If you don't know author AMY DYCKMAN, I have one question: WHY NOT?!?
Her well-earned reputation and popularity comes not only from excellence in writing well for kids, but in her knack for hitting humor where it lands best- on the funny bone, not the snarky or snide or out-of-joint corner of kids' senses. They find laugh-out-loud and grin-able-tell-someone lines in everything she offers, always combined with brightly colored and appealing images created by some of picture book publishing's most shining stars.
SIMON & SCHUSTER, 2024
In this case, AMY DYCKMAN was paired with illustration star MARK TEAGUE to create a trio of unexpected animal friends for an early-reading, beginning chapter book series that promises a long life of fans and adventures. BOOK ONE released too late to be considered for the 2023 CYBILS award in that category, but after serving as a panelist for this past season I assure you this (and upcoming titles in the series) will be nominated and seriously considered as finalists for the 2024 awards.
With that bold claim, consider the book itself: BAT, CAT, and RAT series Book One: THE COZY HOME. This new independent reading series provides loads of fun. It's the introductory title that will help the ongoing series become a favorite with kids and families. Humor is a bonus and it has the lighthearted blend of silliness and realism that author Dyckman has mastered. Illustrations are equally delightful and make these three characters feel like new and lasting friends.
The subtitle note, THREE-and-a-HALF CHAPTERS suggests the ongoing nature of their adventures and the tongue-in-cheek writing approach readers can expect. (Excuse me a moment while I restock my hyphen-key for the rest of these these comments.)
I'll admit I had my doubts when I first read the title. Beginning readers that rely on (often overuse) words from the -at letter pattern are rarely my favorites. It suggests to me (after countless years of using beginning readers and early chapter books) that the "author" may be over-focused on inserting and "practicing" such patterns at the steep cost of fluent and fun narrative text. Similar to the painful reading of awkward poetry attempts, lines are inverted, repeated unnecessarily, and and sometimes even created where they had not existed before in order to provide particular letter patterns/groups that can then be considered "mastered" after the book has been successfully read without assistance. Just explaining that gave me a stomach ache. Nothing repels a child more (and that's probably the child in me reacting above) than opening a book, expecting a story, something engaging and entertaining or informative, only to find a word-soup of awkward, oddly assembled words and images with no real connection to their lives or imaginations. If you doubt me, just go to Goodreads or other book lists and check how many CAT-BAT-RAT titles you find! I'm not saying they are all bad, but I urged you to read any yourself before condemning a child to them.
It's joyful for me to know, after reading, that Dyckman and Teague have retained their child-focused storytelling, in words and visual narrative, throughout Book ONE. The characters are introduced as friends, revealing childlike behavior in their choices and playful banter. the stories flow naturally and invite young readers to imagine themselves as neighbors to this lively trio. Coming in May, BOOK TWO takes them on VACATION, and I'm smiling now as I imagine their antics, as well as hoping for many more titles to come. These are the kinds of characters, experiences, and storytelling patterns that will have the books well-worn and in need of eventual replacement over time in homes, libraries, and classrooms. They continue the power of picture books (Compact, Complete, and Compelling) while transferring the power and agency of independent reading into the welcoming hands of young readers. That certainly shouldn't have surprised me, given the long success and accolades of the creative pairing of Dyckman and Teague. Even so, there is a particular talent to achieving that level of appeal within the format and intentional constraints of beginning readers. Kudos to both creators, commendations to whoever paired them, and happy reading to the young folks whose hands will find the joy of actually reading on their own in company with BAT, CAT, and RAT.
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