Waffles and Julius: No Hugs Please

Vere effectively plays the differences between dogs and cats for laughs; he also smoothly underscores the importance of respecting boundaries and demonstrates that even the best-intentioned among us can fail to truly empathize with our friends. His text is short and accessible for beginning readers, while the art focuses closely on the characters; they’re drawn as expressive cartoon shapes, large and set against mostly plain backgrounds, allowing readers to fill in the gaps and imagine the setting for themselves. A clever and funny friendship primer.

Kirkus Reviews

Vere presents the classic cat-and-dog conflict with humor that primarily comes through his colorful mixed-media illustrations... The playful text makes for a lively read-aloud. Underneath the silliness is a welcome lesson about patience, respecting boundaries, and accepting others as they are.

The Horn Book starred review