See the dog: Three stories about a cat; See the ghost: Three stories about things you cannot see by David LaRochelle, illustrated by Mike Wohnoutka

Publishers, authors, and illustrators have been trying to recreate the success of Mo Willems' Elephant and Piggie series since it became popular. While no one has quite managed the magical combination of lovable, memorable characters and child-like humor, their efforts have produced some delightful early readers in the same general style. In 2020, LaRochelle and Wohnoutka debuted See the Cat with a wacky and subversive sense of humor that delighted young and old readers alike.

In 2021, the duo followed it up with See the Dog. This flipped the original premise (the book was talking about a cat but the pictures showed a dog) back - the blue cat, Baby Cakes, bounces onto the scene, explaining that they're taking the dog's place, since he is sick. The cat turns out to have mixed feelings about taking Max the Dog's spot - she enjoys digging (with a bulldozer) but she's definitely not pleased at fetching sticks and swimming and she doesn't know how to protect the sheep at all! Fortunately, Max gets back just in time and Baby Cakes takes off for a relaxing vacation.

It felt like a long time before another set of stories about Max and Baby Cakes came out, but See the Ghost was released this year, in August, and the two sometimes-companions are facing a whole new slew of challenges. In their first story, they run into a ghost, unseen of course, since these are all stories about things you cannot see. The ghost at first enjoys scaring things but then scares itself! The second story features the wind and the chaotic results when it shows up during Max and Baby Cakes' picnic. The final story features a fairy, shown only by a giggling speech bubble and a dotted line. It takes an intervention from the wind to put an end to the fairy's mischief, and the friends, new and old, enjoy a happy ending.

There are some similarities in the ever-popular Elephant & Piggie and this new series, with a limited palette of bright colors, short, simple sentences in word balloons, and a quirky sense of humor. However, the stories are more complex, with the combination of the narration of the book opposed to the reactions of Max and Baby Cakes. While the cat and dog are funny, we don't get a really strong feeling for them as personalities and it's hard to imagine kids asking for the "Max" books. So, in terms of a new bestseller series, it's probably not going to happen. But, these are extremely funny and they circulate quite briskly, definitely making it worth purchasing multiple copies.

Verdict: If you missed the earlier titles, now is a great time to purchase them all together and introduce your kids to these funny stories. Caregivers will also get a giggle out of them and they work quite well as read-alouds as well. A must-have for your early reader collection.

See the dog

ISBN: 9781536216295; Published 2021 by Candlewick; Review copy provided by publisher; Purchased two copies for the library

See the ghost

ISBN: 9781536219821; Published July 2023 by Candlewick; Purchased two copies for the library