You Make Me Sneeze!

by Sharon G Flake (Author) Anna Raff (Illustrator)

Reading Level: K − 1st Grade

Perfect for fans of Mo Willems and Jon Klassen, award-winning author Sharon G. Flake's story about a very serious cat and a very silly duck will inspire giggles with every reading.

Best friends Duck and Cat have a problem--Cat makes Duck sneeze! "I think--achoo!--I'm allergic to you," Duck declares. Hilarity ensues as Cat keeps trying to solve the problem--but Duck keeps sneezing! Is Duck really allergic to Cat or is something else going on?

Written completely in dialogue, this text is fun to read aloud and easy enough for newly independent readers to enjoy on their own. Humorous illustrations highlight the characters' personalities, emphasizing Duck's quirky humor and Cat's earnestness. This dynamic duo will charm readers as the sly friendship tale keeps them laughing.

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Publishers Weekly

The creators' comic follow-up to You Are Not a Cat! finds pals Cat and Duck in a touchy quandary. When Duck can't stop sneezing, and its beak and eyes itch ("If I had toes they'd be itching, too," Flake writes), Duck reasons that it's become allergic to Cat, which does not bode well for the pair's camping trip. Determined to nix the symptoms, Duck insists that Cat cover its fur in a sleeping bag, wear a pot on its head, and sing to Duck to alleviate the bird's suffering. Cat grudgingly acquiesces, even as Duck's demands seem both ridiculous and ineffective. When flowers from Cat's garden are pinpointed as the real cause of the trouble, Duck seems genuinely touched by the idea that the two can now "walk and talk and spend every day together--forever." (Admirably patient Cat has one response: "Oh, my.") Digitally assembled ink, pen, and pencil illustrations by Raff contrast the sylvan setting--depicted in soft textures, grassy tones, and simple shapes--with the characters' escalating, and very sibling-like, interplay. Ages 3-7. (Feb.)

Copyright 2023 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

Review quotes

"Told entirely in dialogue using color-coded speech bubbles, this is the tale of a dynamic duo whose friendship is full of silly bickering, consternation, and smiles....Readers who enjoyed You Are Not a Cat! (2016) will be pleased to see more from this pair. Comparable to a series about a famous elephant and pig...this is a close second." —Kirkus Reviews

"The creators' comic follow-up to You Are Not a Cat! finds pals Cat and Duck in a touchy quandary...Digitally assembled ink, pen, and pencil illustrations by Raff contrast the sylvan setting—depicted in soft textures, grassy tones, and simple shapes—with the characters' escalating, and very sibling-like, interplay." —Publishers Weekly

"Raff's illustrations are soft but colorful, filled with movement and speech bubbles interspersed with Duck's numerous achoos.... children (will) enjoy the colorful illustrations along with the actions and discussions the two friends share." —Booklist
Sharon G Flake
Sharon G. Flake won the Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent Award for her bestselling first novel, The Skin I'm In, and is a two-time Coretta Scott King Author Honor winner. Her books have sold a combined total of more than a million copies. You Are Not a Cat! was her first picture book.

Anna Raff is an award-winning illustrator of several books for children, including World Rat Day, If I Were a Kangaroo, and The Day the Universe Exploded My Head--a Kirkus Best Book of the Year and New York Public Library Best Book--as well as a series of science picture books with author David A. Adler. Her illustrations have also appeared in many newspapers and magazines, including the New York Times and the Washington Post. Before her career as an illustrator, Anna was a designer at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and several children's book publishers. Visit annaraff.com.
Classification
Fiction
ISBN-13
9781662620195
Lexile Measure
490
Guided Reading Level
F
Publisher
Astra Young Readers
Publication date
February 20, 2024
Series
-
BISAC categories
JUV039060 - Juvenile Fiction | Social Themes | Friendship
JUV019000 - Juvenile Fiction | Humorous Stories
JUV043000 - Juvenile Fiction | Readers | Beginner
Library of Congress categories
Cats
Animals
Ducks
Allergy
Sneezing

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