Officer Katz and Houndini: A Tale of Two Tails

by Maria Gianferrari, Danny Chatzikonstantinou (Illustrator)

Overview

It’s all paws on deck in this hilarious picture book that explores the age-old debate of which four-legged friends are best: cats versus dogs?

Officer Katz is looking forward to a nice retirement, complete with all the treats he could want, until his arch-nemesis, Houndini, reappears one final time to challenge Katz to a showdown. If Katz manages to catch Houndini after three tries, Houndini will stay out of Kitty City forever. But if Houndini manages to escape, the town will be renamed...Houndiniville. And Katz isn’t about to let his town go to the dogs.

All the claws are out as Katz chases Houndini up, down and around town. With the help of their two assistants—Deputy Catbird and Squirrel—can Katz and Houndini call a truce? Or will this challenge have them both chasing their tails out of town?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781481422666
Publisher:	Aladdin
Publication date:	10/18/2016
Sold by:	SIMON & SCHUSTER
Format:	eBook
Pages:	32
File size:	47 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	4 - 7 Years

About the Author

Maria Gianferrari is a picture book reader/writer, tea-drinker, dog-lover, and birdwatcher. Maria writes books that honor our bonds with creatures both domestic and wild and that celebrate the natural world around us, including Fungi Grow and Just One Oak, illustrated by Diana Sudyka; Ice Cycle: Poems about the Life of Ice, illustrated by Jieting Chen; Being a Dog: A Tail of Mindfulness, illustrated by Pete Oswald; Bobcat Prowling, illustrated by Bagram Ibatouilline; and Be a Tree!, illustrated by Felicita Sala. She lives with her family in Massachusetts in a house encircled by trees. To learn more about Maria, visit her website: MariaGianferrari.com.

Danny Chatzikonstantinou makes pictures for children of all ages. Besides that, he teaches his dog, Suki, magic. Suki’s exceptional talent makes Danny think that maybe the time has come to buy her a cape and a top hat. Although he will never admit it, Danny is secretly jealous of the dog. Danny is represented by Lemonade Illustration Agency. Visit him online at LemonadeIllustration.com.

Editorial Reviews

2016-07-20
It’s the old story: will cat and dog play, er, cat-and-mouse games—or join forces?Officer Katz, chief cop of Kitty City and an exceptional inventor, is retiring. His goal before leaving law enforcement? To do what no cat has done before: catch Houndini, the renowned dog escape artist. Houndini’s in town for his annual performance, and Katz is determined finally to nab him. In this thin story filled with animal-themed puns whose meanings will, alas, elude younger members of the target audience (“paw-parazzi,” anyone?), storyline logic escapes as well. Children may be puzzled by the central premise that the cat needs to capture Houndini, particularly since it’s noted that the dog is welcomed every year by enraptured feline crowds. Determined to pull off his final caper, Katz utilizes one ingenious invention after another, but presto! Houndini always foils him— except for Katz’s final attempt when he unwittingly ensnares the dog in his most clever contraption. Houndini then convinces Katz they should become a team, and Katz agrees to join the traveling act, making for a somewhat satisfying, though unconvincing, ending. Broadcasting early on that Houndini’s frustrated that his act has become lackluster also means few surprises in the final scene. The cheery, lively illustrations, which feature an expressive, all-animal cast of varied species, sizes, and colors, depict an elongated, uniformed Katz and stout, mustachioed Houndini; humorous newspaper “headlines” will capture attention. Ultimately, though mildly amusing, there’s no real magic here. (Picture book. 4-7)

Kirkus Reviews