Adorable little pencil sketch drawings accompany a story about a puppy and kitten who are best friends. They play all day but when one of them gets hurt and has to go away, the other waits and worries all day long. This has a happy ending but I can see it possibly upsetting and stressing more sensitive kids out about vet visits.

If you’ve read some of my reviews, you know that any picture book which my kid asks me to read a second time gets an automatic 5-stars. Now, THIS ONE would have got those 5 stars even without having to re-read THREE TIMES!

George the dog is unsure about new kitten Tao, but they soon become friends, playing constantly. Until the day that Tao has a fall and gets hurt. As this book is told through the point of view of George himself, there’s a lot of vaguery about Tao disappearing, which adult readers and most kids will recognize as Tao going to the vet. It’s not hugely distressing for the reader, but you can see how confused and bothered George is, and so when Tao returns home, the audience will be so happy for the friends.

The artwork in this is so fine and endearing. A sketchbook style, but of course quite polished. There’s a lot of evoking space and room shapes, without filling them with endless detail. It feels calm and natural. It feels like an organized home! And it gives George and Tao a delightful, welcoming place for their play.

I’d love to see more George and Tao books. I’ll definitely be keeping an eye out for this author!

Advanced reader copy provided by the publisher.

George is delighted with his new playmate Tao. They spend all day running and playing through the house, until Tao is injured and disappears. George searches everywhere for his pal. Don't worry - there is a happy ending.

This is simple, short, and very sweet. Kids should be delighted by the story, and the charming illustrations.

Filled with dreamy, watercolor illustrations, this is a lovely little book about friendship and what happens when one has to go away and you don't know why and how glorious a reunion can truly be.

This was just the sweetest book and I think both little and their caregivers will love visiting with this adorable pup and kitten over and over.

Thank you to NetGalley, Claude K. Dubois and Gecko Press for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Disappointing. The cover art lured me, but the copy added no value or magic to the story. I appreciate having a chance to review from NetGalley as I don't believe this book is worth buying. I shared this story with my daughter, hoping to keep her entertained and occupied while waiting at a doctor's visit, and she was equally disappointed and bored.

Thank you Netgalley and Gecko Press for this arc.

Happiness, joy, uncertainty, patience, joy again. This book has all these emotions and conveys them in ways that small children will be easily able to understand. George the dog is curious then happy when Tao the kitten is brought home. The lovely colored pencil sketched illustrations show the two running and playing before Tao gets ambitious and scoots up the curtains. Through George's actions we see him look here and look there then quietly wait by the front door (dogs know where the action begins). The joy when his new buddy returns is heartwarming.


I think the emotions are shown beautifully and the simple language by which the story is told will allow younger readers to understand and read many of the words as they follow along. B

The use soft colours and sketched illustrations are well done and welcomed in this book. The story is a short and simple read that would appeal to young children (3 years and under). There isn’t any rhythm or rhyme to the story to make it stand out from your average children’s book. This book is a translation, so the French version may have these elements. I think that most young children would like the book, particularly if they have a dog and cat in their home.

Thank you to Gecko Press and NetGalley for providing me with a free electronic copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

While this is a very simple story, it still has heart and some loveable characters. I can see this being a nice story for kids who may be worried about a pet that has to go to the vet. I found it an interesting way of presenting the story, having it be from the perspective of the other animal. You can't help but feel bad for George who just doesn't understand where his friend is or what is happening.

George and Tao is a cozy story of two best friends. This sweet book is perfect for animal loving children. The illustrations are beautiful and soothing. It’s a perfect bedtime story.

George and Tao will be released September 4, 2023. Thank you to Gecko Publishing for the ARC.

For such a simple story, this book sends a powerful message about animal friends. The illustrations are simple but so endearing and the story is easy enough for even a young 5 or 6 year old reader to probably do it on their own. I cannot remember the last time a story so simple was so enchanting to me.
The book moves at a medium pace and the dog, George, is well-thought out. The cat is missing through much of the book so it is tough to say how thought out his character is. To me, the main draw of this book comes in the way it gives a human thought process to the animal characters. Dogs and cats, along with many other animals, know and understand many more things than they are often given credit for and this book highlights that a missing kitten friend is very stressful for the little dog.
A very good job with this story and the illustrations!

Such a cute book about small young animals! It has a lot of innocence, confusion (expressed in a good way), and excitement. I think this one will become a well loved book for animal lovers.

An adorable little story about George the dog and his new cat friend, Tao. This is a simple story perfect to follow for young readers. The illustrations are soft and sweet, and simple.

George and Tao are so cute!! They are perfect best friends!! I enjoyed their friendship dynamic. The illustrations are also beautiful. They are soft and subtle, but really support the story. I recommend this to anyone with young readers or pets!

Lovely illustrations and realistic, engaging, and humorous text. Well done! I would purchase this book.

My child loved this story. The sweetness of the friendship between a dog and cat was precious! It was easy to keep my child's attention and is a perfect story to read to younger children as it is short and easy to understand.

George's, a small dog, owner brings him home a new friend Tao, a kitten. The two become fast friends, but while playing Tao becomes injured. When their owner takes Tao to get treated it leave George all alone searching for Tao until they return.

The story and illustrations are cute. The book could be used as a possible way to communicate the need for safe play with others

The illustrations in this book are beautiful, simple yet engaging. Children will love the story of the dog's friendship and the simple text will help children to be able to predict what happens next.

A very cute and well drawn picture book about a dog and his best friend Tao, who is a cat. The dog and his Tao play and play, until Tao runs up a shower curtain and gets hurt. Suddently, Tao is gone and George (the dog) waits for his return. A sweet and loving short book with a easy text that will bring lots of little kids joy.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC
This book about a puppy and his new kitten friend is beautifully illustrated (it seems like a dream that Olivia would have!). It's all in muted neutrals and very mellow. The puppy and kitten have real personalities.
The kitten gets taken to the vet after what we later gather is a fairly minor accident, and the puppy looks all over the house, then sits and waits for his friend to come home (I really think that there would be some pee puddles after a long day waiting, but...)
The friends are happy to be re-united at the end of the day.
Some questions I had were: where are the other people who obviously live in the house, and who is taking care of the puppy all day.
This could help teach being careful with pets, patience and appreciating friends.
The info says it's a translation, I wonder if the original French was more expositive?
I'm assuming this is a board book? The ebook format didn't load very well on my tablet.

Super cute, and very minimalist illustrations. A dog gets a kittens as a friend and gets worried when his friend disappears one day while they were playing. George searches the house for Tao only to have to wait and wait for their owners to bring him back. I like the simple wording for little kids to learn to read.