Bow Meow Wow

Author & Illustrator: Priya Kuriyan is a children’s author, illustrator, comic artist, and animator. She studied at the National Institute of Design and has worked on educational films for Sesame Street India and the Children’s Film Society of India. She experiments with different visual styles and often sketches unusual caricatures inspired by people she observes while travelling.

Source: https://storyweaver.org.in/en/users/57-priya-kuriyan

Publisher: Pratham Books 

Year: 2018

Level: Emergent reader

Genre: Picture Book

Synopsis 

The story follows a dog and a cat as they get into a noisy and playful fight. It begins with simple sounds like “Bow!” and “Meow!” as the dog and cat react to each other . As the action builds, they knock over paint cans and run through yellow and red paint, spreading it everywhere. The chase and fight become messy and the colours begin to mix. By the end, the chaos turns into orange and becomes part of a painting, surprising everyone.

Theme / Skill

1. Colours (primary and secondary); 
2. Sound words; 
3. Visual storytelling

Pre-reading

• Show the cover and ask children what they see and what might happen in the story.
• Ask children what sounds a dog and a cat make and let them imitate them.
• Revise basic colours like red and yellow before starting the story.

During reading

• Encourage children to say the sound words like “Bow!” and “Meow!” along with you.
• Pause and ask children what is happening in the pictures, like when the paint spills.
• Ask them what they think will happen when the colours start mixing.

Post-reading

• Ask children what new colour they saw and how it was made.
• Let them mix colours using paints to explore the idea themselves.
• Ask children if they have ever made a mess while playing and what happened after.
• Assessment: Students identify primary colours and explain how a new colour (orange) was formed in the story.

Reflection

I like how this book is very simple but still interesting. There is very little text, yet the story feels complete because the pictures do most of the work. The fight between the cat and dog is also a bit funny how it slowly turns into a messy situation with paint everywhere.

It teaches an important concept very simply. Children can see how yellow and red mix to form orange and largely, how primary colors mix to form secondary colors and so on. It just happens through the story. The use of sounds like “bow” and “meow” also makes it engaging. 

References

Kuriyan, P. (2018). Bow Meow Wow. Pratham Books.