Horse Meets Dog

by Elliott Kalan (Author) Tim Miller (Illustrator)

Horse Meets Dog
Reading Level: 2nd − 3rd Grade

"A wonderful read! You'll never look at horses or dogs the same way again!" --Jon Stewart, former host of The Daily ShowHorse is just an oversize dog with funny paws...according to Dog. And Dog? Just a tiny baby horse with a weird tail. That's what Horse thinks, anyway.Television comedy writer Elliott Kalan and acclaimed illustrator Tim Miller team up in this clever comedy of mistaken species identity.More praise for Horse Meets Dog "Horse meets Dog! Kalan meets Miller! Two great teams--one SO-DARN-FUNNY book! Go get it!" --Laurie Keller"Horse Meets Dog is a sweet, wise, and genuinely ha-ha funny exploration of not just horse/dog relations (historically strained), but also of friendship and difference." --John Hodgman, author of Vacationland

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Publishers Weekly

Starred Review

Self-centered much? Horse is convinced that Dog is an infant horse--a "wittle cutie tiny baby" horse--and patronizes him accordingly. Dog thinks that Horse is a gargantuan dog with "weird feet." Neither stops to consider that there might be species other than their own, and the miscommunication only continues as they try to patch things up: Horse gets "Tiny Baby" a miniature saddle "in case a tiny person wants to ride you," and Dog gets "Big Pal" a ball to chase. Kalan, who has written for The Daily Show, Mystery Science Theater 3000, and Marvel Comics, makes a terrific picture book debut, moving the wonderfully narcissistic dialogue along quickly as these two huge--and hugely mistaken--egos battle it out (" 'Tiny baby horse!' 'Very big dog!' "). Miller (Moo Moo in a Tutu), essentially charged with chronicling a comedy sketch, embraces the challenge by drawing Horse as a preening ovoid with stick legs and fabulous hair, and Dog as a belligerent series of sharp angles. He equips both with a repertoire of opera buffa gestures and expressions (utter disdain! indignation!) to great effect. Ages 4-8. Author's and illustrator's agent: Steven Malk, Writers House. (Oct.)

Copyright 2018 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

School Library Journal

K-Gr 2--In Daily Show writer Kalan's funny tale of misunderstandings, Horse and Dog get each other birthday presents: Horse gets Dog a tiny saddle ("Someone sits on you, and you take them wherever they want to go. Fun!"), and Dog returns the favor with a ball for playing fetch ("This is my favorite game! For obvious reasons!"). In a twist that will buck grown-up readers' expectations, the two don't develop empathy and walk off into the sunset; instead, the last page sees a new friend join the muddle, a bird who thinks Dog and Horse are both weird-looking birds. The easy, short sentences make this great for beginning readers; they will find Miller's (Snappsy the Alligator) expressive animal cartoons a hoot, too. VERDICT Fans of Snappsy and of Mo Willems's Pigeon will enjoy these overly confident creatures and their goofy obliviousness.--Henrietta Verma, Credo Reference, Jackson Heights, NY

Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Review quotes

"A wonderful read! You'll never look at horses or dogs the same way again!"—Jon Stewart

Classification
Fiction
ISBN-13
9780062791108
Lexile Measure
-
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Balzer & Bray/Harperteen
Publication date
October 30, 2018
Series
-
BISAC categories
JUV019000 - Juvenile Fiction | Humorous Stories
JUV002070 - Juvenile Fiction | Animals | Dogs
JUV002130 - Juvenile Fiction | Animals | Horses
Library of Congress categories
Dogs
Picture books
Horses
Mistaken identity

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