bookshelf

WHEN THE SILLIEST CAT WAS SMALL

Name: WHEN THE SILLIEST CAT WAS SMALL
Author: Gilles Bachelet
ISBN: 978-0-8109-9415-7

by Gilles Bachelet & illustrated by Gilles Bachelet ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 1, 2007

bookshelf

Bachelet returns with his pet from My Cat, the Silliest Cat in the World (2006), which is actually an elephant, to relate the cat’s early years. “Until I adopted a cat, I didn’t know a thing about cats. I was counting on my gut to help me choose an ideal companion.” The author picks a cat who loves milk, washing, play and sleep. He finds he made the right choice; his cat adjusts quickly to apartment life but sometimes seems sad. He buys it a stuffed, purple elephant, which the cat loves (though it sometimes gets lost). When his cat trades the toy for a squeaky carrot, the author thinks his cat might be entering a silly stage. Every cartoon picture of the elephant-cat shows it doing nearly the opposite of the author’s observation. As it cavorts with its elephant siblings, who all have cat-colored coats, the author’s cat obviously prefers not to drink milk, wash or play, and it prefers late-night TV to sleep. It also can’t get rid of that elephant toy fast enough. This French import is as much of a goofy read as the droll first and sure to please the kids who are in on the joke. (Picture book. 4-8)

Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2007

ISBN: 978-0-8109-9415-7

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Abrams

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2007

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS

- BOOK REVIEW
A STORY THAT GROWS
by Gilles Bachelet ; illustrated by Gilles Bachelet

- BOOK REVIEW
MRS. WHITE RABBIT
by Gilles Bachelet ; illustrated by Gilles Bachelet

- BOOK REVIEW
MY CAT, THE SILLIEST CAT IN THE WORLD
by Gilles Bachelet & illustrated by Gilles Bachelet

bookshelf

GRUMPY MONKEY

by Suzanne Lang ; illustrated by Max Lang ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 15, 2018

Though Jim may have been grumpy because a chimp’s an ape and not a monkey, readers will enjoy and maybe learn from his...

bookshelf

It’s a wonderful day in the jungle, so why’s Jim Panzee so grumpy?

When Jim woke up, nothing was right: "The sun was too bright, the sky was too blue, and bananas were too sweet." Norman the gorilla asks Jim why he’s so grumpy, and Jim insists he’s not. They meet Marabou, to whom Norman confides that Jim’s grumpy. When Jim denies it again, Marabou points out that Jim’s shoulders are hunched; Jim stands up. When they meet Lemur, Lemur points out Jim’s bunchy eyebrows; Jim unbunches them. When he trips over Snake, Snake points out Jim’s frown…so Jim puts on a grimacelike smile. Everyone has suggestions to brighten his mood: dancing, singing, swinging, swimming…but Jim doesn’t feel like any of that. He gets so fed up, he yells at his animal friends and stomps off…then he feels sad about yelling. He and Norman (who regrets dancing with that porcupine) finally just have a sit and decide it’s a wonderful day to be grumpy—which, of course, makes them both feel a little better. Suzanne Lang’s encouragement to sit with your emotions (thus allowing them to pass) is nearly Buddhist in its take, and it will be great bibliotherapy for the crabby, cranky, and cross. Oscar-nominated animator Max Lang’s cartoony illustrations lighten the mood without making light of Jim’s mood; Jim has comically long arms, and his facial expressions are quite funny.

Though Jim may have been grumpy because a chimp’s an ape and not a monkey, readers will enjoy and maybe learn from his journey. (Picture book. 4-8)

Pub Date: May 15, 2018

ISBN: 978-0-553-53786-4

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Random House

Review Posted Online: Feb. 18, 2018

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2018

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
ARCHIBALD AND THE FURRY DINOSAURS
by Suzanne Lang ; illustrated by Max Lang

- BOOK REVIEW
GRUMPY MONKEY FRESHLY SQUEEZED
by Suzanne Lang ; illustrated by Max Lang

- BOOK REVIEW
GRUMPY MONKEY PARTY TIME!
by Suzanne Lang ; illustrated by Max Lang

bookshelf

HENRY AND MUDGE AND THE STARRY NIGHT

From the Henry and Mudge series

by Cynthia Rylant & illustrated by Sucie Stevenson ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 1, 1998

bookshelf

Rylant (Henry and Mudge and the Sneaky Crackers, 1998, etc.) slips into a sentimental mode for this latest outing of the boy and his dog, as she sends Mudge and Henry and his parents off on a camping trip. Each character is attended to, each personality sketched in a few brief words: Henry's mother is the camping veteran with outdoor savvy; Henry's father doesn't know a tent stake from a marshmallow fork, but he's got a guitar for campfire entertainment; and the principals are their usual ready-for-fun selves. There are sappy moments, e.g., after an evening of star- gazing, Rylant sends the family off to bed with: ``Everyone slept safe and sound and there were no bears, no scares. Just the clean smell of trees . . . and wonderful green dreams.'' With its nice tempo, the story is as toasty as its campfire and swaddled in Stevenson's trusty artwork. (Fiction. 6-8)