Delivers ample feline cuteness—and helpful information on cat behavior.
When Granny leaves for a life at sea, what will happen to her beloved tabby?
In this debut picture book, plump feline Kitters has a “purrfect” home with Granny, her pale-skinned owner. Tuna is plentiful, and Granny understands Kitters’ love language of rubs and toe tickles. But one morning, Granny breaks the news to her adult daughter, Jackie, that she plans to imminently depart on a boat. Kitters is sent to Jackie’s home. Not “purrfect,” Kitters thinks—and indeed, Jackie proves to be an unsatisfactory owner, feeding the feline broccoli and brushing her too hard. Soon, Jackie takes Kitters to visit her cat-loving friend Gary. He pets Kitters’ itchiest spot and holds her close. But then it’s time to leave. Kitters hides in dramatic locations until a precarious window-ledge spot necessitates a rescue. Jackie decides that Kitters will be happier with Gary; he adopts the cat and dances with her in his arms. The stakes of Faber’s family tale remain low and the action light, but cat-loving readers will appreciate Larson’s (A Big Day for a Little Dog, 2018, etc.) images of body language and feline motion. Soft, pastel-tone watercolor pictures remain simple and realistic, with a few anthropomorphic flourishes. Kitters stands bipedally, front paws spread, when hiding behind the sofa, and smiles lazily atop Gary’s head. Three illustrated pages of “Feline Facts” act as an epilogue, providing useful visual cues for reading cat moods and biological data about felines.
Delivers ample feline cuteness—and helpful information on cat behavior.Pub Date: April 9, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-73363-991-0
Page Count: 46
Publisher: Faber Press
Review Posted Online: Jan. 13, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2020
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Broccoli: No way is James going to eat broccoli. “It’s disgusting,” says James. Well then, James, says his father, let’s consider the alternatives: some wormy dirt, perhaps, some stinky socks, some pre-chewed gum? James reconsiders the broccoli, but—milk? “Blech,” says James. Right, says his father, who needs strong bones? You’ll be great at hide-and-seek, though not so great at baseball and kickball and even tickling the dog’s belly. James takes a mouthful. So it goes through lumpy oatmeal, mushroom lasagna and slimy eggs, with James’ father parrying his son’s every picky thrust. And it is fun, because the father’s retorts are so outlandish: the lasagna-making troll in the basement who will be sent back to the rat circus, there to endure the rodent’s vicious bites; the uneaten oatmeal that will grow and grow and probably devour the dog that the boy won’t be able to tickle any longer since his bones are so rubbery. Schneider’s watercolors catch the mood of gentle ribbing, the looks of bewilderment and surrender and the deadpanned malarkey. It all makes James’ father’s last urging—“I was just going to say that you might like them if you tried them”—wholly fresh and unexpected advice. (Early reader. 5-9)
Pub Date: May 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-547-14956-1
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: April 4, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2011
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A sweet, soft conversation starter and a charming gift.
A paean to teachers and their surrogates everywhere.
This gentle ode to a teacher’s skill at inspiring, encouraging, and being a role model is spoken, presumably, from a child’s viewpoint. However, the voice could equally be that of an adult, because who can’t look back upon teachers or other early mentors who gave of themselves and offered their pupils so much? Indeed, some of the self-aware, self-assured expressions herein seem perhaps more realistic as uttered from one who’s already grown. Alternatively, readers won’t fail to note that this small book, illustrated with gentle soy-ink drawings and featuring an adult-child bear duo engaged in various sedentary and lively pursuits, could just as easily be about human parent- (or grandparent-) child pairs: some of the softly colored illustrations depict scenarios that are more likely to occur within a home and/or other family-oriented setting. Makes sense: aren’t parents and other close family members children’s first teachers? This duality suggests that the book might be best shared one-on-one between a nostalgic adult and a child who’s developed some self-confidence, having learned a thing or two from a parent, grandparent, older relative, or classroom instructor.
A sweet, soft conversation starter and a charming gift. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-943200-08-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Compendium
Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2017
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