be looked at as closely as every other page in this superb new book!

 

Source: Review Copy