Friday, January 16, 2015

Picture Book of the Day: Bow-Wow's Nightmare Neighbors

Bow-Wow's Nightmare Neighbors, by Mark Newgarden and Megan Montague Cash.  This masterfully illustrated and conceived wordless romp has one of my favorite covers (left)...ever.  What is that mysterious creature peeking over Bow-Wow's head?  We see Bow-Wow snoozing on a beloved bed when suddenly some mischievous ghost-like cats sneak through the window, bite the pooch on the tail, and then steal the bed!  Skillfully using comic book style panels, the book then follows the distraught dog as it races to retrieve what has been stolen.  The journey takes a comically scary turn when Bow-Wow has to enter a haunted mansion with mysterious passageways, trap doors, and shifty-eyed paintings.  Newgarden and Cash excel in surrealistic touches like having the ghost cats appear and then disappear, taking on bizarre shapes and popping out to nip the poor titular hero.  Will Bow-Wow ever find the stolen bed?  Packed with comical details that invite re-visits, this is one wild ride...scary but not too scary, and then oddly cozy. 

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