I like Ame Dyckman’s writing. I also like their online persona. They are a hoot and selfishly answer tweets and comments to her. You can count on a funny squirrel story, something about their fox in the yard, something the college kid said, or the husband shook his head at, as she colors her hair yellow, pink, or blue. And I love how she shamelessly promotes her own books! And that is how I learned of Bat, Cat & Rat #1: The Cozy Home: Three-and-a-Half Stories and Bat, Cat & Rat #2: Vacation: Three-and-a-Half Stories. Both are illustrated by Mark Teague. However, I would forget about them until I found an online reader copy of book two. I said, “OH yes! Ame was talking about them…Oh it’s number two, well lets see ….” (search search) YES! Jackpot! Book one is still in reader copy format, too. And I proceeded to read them back to back.
I know that they will be a huge hit with kids, but some adults might not be thrilled with their bickering, or their particular sense of humor. These two books are just “buddy books” and are just as fun as Pig and Elephant, or Boris and Morris, or any buddy grouping. There just happen to be three instead of the usual two. Cat, Bat, and Rat have a unique dynamic. Cat is the sensible “big sibling” type, Rat is the “middle child joker” and Bat, well Bat is the naive, not the smartest mammal in the group, but they are cute doing it.
And Teague’s style comes out in all its glory. As we see the trio find a new house to live in, as they argue over where to take vacation, as they squabble at Rat and their spider “no so joke-joke,” with the colors and simplicity they are known for. The artwork centers things, allowing for lots of space for the text and allows the reader to take a breath now and again to see how things are unfolding on the page in illustrations as well as text. They are nice and cozy and work well for the quirky nature of our friends.
While book one is out, book two is not planned until a bit later in May 2024 but should be out sooner than you can say, “Ame, when is book three due?”