Review Detail

Don't Trust Cats: Life Lessons from Chip the Dog

Kids Fiction 418

But skunks? Totally fine.

January 05, 2024

Overall rating

4.0

Plot

4.0

Characters

4.0

Writing Style

4.0

Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)

4.0

Chip, who previously learned life lessons in Don't Eat Bees, returns with some epiphanies about an equally evil nemesis; CATS! None of them are to be trusted, no matter what type of cat they are. Chip does walk the reader through a number of things you can trust. Interestingly, Chip thinks this includes porcupines and squirrels; it's okay, they are not laughing AT you, they're laughing WITH you. This somewhat suspect list includes keen insights on a dog's humans, small people, and a characterization of Grandpa's that actually does hold some water. While Chip does solidly fear vacuums and cacti, as well as Girl Scouts selling cookies, he is frequently a bit confused about what constitute a clear and present danger. And if I cat wants to apologize with a hamburger, that has to be completely legitimate, right?

Good Points

Chip's pictures remind me of the 1990s trend of photographing dogs and focusing the camera so that the nose was disproportionately large, which gives Chip an endearing and goofy look. The illustrations have a smooth, rounded feel reminiscent of David Kirk's work (Miss Spider's Tea Party) from the same era. The palette includes a lot of yellow and green, and there are some fun details to look for in the backgrounds.

The hand drawn style of text changes sizes and is not arranged in straight lines on most of the pages, which mimics Chip's somewhat chaotic world view. It also showcases Chip's exuberance, which , while often misplaced, is certainly intense.

This is a good choice for readers who want to explore the sometimes difficult relationship between cats and dogs that is reflected in picture books such as Dubois' George and Tao, Melling's Ruffles and the Teeny, Tiny Kittens, Corda's Cat and Dog, and Czekaj's Dog Rules, but who aren't quite ready for an early reader book like Danta and Robertshaw's Finn and the Feline Frenemy or Butler's Dear Beast.