"STEP TWO
Decide on a trick and get some
treats ready.
CAT treats.
OH!
We should start with an easy trick."
If you have a cat, you may have laughed at the premise for this follow-up to the much-appreciated How to Give Your Cat a Bath in Five Easy Steps (2019). Cat lovers and owners know how truly difficult cats can be when expected to bow down to explicit demands.
This guide, while it has high aspirations for success, is proof that nothing about training cats is easy. Our young narrator, and trainer, is keen to convince Einstein that a trick is an easy thing to learn. Einstein will not be persuaded. Noodles the dog, on the other hand, watches eagerly as a witness to the intended training. As Einstein turns both his head and his back to the trainer, Noodles follows every instruction with eagerness and precision. Readers and listeners are sure to giggle through the entire training session.
Einstein does not high-five; Noodles offers a paw. Einstein does not jump, circle, roll over, or any of the myriad of other tricks the patient trainer is willing to suggest. Noodles plays his role perfectly, delighting any observant child enjoying the book. While Einstein takes on scratching the sofa arm, and Noodles continues performing every trick, the trainer satisfies his hunger with a cookie. What about Noodles? Poor dog ...
When Einstein finally walks out the door and unleashes his need for food on a bird at the feeder, he is taken inside to create as much chaos as is possible for a defiant, uninterested feline. Noodles cleans up before noting the unpleasant results of Einstein's tirade. An unexpected chase is on; the results of which are the real surprise ending. What fun!
Digital illustrations keep readers in the action from start to finish. Humor is abundant, and pet personalities are easy to recognize throughout the telling.
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