Yes & No

by Elisha Cooper

From Caldecott Honor author/illustrator Elisha Cooper comes Yes & No, a timeless tale of friendship, adjusting your perspective, and the joys (and trials) of siblinghood.

Good morning, good morning. It's time to wake up!

Join a cat and puppy pair through their day—the ups of being fed and romping through grass, and the downs of days that are too short and things that don't go as planned—as they realize that sometimes the very best thing that can happen is just being together.

Genres: Picture Books, Animals, Dogs, Cats, Childrens, Friendship, Fiction

32 pages, Hardcover

First published April 13, 2021

Reviews

[Abigail · Rating 4 out of 5]

The marvelously talented picture-book author and illustrator Elisha Cooper, who won a Caldecott Honor for his Big Cat, Little Cat , returns to the form in this lovely new title. Following a dog and cat through their day, this entertaining book compares and contrasts the personalities and internal rhythms of its canine and feline characters. As the narrator asks questions and makes suggestions, the dog and cat react differently, with the former being more enthusiastic and alert in the early part of the day, and the latter becoming more active later on...

As a great fan of Elisha Cooper's work, I was eager to track down a copy of Yes & No, and am pleased that it finally arrived at my local library. Although the structure of the book—the narrator's consistent interrogation of the animals—sometimes struck me as a little intrusive, I was so charmed by the concept, and the delightful artwork (done in ink and watercolor) that I still found the book excellent. Cooper's dog and cat are so expressive here—particularly the dog!—that it was a pleasure to peruse these pages. Recommended to fellow fans of Cooper's work, and to picture-book readers looking for dog and/or cat stories.

[Ms. B · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Can a dog and a cat be friends in this story? Including the unseen owner of the two pets, this could work as a three-person reading.

[Melki · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cat and a dog manage to exchange personalities after a busy day in the outdoors.






A fun, clever book for animal lovers.

[Patty · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love how Cooper can convey so much with drawings that appear simple. This is a dog and a cat and what they do in 1 day. It is a sweet story that portrays these animals as they typically are but the drawings are really what take the story to a level of what a picture book is.

[Laura Harrison · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a huge Eisha Cooper fan. Everything Cooper writes and illustrates is intricate, breathtaking and interesting. Yes & No is one of the best picture books of 2021. It is all about the adventures of a puppy and cat exploring their world and learning about life. Gently rendered in ink and watercolor. It is a beauty. So much to love!

[Karen Arendt · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have always loved Elisha Cooper’s illustrations. The cat and dog are such perfect characters.

[Tasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

A dog and a cat live together. In the morning, the dog is ready for anything while the cat wakes up more slowly and with a touch of grumpiness. The dog wants breakfast, while the cat isn’t hungry. The dog helps clean up, and the cat walks off. The dog wants to play while the cat avoids him. Their owner sends them outside to play together. The dog is full of delight and eagerness, exploring the backyard with enthusiasm while the cat naps on a tree branch. Finally sent off even further, they head out together and find a common spot to sit and look at the world while sniffing the breeze. Called to come back in, now it’s the dog who doesn’t want to go back inside, doesn’t want to have a bath, or head to bed. It’s the cat who brings the blanket back and gets the dog ready to sleep. But the cat may have other ideas too.

Told in the voices of the cat, dog and their owner, this picture book is marvelously understated. The voices of each character are distinct from one another with the imperious cat, the eager dog, and the owner who’d just like a little peace. The text reads aloud beautifully, since it is solely the voices of the characters with no narration at all.

The art is classic Cooper, telling a story in deft and clever lines. The cat is an elegant black figure against the white background while the dog almost bursts from the page, often looking right at the reader and looking for fun.

A grand picture book of opposites who are the best of friends. Appropriate for ages 3-5.

[Becky · Rating 3 out of 5]

First sentence: Good morning, good morning! It's time to wake up. My dears, are you awake? Yes. No. Did you sleep well? Oh, yes. No, I did not. Are you both excited for the day? Yes, I am excited. Hmpff.

Premise/plot: Ready to spend the day with a cute, adorable puppy and oh-so-opinionated cat companion? Elisha Cooper's Yes & No chronicles the day's adventures with this animal pair capturing BOTH perspectives.

My thoughts: I enjoyed this one. I did. Good news, it is not in any way (even remotely) sad! I liked that we get the perspective of both the cat and the dog. Both are charming in their own ways. I was not expecting several pages to be wordless. This isn't a bad thing, mind you. It would just make it slightly more tricky for a group read aloud. (But it wouldn't make a bit of difference for one-on-one sharing. And some books are just made to be read on a comfy, cozy lap.) I think pre-readers may also benefit from reading this one. The story can be read through the illustrations. And it is easy to predict who is saying yes and who is saying no.

[Carol V · Rating 5 out of 5]

yes & no - an outstanding look at the nature of dogs verses cats! Pretty sure, every owner of a cat and a dog will agree! The pictures are amazing. Such a lighthearted look at these two beloved pets! But, also, such a serious look.

If you are a cat and a dog owner, you will mostly likely totally agree. Cats have a mind of their own but they keep one eye open all the time for curiosity sake. The dog plays hard, loves to eat, and wants to keep playing until it simply gives out. Nope, not the cat. The closing page of this book rocks!

Great illustrations...filled with emotion! Wonderful book of humor!

[Ken Yuen · Rating 5 out of 5]

The eternal question. Dog energy or cat energy?

[Brian · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a nice book for reading one-on-one with a child because there are a lot of things to talk about in the illustrations. I would be reluctant to read this for a group for storytime because some sections the sparse "yes's" & "no's" don't necessarily clearly move the story along. I could be wrong, but either way this is a nice story to talk about feelings and how our day has been. Great illustrations as well.

[Mama Bearian · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a cat and dog spend their day together, they discover how they are different, yet can still spend time together. The dog loves to say “yes,” whereas the cat always says “no.” Is there ever a time that dog will say no? Maybe when it’s bedtime. I love the illustrations in this one!

[Maeve · Rating 2 out of 5]

A cat and a dog (with contrasting personalities) spend the day together. Throughout the day, they find common ground and their relationships grows a little bit.

While the illustrations are absolutely beautiful; I struggled with the disconnect that resulted from the unseen narrator and the meaning of the story (sibling relationships) being portrayed by animals. It might have been better if there were actual children.

[Alissa Tsaparikos · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was eagerly awaiting this one, and felt a little disappointed. It paints a pretty accurate picture of sibling relationships, encapsulating one over-eager and excited character as a dog, and another aloof and unimpressed character as a cat. However, I felt a disconnect from the story, the characters, and the unseen narrator. The sweet spot between the analogy and reality wasn't found for me.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of my all-time favorite picture books is Big Cat, Little Cat, a Caldecott Honor Winner, which led me to have high expectations for this one. I was not disappointed although the previous one remains my favorite. Ink and watercolor illustrations, some quite simple with just outlines and touches of color and others drenched with color, accompany a meaningful story about friendship. With text in bold to distinguish it from the animals' reactions, their human companion greets a puppy and a cat and invites them to engage in various activities. The puppy's responses are in regular typeface while the cat's are in italics. The text and images capture the personalities of the two animals with the puppy eagerly engaging in various pursuits and the cat being a cat, acting rather aloof and disdainful. When their human has had enough of their antics, they are sent off to take care of each other and play together. Across the grass they head, up a hill, and there, in a splendid double-page spread, they gaze at the beautiful landscape and note the mountains, clouds, and how far the terrain stretches. But when it's time to come back indoors, it is the puppy that is reluctant and whose earlier yeses have turned into nos. Still, this is a good dog, and after finding a good place to rest--on a blanket dragged over by the cat, the puppy settles down while the cat...well, everyone knows that cats have their own minds, and this one is not quite ready for sleep. I loved the change in perspective and the subtle way this friendship is forming as well as the shadowed glimpses of their human companion seen through the house's window. This one brought many smiles to my face.

[Margaret · Rating 5 out of 5]

For readers of this blog, to you it comes as no surprise I am an over-the-top lover of dogs. My life feels less than whole unless I am sharing it with a dog. What you may not know is one of my all-time favorite dog books is Homer by Elisha Cooper. I wrote about it here. Even reading it today, my eyes filled with tears. Dogs give love freely. Dogs understand the meaning of family. Dogs recognize and experience complete contentment.

In his latest book, Elisha Cooper again turns to canine and feline characters. (Two cats are featured in his 2018 Caldecott Honor winning title, BIG CAT, little cat.) In YES & NO (Roaring Brook Press, April 13, 2021), Elisha Cooper presents the essence of dogs and cats and their attitudes to daily life. Their responses to an unseen narrator are both profound and delightful. Let's meet this puppy and its cat (or as the cat would say, let's meet the cat and its puppy).


My full recommendation: https://librariansquest.blogspot.com/...

[Faith Pray · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked up Elisha Cooper's new picture book YES & NO this week and it is perfect!
This book about a dog and cat’s adventures is heartwarming and funny in a way that feels like chatting with one’s best furry friends while simultaneously discovering deep life insights along the way. Cooper’s BIG CAT, LITTLE CAT (one of my favorites) which centered on the lives of two cats, has a joyful and sad sweetness to it. YES & NO is all effortless romp and delight. But it’s layered, too. It makes me think of humans and how, despite our many differences, we all experience reluctance, discovery, joy and change. And that connects us. I love this book and highly recommend!

[Gretchen · Rating 4 out of 5]

While each wonderful furry friend has its own personality, it goes without saying that dogs share some distinct personality traits with dogs and cats do not share some of these personality traits. This book shares some of these traits and feelings as one dog and one cat answer questions about their day and their lives. But, more important than that is the fact that despite these differences, they both care for each other and live together in harmony. We may not always be the same as our friends in looks, actions, or feelings but friendship can see past that to find our similarities and respect of our differences. Also, just a darn cute book to read.

[Judy & Marianne from Long and Short Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

Siblings can be a blessing and curse.

I liked this book because it not only shows that having siblings can be a challenge, but it also shows that sometimes siblings aren’t just the ones by blood, but by choice.

The writing in this book is simple but the theme is easy to grasp. The illustrations are intriguing, showing the ways the siblings — in this case a cat and dog — are different, but the same and can get along. I liked this story because it’s cute, but also gives a good lesson.

If you’re looking for a book to read to your younger children, then this might be the best one. Recommended.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dear Elena,

I can’t quite remember why I chose this book from the library, but I’m glad I did. Yes & No by Elisha Cooper is a delightful comedy that reminded me of Archie’s antics with our beloved family cat, Motita. Archie would always seek her out to bark and annoy her, while Motita wanted nothing to do with him and would hiss and hide. Much like Archie and Motita, the two characters in the book are connected more by their humans than by any affection for each other. The cat is constantly trying to avoid the dog or contradict him.

I look forward to reading this with you again when you’re older.

Love,

Titi Laura

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sweet book about a dog and cat going about their day in ways that suit each of them. There are several wordless illustrations and a few pages with small text and small illustrations. The second would make this more difficult with a large group. I'm also not sure a child who is not familiar with the ways of dogs (yellow labs in particular) or cats may not fully get these characters. If they are used to dog characters such as Charlie the Ranch Dog and Pete the Cat, these two won't make sense. But they will be able to get a basic grasp from the illustrations.

[Pug · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the yin/yang dynamic of the chipper dog and emo cat. But it kinda went off the tracks. The narrator started nice, then threw the dog and cat outside to play, then got annoyed with them ("can the two of you please, please think of something better to do?") WHA?? And then the book shifted focus to mainly just the dog, and very little of the salty cat. What happened to the yin and yang?

The illustrations were nice. The dog and cat were really cute. But it should have been cuter and funnier.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet story of pet "siblings" -- an older cat and puppy -- finding some common ground through a day together. As the owner of an older cat and enthusiastic 2-year-old dog, this seemed spot on with personalities (if only my pets would curl up together). Heart-warming with light humor. Good for 1:1 sharing -- an adult could read the bold questions of the person and children could reply by reading the illustrations.

[Kelly]

I love that we've got another play on black and white. He does those so well. The text is a bit more than was needed. I'm thinking about a book like this one where two animals walk around the house and I think it was a cat and dog, too, or two dogs or two cats and they don't know what the other one is doing.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are a cat person/dog person or are both, then this will be a book and a story that you will immediately understand and probably adore. If you are not, then you will mostly find it text-heavy (this is best suited to a lap-sit, in my opinion) and a bit repetitive. Charming and sweetly told as it circles throughout the day, this is a great recommendation for pet lovers.

[Mia · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a cute little book about opposites! The story follows a day in the life of a white dog and a black cat. In the first half, you assume the dog is happy and the cat is grouchy--because they dog always says yes and the cat always says no... But as you continue through the book, you discover that everyone says yes and no sometimes, and that's okay. Super cute illustrations. Highly recommend.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you have a cat and a dog, Elisha Cooper will show you your life with them in this hilarious story of "cat & dog" and "yes & no". From morning wake-up to drowsy sleep-time, these two, often companions, are talked to by their owner and do exactly what they do, like all dogs and cats. It's a lot of fun to read through, look and look.

[Gabrielle Stoller · Rating 2 out of 5]

I keep comparing every book of Elisha Cooper's to "Big Cat, Little Cat"...and I do not get there. Never.

This book is fun in showcasing the differences between cats and dogs (and as a dog person, yep, totally accurate). And there are simple words and phrases that will be great for beginning readers. BUT there isn't the full emotional impact I wanted =/

[Peacegal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Those who live with both a cat and a dog might recognize some familiar dynamics here in the pets' personalities.

Humane families note: Although there is a great ending in which the narrator promises to always love and care for the dog and cat, there is not the most responsible pet ownership modeled here, as both animals are allowed to roam the outdoors unsupervised.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

A frisky puppy and an older cat face each day with totally different attitudes. The puppy is boundlessly enthusiastic while the cat is disdainfully tolerant. Like siblings, they don't always agree, but they are connected. "And we are here and you are here and that will always be so." A delightful picture book that will be especially appealing to pet owners.