Review Detail

George & Tao

Kids Indie 404

Adorable Account of Pet Friends

August 05, 2023 (Updated: August 05, 2023)

Overall rating

4.8

Plot

4.0

Characters

5.0

Writing Style

5.0

Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)

5.0

George is a small dog who is a little apprehensive when a kitten, Tao, joins his household. After a brief period when the two check each other out, they because fast friends and have a great time playing together. One favorite game is chase, but Tao gets a bit carried away, jumps on the curtains, and falls from some height. The animals' human takes Tao away, and George is bereft. He looks for Tao in all of the normal haunts, but can't find the kitten anywhere. George waits and waits for his friend to come back home, and is very glad when the two are reunited.

Good Points

This is a tiny book, just six inches square, and is absolutely adorable. I am a huge fan of charcoal and watercolor type illustrations, and the gentle colors are especially evocative when George is sitting at the doorway, waiting for Tao to come back.

There is very little text in this, which will make it a very quick read at bedtime. It would also be great for use when teaching young children word recognition and reading skills, since there's not a lot to distract them. The pictures do have just enough detail so that children can describe things on the page; I particularly like the page with the man sitting in a chair reading the newspaper while George and Tao go racing past his feet. Of course, you might have to describe the ancient artifact that is the print newspaper to a tender young reader!

There are so many good books about cats and dogs, and this is a nice combination of the two. Pair this with McMullan's As Warm as the Sun, Foreman's Cat & Dog, or Oswald's Cat and Dog.