Two-time Caldecott Medal winner Chris Raschka celebrates the enduring bond between best friends—a young girl and her cat. Meow is an innovative and surprising tale of friendship, love, anger, hurt, kindness, and forgiveness. A must-have for the youngest reader and cat lovers everywhere. A girl and her cat, Marigold, are best friends. When the girl accidently steps on Marigold’s tail, the surprised and hurt cat runs for cover. But after some time apart and an apology, all is forgiven, and Marigold and the girl are friends again. Two-time Caldecott Medal winner Chris Raschka introduces various renditions of the word “meow” throughout, each offering a collaborative, educational, and innovative way to interpret the story. With two compelling main characters, an entire rainbow of emotions, a playful text composed almost exclusively using only four letters (M E O W), and lively illustrations, Meow is ideal for visual literacy, beginning readers, very young children, social and emotional development, and for classroom story hours.  PreS-Gr 3-There are many ways to say "Hello," and "Meow" is one of them, but then, "Meow" has many meanings. Marigold is an irresistible ginger cat with a spotted belly, green eyes, and downy cream paws. She has a special bond with a little girl with brown skin and black hair puffs. When she jumps up on the writing table with a "Meow," the girl promptly places Marigold back on the ground. Walking around the corner, Marigold pounces on a ray of sunshine and finds it is a great place for sunbathing. Soon her cat nap is disturbed-"Mm-eee-eee-ow!"-when the little girl accidentally steps on her tail. Like a cat on hot bricks, Marigold runs off and hides under a bed. The little girl sweetly says she is sorry and earns Marigold's forgiveness. Raschka (A Ball for Daisy) arranges the action in graphic novel sequences with moment-to-moment panels and spreads that create smooth transitions between the poignant scenes. The loose watercolor illustrations provide visual cues to the meaning of the floating text that depicts meow sounds varying in length and signifying friendship, hurt, forgiveness, and love. VERDICT Expressive and engaging, this picture book is the cat's meow. A warm portrayal of kids and furry friends that introduces young children to phonics, emotions, and active listening.-Rita Baguio Christensenα(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. “An orange-gold cat with green eyes named Marigold explores a house and playfully interacts with her owner until, distracted, the little girl steps on Marigold’s tail, turning her “meow” into a “me-OW!” . . . [An] almost wordless picture book—although the handful of wordplay that is included is clever . . . The cat is so unmistakably catlike in its behavior and attitude that cat owners will find a few additional chuckles between the pages.” - Booklist “Raschka chronicles a search for intimacy from a cat’s point of view. . . . The delicate balancing act between loving, wanting to be loved, and yearning for independence resolves in a tender rom-com ending between child and cat.” - Publishers Weekly “There are many ways to say ‘­Hello,’ and ‘Meow’ is one of them, but then, ‘Meow’ has many meanings. . . . . Raschka arranges the action in graphic novel sequences with moment-to-moment panels and spreads that create smooth transitions between the poignant scenes. . . . Expressive and engaging, this picture book is the cat’s meow. A warm portrayal of kids and furry friends that introduces young children to phonics, emotions, and active listening.” - School Library Journal Chris Raschka is the creator of many distinguished and award-winning books for children. He has received two Caldecott Medals—one for The Hello, Goodbye Window , written by Norton Juster, and one for his own A Ball for Daisy . He also received a Caldecott Honor for Yo! Yes? Chris Raschka was the US nominee for the Hans Christian Andersen Award in 2012 and 2016 and has been awarded a New York Times Best Illustrated Book citation seven times. He lives in New York City with his family.