Digby and Kate 1, 2, 3

Best friends Digby the dog and Kate the cat, who sometimes don't see eye-to-eye, agree that spending time together is the best thing ever!

Kindergarten-Grade 2–Children will delight in this fourth whimsical offering in this popular series. Kate, a cat, and Digby, a dog, continue their unlikely friendship, which is based on true affection, seasoned with a bit of conflict and tempered by the ability to seek out compromise. The five vignettes have a simple narrative appeal that will engage beginning readers. Youngsters will relate to the frustration that the friends feel, particularly when Kate wants to go for a walk but Digby wants to finish his book, and to their concern for one another's feelings. Parents and teachers will appreciate the focus on solving one's own problems–no tattletales in this book. Winborn's expressive ink drawings are awash with cheerful hues and provide a pleasing visual story line.–Robyn Walker, Elgin Court Public School, St. Thomas, Ontario, Canada
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Gr. 1-2. The amusing fourth book about neighbors Digby (a dog) and Kate (a cat) includes five short stories. Three episodes focus on ways that the friends manage to annoy each other and how they resolve their conflicts. Another features Kate splashing through puddles in her new boots. The most entertaining tale plays on the "dressed animal" convention in children's stories. Digby urges Kate to befriend a mouse in her house instead of hunting him. Kate tries to see things Digby's way, but in the end she's not just a furry person in a cat costume, but a feline whose nature tells her to pounce. Bright with colorful washes, Winborn's drawings clearly convey the animals' emotions as well as their actions. The scene when Kate and the mouse exchange forced smiles sets up the rising tension to perfection, enhancing the laugh quotient of Kate's next line: "Digby, that mouse is so cute, I could eat him up." Carolyn Phelan
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