We Match! Written by Chris Barton and illustrated by Sharon Glick
A lively, inspiring children’s story.
Young ’uns get taught to make things match. It’s tradition. For myself, the challenge took the form of a hand-me-down copy of Somebody Forgot!, by Gladys M. Horn. The smiling family in that 1954 story, apparently none of them very bright, each chose a colour to paint a part of their house. But, as the title suggests, they then forgot their respective choices. It was up to the young reader to open a box of crayons and match them to the various colours the family wanted. Then, to shade in the roof, wall, porch, whatever as appropriate.
Being able to discern what-matches-what was, and no doubt still is, deemed important. But is it always? Couldn’t non-matching things, or indeed living beings, also complement each other? In our polarized world, that could be just as valuable a message to impart to budding minds as making exact matches.
Which is the theme that writer Chris Barton and illustrator Sharon Glick, with their charming dog story, have um, embarked on. Their lively tail, oops, tale We Match! begins with Button, a sportscaster-like fluffy grey terrier, announcing, “GOOD AFTERNOON, DOG PARK FANS!” Note: all the We Match! dialogue is in cap letters, befitting both dogs’ and sportscasters’ fondness for being loud.
And indeed Button, like the late, legendary ’caster Howard Cosell, is loud in both dress and voice. Cosell famously wore an ABC Network jacket of eyeball-searing yellow. Button carries on the tradition with his blazing-red-edged, bright blue jacket.
Oh, and Button’s owner and all the other dog owners in the story are mere background. It’s the dogs who star—and, thanks to the vibrant illustrations, actually seem to speed across the pages.
Anyhow, on with the sportscast. Two black-and-white dogs of a Border Collie mix (all dogs in the story are mixes) chase a ball. “ONE THING IS CLEAR AS TODAY’S ACTION KICKS OFF. THESE DOGS MATCH,” bellows Button.
“THIS NEW ONE DOES NOT,” he then comments, as a Golden Retriever bounds up. But, as she joins the collies in ball play, Button amends that to, “OR DOES SHE?” To show the drama of Button’s change of opinion, both his exclamations are in dialogue bubbles with lightning-bolt stems.
More non-matching dogs show up. Two examples: first, a fluffy white Bichon-poodle mix named Lucille Snowball. Impossible not love Lucy, who finds common ground, or perhaps that would be air, with the other dogs in the fun of sticking their heads out windows of moving cars. Then there’s Bozeman, a tough-looking mastiff who faces down the other dogs. That is, until they similarly find commonality: in this case what food they prefer, wet or dry. Team Dry wins, paws down.
There’s a plot twist with one arrival, but you’ll have to read We Match! to ferret that out for yourself. The same theme applies: no matter that folks come from different backgrounds, they can find things to agree on—and coexist quite happily.
Oh, and that sound you hear is an approving woof!
About the Author
Chris Barton is the author of many beloved books for children, including the New York Times bestseller Shark Vs. Train, the Sibert Honoree The Day-Glo Brothers, and three Texas Bluebonnet Award Master List books, one of which—Whoosh!—was celebrated on 20 other state lists, as well.
About the Illustrator
Illustrator and art educator Sharon Glick’s first children’s book, ¡Perros! ¡Perros! Dogs! Dogs! was a Junior Library Guild selection and made the Bank Street College Best Books list. More recently, Sharon illustrated 11 books for the Sharpen reading program and designed the exterior of the Bozeman Public Library’s bookmobile as well as the banners outside the library.
About the Reviewer
Melanie Jackson is a Vancouver writer/editor. She’s also the award-winning author of middle-grade/YA suspensers, including Orca Books’ Dinah Galloway Mystery Series, and several chillers set in amusement parks. Visit Melanie at The Writers’ Union of Canada.
Book Details
Publisher: Astra Young Readers, July 15, 2025
Language: English
Hardcover: 40 pages
ISBN: 9781662621062