ALA Booklist (Thu Oct 01 00:00:00 CDT 2009)

Is there any greater metaphor for the communication issues between males and females than the famously contentious relationship of cats and dogs? Using this well-worn concept, Weeks crafts a genuinely sweet story of a dog whose wooing (woofing?) of a cat is thwarted by the language barrier. Typically the dog likes doggy things, "Running and panting, / sniffing and growling, / Rolling in things, digging and howling." But from his first sniff of a lovely white feline, he is muzzle over paws in love. But when he cries, "I love you!" all the cat hears is "woof woof woof woof." Readers, of course, can clearly see the cut-out hearts pouring from the dog's chest and eyes. In fact, everything about Berry's wildly colored and wholly unpredictable collage work has a passionate pop-art zeal. During a conciliatory digging session the dog unearths a different kind of bone trombone ich he then plays to express his true feelings. Once again, the universal language of music (and love) trumps hissing and barking.

Kirkus Reviews

Weeks offers up a charming and humorous story about the love of a dog—for a cat. <p>Weeks offers up a charming and humorous story about the love of a dog--for a cat. As in many love stories, matters do not go as smoothly as the would-be lover might wish. When the two speak in their native vernaculars of "woof" and "meow," only misunderstanding ensues. Fortunately, using his dog talents for sniffing buried treasure, the pooch finds a common language in music with the help of a shiny golden bone he digs up from under the ground. It is a special musical 'bone--a trombone--and he plays a love song to the sweet, bemused kitty. Music hath charms, and all's well in a book filled with wordplay. Much is revealed in Berry's lively, colorful and often hilarious collages that accompany the rhyming text. The beagle-ylooking dog and delicate white cat appear against photocollaged backgrounds that include fabrics, flowers and lots of shiny doodads preschoolers will delight in spotting. A book of wit and tenderness that is absolutely "Best in Show." (<i>Picture book. 4-8)</p>

Horn Book (Thu Apr 01 00:00:00 CDT 2010)

A dog falls head-over-heels for a cat, but the message is lost in translation; cats don't understand "woof." Once the dog expresses his feelings through the universal language of music, the cat is instantly smitten. Playful verse and bright, cleverly composed illustrations capture the emotional ups and downs of this unlikely couple and their quirky yet endearing love story.

School Library Journal Starred Review (Fri Jan 01 00:00:00 CST 2010)

K-Gr 2 An ordinary dog who likes to do ordinary dog things ("running and panting, sniffing and growling, rolling in things, digging and howling") happens to notice a pretty little cat and promptly falls in love. He smiles; she notices his large teeth. He approaches; she retreats. He calls up to the tree where she's hiding, "I love you!" But what she hears is, "Woof, woof, woof, woof." His affectionate whispers sound very much like growls. It's only when he digs up a very special brass bonea trombone, in factthat he finds a way to communicate his love in a language she understands. This affectionate and funny story is told almost musically, in rhythmic (if occasionally uneven) verse by expert storyteller Weeks. Berry's exuberant collage illustrations spill over the pages, gorgeously chaotic and filled with heart. Susan Weitz, formerly at Spencer-Van Etten School District, Spencer, NY