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TEN LITTLE PUSSY CATS

Name: TEN LITTLE PUSSY CATS
Author: Jill Leman
ISBN: 0-575-05979-6

by Jill Leman & illustrated by Martin Leman ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 1, 1996

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A bouncy, attractive counting book that features the title characters as they whittle themselves from ten to one. Nimble quatrains spell out the cats' fates: ``6 little pussy cats/nosing round a hive/One got stung/and then there were . . . 5 little pussy cats/'' and so on. Others get a fright, spy a mouse, chase a bird, and off they go. A few of the cats come upon more vibrant circumstances—one gets a shock from a rather ghoulish jack-in-the- box, another tumbles off the mantelpiece. These antics add a shiver to the proceedings without stirring up nightmares. The illustrator serves up inquisitive felines, rendered in a painterly, faux- primitive style in rich tones and distinct patterns. For all its simplicity, this is a sophisticated book, a good introduction to cats and counting, suitable for a variety of reading levels. (Picture book. 5-8)

Pub Date: June 1, 1996

ISBN: 0-575-05979-6

Page Count: 24

Publisher: Gollancz/Trafalgar

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 1996

Categories:

CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S

- BOOK REVIEW
SLEEPY KITTENS
by Jill Leman & illustrated by Martin Leman

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EVERYBODY SERVES SOUP

by Norah Dooley & illustrated by Peter j. Thornton ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 7, 2000

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Dooley (Everybody Bakes Bread, 1996, etc.) dishes up another premise for Carrie to eat her way around her multicultural neighborhood. Thornton again offers framed, lifeless illustrations that stick to a predictable text. Today is a snow day at school and Christmas approaches. Carrie is tapped out after buying gifts for everybody except Mom, who always wants “anything that comes from your heart.” She hopes to earn money by shoveling snow. But when she helps Tito shovel his walk and steps, he tells her the landlord won’t pay, although they can warm up with a bowl of his sister Fendra’s Puerto Rican pea soup. Carrie gets the recipe. John has a cold and can’t shovel, but his mom offers a cup of Greek lemon-chicken soup and the recipe. And so it goes—recipes pour in along with Mark’s mom’s corn chowder, Darlene’s grandaunt’s oxtail soup, and Wendy’s mom’s miso soup. Recipes, however, don’t buy gifts, and at the end of the day Carrie has earned only ten dollars from Dad. That and Mrs. Max’s idea are enough to buy Mom’s gift—a blank book in which Carrie can write her newfound recipes. Preparing for Hanukkah, Mrs. Max reminds Carrie that “good soup with a friend warms more than the body.” The recipes included give readers an opportunity to test that notion in a book more cookery than fiction, more work-a-day than holiday. (Picture book. 5-8)

Pub Date: Aug. 7, 2000

ISBN: 1-57505-422-1

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Carolrhoda

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2000

Categories:

CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S

- BOOK REVIEW
EVERYBODY BRINGS NOODLES
by Norah Dooley & illustrated by Peter j. Thornton

- BOOK REVIEW
EVERYBODY BAKES BREAD
by Norah Dooley & illustrated by Peter j. Thornton

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SEE PIP POINT

From the Adventures of Otto series

by David Milgrim & illustrated by David Milgrim ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 1, 2003

Emergent readers will like the humor in little Pip’s pointed requests, and more engaging adventures for Otto and Pip will be...

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In his third beginning reader about Otto the robot, Milgrim (See Otto, 2002, etc.) introduces another new friend for Otto, a little mouse named Pip.

The simple plot involves a large balloon that Otto kindly shares with Pip after the mouse has a rather funny pointing attack. (Pip seems to be in that I-point-and-I-want-it phase common with one-year-olds.) The big purple balloon is large enough to carry Pip up and away over the clouds, until Pip runs into Zee the bee. (“Oops, there goes Pip.”) Otto flies a plane up to rescue Pip (“Hurry, Otto, Hurry”), but they crash (and splash) in front of some hippos with another big balloon, and the story ends as it begins, with a droll “See Pip point.” Milgrim again succeeds in the difficult challenge of creating a real, funny story with just a few simple words. His illustrations utilize lots of motion and basic geometric shapes with heavy black outlines, all against pastel backgrounds with text set in an extra-large typeface.

Emergent readers will like the humor in little Pip’s pointed requests, and more engaging adventures for Otto and Pip will be welcome additions to the limited selection of funny stories for children just beginning to read. (Easy reader. 5-7)