Spend a hot summer day with Brownie (a little girl) and Pearl (her cat) playing in a perfect-sized pool and laying in the sun. In a short, straightforward story we see what two friends do together, sans adults. The absence of adults probably speaks to toddlers and young children, many of whom are starting to want some form of independence. There is a minimal amount of text, and the author makes use of repetition in terms of language and action. Many words appear more than once in a row and a few times during the story Brownie will do something and Pearl does the exact same thing. The text narrates for the viewer exactly what is happening in the pictures. In fact, this book could easily be read without any text. There are no other words to describe the illustrations except for adorable, charming, and lovable. They are filled with bright color and busy, intricate patterns that create texture. All of the patterns are visually appealing, so that each picture can be examined for much longer than it takes to read the text. Although Brownie and Pearl’s afternoon swim will not soon be the most talked-about event of the century, readers will not be able to say no to the ridiculously darling illustrations. ( )

Cute and simple story, good to read to babies. ( )

simple story ( )