Cat & Dog Series
Concept, characters, text and illustrations: Elke and René Leisink
In 2006, René Leisink and his wife Elke spent three months in front of a classroom in Wulanyilli, a village in northern Ghana. They taught the children to read and write. As there were no reading and teaching materials available, they developed their own. And so Cat and Dog was born that year on a blackboard in a classroom in that small African village.
The books are about Cat and Dog in an unspecified setting, who get on very well. They go out together and have all sorts of adventures. And when they get into trouble, lose something or don’t understand something, there’s always someone, like Elephant, who comes to their rescue.
The first Cat and Dog books were printed in black and white on an old photocopier. Today they come in bright, cheerful colours and in many languages, including local ones. Through short, fun stories and illustrations, children all over the world learn not only how to read and write, but also about the power of friendship, the excitement of the unexpected, and how nice it is to have others there for you. And because children all over the world want nothing more than to be happy and cheerful, new Cat and Dog stories will keep appearing to inspire them.
The Books
Book 1: Cat and Dog and the Ball
Cat and Dog and the Ball is a funny children’s book about Cat and Dog playing outside with a colourful ball. When the ball accidentally lands on the roof and they can’t reach it, Elephant comes to the rescue. Together they continue to play happily with the ball. A heartwarming story of friendship and cooperation, perfect for early readers to enjoy and learn from. Bye Cat, Bye Dog, Bye Elephant!
Book 2: Cat and Dog and the Rain
Cat and Dog walk to school in the pouring rain. When they get soaking wet, Elephant comes to their rescue with an umbrella. Grateful and happy, they now all walk to school together under the shelter of the umbrella. A story about kindness and friendship, perfect for beginning readers to enjoy and learn from. Bye Cat, bye Dog, bye Elephant!
Book 3: Cat and Dog and the Hat
Cat and Dog are both wearing new hats. When they are out for a walk and their hats end up in the water because of the wind, Elephant comes to the rescue. He pulls the hats out of the water. How happy Cat and Dog are to have their hats back, thanks to Elephant! An entertaining little story about the power of friendship and the joy of unexpected help, perfect for beginning readers to enjoy and learn from. Bye Cat, bye Dog, bye Elephant!
Book 4: Cat and Dog. Where is Cat?
Dog does not find Cat at home. He goes looking for her, but cannot find Cat anywhere. He looks for her everywhere: in bed, under the table, in front of the chair, behind the door. Then he sees a ladder standing against a tree outside. He looks up, and sees, among the leaves, first a hand and a foot, and then Cat’s face! The ladder is broken, and Cat doesn’t dare clamber down. Luckily, Dog is there now, and he goes to give Cat a hand: Cat and Dog are both relieved and happy! Where is Cat? is a story about losing each other and the joy of finding each other again. An exciting story with a happy ending. Bye Cat, bye Dog, bye ladder!
Book 5: Cat and Dog and the Yam
Cat and Dog are hungry. They fancy a yam. With tomatoes and corn! They go and get water and put the corn and tomatoes on the fire. But then they see the yam running away! Cat and Dog run after him, but can’t catch him. Then Elephant passes by. Elephant also runs after the yam and grabs it. But then suddenly he sees Mouse! And on top of Mouse the yam! Mouse is hungry too. Hond, Cat, Elephant and Mouse walk back home and together they eat the yam with tomatoes and corn: Cat and Dog and the yam is a funny and exciting story that shows that not everything is always as it seems! And that after an exciting adventure, it is great to have a nice meal together! Bye Cat, bye Dog, bye Elephant, bye Mouse!
Book 6: Cat and Dog and the Butterfly
Cat and Dog see a beautiful butterfly outside. They want it! They run after the butterfly, but it is too fast for them. Then they follow him on their bikes, but even then they can’t catch him, because the butterfly is much faster than they are. They try to overtake him in a car, a rowing boat and even in an aeroplane, but the butterfly is always too fast for them. When they give up and sit under a tree, they suddenly see another butterfly. And another and another, they see a hundred butterflies! Cat and Dog and the butterfly teaches children that you don’t necessarily have to chase happiness. Wait quietly and it will come to you by itself. Bye Cat, bye Dog, bye butterflies!
Book 7: Cat and Dog. Dog is Cold
It is night, it is dark, it is cold, very cold. For Dog it is too cold: Cat gives Dog two shirts, one is dirty, one is clean. Dog puts on the clean shirt, but he is still too cold: Cat gives him two items of clothing each time, from which Dog can choose: a big t-shirt or a small t-shirt, long trousers or short trousers, a thin jacket or a thick jacket, new shoes or old shoes, but whatever Dog chooses, he keeps shivering from the cold. And then… suddenly he is no longer cold! The night is over, the sun is rising. It is day, it is hot, very hot, and for Dog it is now too hot! Dog is cold teaches children about opposites. And even though Dog doesn’t have it easy, there always comes a time when things will be okay again. Bye Cat, bye Dog!
Book 8: Cat and Dog Draw and Colour
Cat and Dog are going to draw each other’s portrait. Dog starts. He starts with an oval: that’s Cat’s body. Then he draws two triangles: those are the ears, two dots: those are the eyes. Dog draws a triangle for the nose, two dashes for the eyebrows and so on. Finally, he colours the whole Cat orange. Then it’s Cat’s turn. She too draws Dog’s portrait with simple shapes like circles, triangles and lines, but colours him yellow. Cat and Dog Draw and Colour shows children reading this book how easy and nice it is to make a nice drawing of each other! And they immediately learn the names of elementary shapes. Bye Cat, bye Cat drawing, bye Dog, bye Dog drawing!
Book 9: Cat and Dog and the Egg
Cat and Dog are walking in the village. Then they see an egg lying in the grass. Who could that egg belong to? Cat and Dog go looking. They ask a bird, an owl, a goose, two ducks, but no, the egg is not theirs. Then… the egg breaks! There is a baby lizard inside the egg. And it immediately asks: ‘Where are my mum and dad?’ Cat and Dog are relieved and take the baby lizard back to its parents. And so all is well again in this book that is not only funny but also teaches about caring. Bye Cat, bye Dog, bye baby lizard!
Book 10: Cat and Dog: Cat is Yellow
Cat knocks on Dog’s door. When Dog opens the door, he sees that Cat is all yellow! Cat’s head and hair are yellow, her arms and hands, her nose, everything is yellow! How can that be? Cat doesn’t know either. Dog wants to know what happened. Where has Cat been? At the school, in the village: Cat and Dog walk to the school together. There they see Elephant busy. Elephant is painting the school. Now a light goes on for Cat: she had fallen asleep against a wall of the school. Elephant has used a big brush to paint not only the wall, but also Cat! There is an explanation for everything, if only you look for it! Bye yellow Cat, bye Dog, bye Elephant.
Book 11: Cat and Dog and the Worms
Cat and Dog go for a walk together outside. Hanging from a tree, they see a sign with a warning: ‘look out for the cape’. A cape? What is a cape? Cat and Dog don’t see a cape. Suddenly the letters change! Now they read: ‘Look out for the grape’. Huh? Cat and Dog take a good look at the sign. Then they see the worms crawling over the words. And that’s what changed the words! The sign now says: ‘Look out for the ape’. And suddenly a big ape appears: Cat and Dog set off running back home. A book that teaches children that it is always wise to read and follow a warning! Bye Cat, bye Dog, bye ape, bye worms!
Book 12: Cat and Dog Clean Up
Cat and Dog are walking on a path to the beach. They hear someone calling out. ‘Help! Help! Cat and Dog see Turtle with a plastic bottle over his head. Dog says, ‘No problem, Turtle. We’ll throw this plastic bottle in the bin.’ Cat and Dog look out over the beach. The beach is full of plastic bottles and bags. And a broken bicycle and even parts of a broken car: Cat and Dog collect all the rubbish and turn it into musical instruments: a xylophone, a guitar, a drum kit. And they make a big sign: ‘Don’t throw anything away, but use it again.’ When the board is ready and the beach is clean again, Cat and Dog and Turtle take the instruments and start singing together. Be social, be inventive, be environmentally conscious and share that message! Bye Cat, bye Dog, bye Turtle, bye waste!
Book 13: Cat and Dog Words
This compact picture dictionary of Cat and Dog is an ideal tool for language development and word recognition. With bright illustrations and easy-to-understand categories such as ‘Animals’, ‘Nature’, ‘Body’, ‘Clothing’, ‘Transportation’, ‘Household’, ‘Food’, and ‘Hobby’, this book is perfect for young readers and language students. It also offers basic phrases for everyday actions and interactions, as well as an introduction to colours, shapes and the alphabet. Ideal for home, school or on the go, this picture dictionary is a treasure trove of vocabulary and a fun way to explore both language and world knowledge!”
The creators:
René Leisink (pseudonym Argus) is a cartoonist, cartoonist and illustrator. If it is true that a picture says more than a thousand words, he has already filled many thick books! For years, René has made cartoons to accompany the news, which appeared in daily Metro, among others. He also makes illustrations for school books and drawings for jigsaw puzzles. But his greatest love is still creating new Cat & Dog stories. They are read worldwide in the most diverse languages.
Elke Leisink graduated as a pedagogue. Together with René, she founded Cat & Dog in Wulanyilli. She turned a lack of teaching materials into an advantage, by developing new materials herself. And after the children in Wulanyilli had learned two hundred words in English, these words were used to write the first Cat & Dog stories.