Houndsley and Catina and the quiet time by James Howe illustrated by Marie-Louise Gay

Houndsley and Catina is like a lyrical poem disguised in a simple junior novel. Houndsley loves the silences and the white that the snow affords and he looks for ways to make this quiet day even more special, especially once he suggests their house is like an island. Catina, on the other hand, at first only sees disaster but as the day unfolds with music practice, poetry writing, board games, cooking and stories she settles down.

Their neighbour Bert has also been practicing his music too but this mostly seems to involve lots of crashes and bashes. Like me I hope you hold your breath when Bert plays the final note at their evening concert. “It was the closest the cymbals can come to silence. It sounded like a chime in the wind. It lingered and floated and fell into the quite time.”
All three friends travel home together and Houndsley invites Catina and Bert to stay the night. Luckily the cookies they had made for supper were left at home. “Eating cookies was a perfect way to share a quiet time together.”
Look for other books about Houndsley and Catina in our library. I give these gems ten out of ten every time.

Click on this link to see another book illustrated by Marie Louise Gay - you can see her lovely illustrations. We have this book in our library too!