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KATIE LOVES THE KITTENS

The traditional animosity between cats and dogs gets turned on its head in this story of a cat-loving dog named Katie. When three kittens join the household, boisterous Katie is thrilled to have potential playmates. She repeatedly howls at the newcomers as she tries to engage them in play, but this only frightens the kittens and leads to repeated scoldings from the pets’ owner, a rather callous girl named Sara Ann. After a long nap, Katie finds the kittens asleep on top of her, and when she remains quiet and calm, she finds that the kitties are happy to play with their doggie companion, as seen on the final wordless page. Katie, a hound of indeterminate breed, has lots of personality in the watercolor-and-pencil illustrations, and the tiny kittens with huge, green eyes are appealing as well. The story, however, does not pad along on little cat feet, but instead plods through the predictable plot with too many exclamation points and explanations of Katie’s feelings. A spunky pup caught in a lethargic tale. (Picture book. 3-6)

Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2008

ISBN: 978-0-8050-8626-9

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Henry Holt

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2008

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THE MAGICIAN'S HAT

Perhaps youngsters who think they are more interested in football than reading will take the message to heart.

New England Patriot and literacy advocate Mitchell proves to have a touch of magic as an author as well as on the field.

It’s Family Fun Day at the library, and families of many sizes, constellations, and skin tones are participating. Amid book scavenger hunts and storytelling, a magician arrives. He is white and lanky, sporting a purple polka-dot vest and a bright yellow ascot. But most importantly, he has a very large, mysterious hat. He tells the children how he came to Family Fun Day when he was younger and read his very first book about magic in the library. Turning the pages and getting lost in the words inspired him to become a magician. He realized that it wasn’t just about spells and potions, but that books themselves are magical. Three children reach into the hat and find books about their future professions—Amy, a white girl, is a dentist; Matt, a bespectacled black boy, is a football player; and Ryan, a white boy, is an astronaut. The magician then turns the hat to readers, asking, “What are your dreams?” Previously self-published, the work gets a new look from Lew-Vriethoff’s bustling library and bright swirls of magic and bookish motivation. As an entry in the books-are-awesome genre, it’s mostly distinguished by the author’s clear belief in his message.

Perhaps youngsters who think they are more interested in football than reading will take the message to heart. (Picture book. 3-6)

Pub Date: Feb. 27, 2018

ISBN: 978-1-338-11454-6

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Scholastic

Review Posted Online: Nov. 12, 2017

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2017

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CLOTHESLINE CLUES TO JOBS PEOPLE DO

From the Clothesline Clues series

Pair this with Leo Timmers’ Who Is Driving? (2007) for twice the guessing fun.

Heling and Hembrook’s clever conceit challenges children to analyze a small town’s clotheslines to guess the job each of their owners does. 

Close-up on the clothesline: “Uniform and cap, / an invite for you. / Big bag of letters. / What job does she do?” A turn of the page reveals a macro view of the home, van and the woman doing her job, “She is a mail carrier.” Indeed, she can be spotted throughout the book delivering invitations to all the rest of the characters, who gather at the end for a “Launch Party.” The verses’ rhymes are spot-on, though the rhythm falters a couple of times. The authors nicely mix up the gender stereotypes often associated with several of these occupations, making the carpenter, firefighter and astronaut women. But while Davies keeps uniforms and props pretty neutral (he even avoids U.S. mail symbols), he keeps to the stereotypes that allow young readers to easily identify occupations—the farmer chews on a stalk of wheat; the beret-wearing artist sports a curly mustache. A subdued palette and plain white backgrounds keep kids’ focus on the clothing clues. Still, there are plenty of details to absorb—the cat with arched back that anticipates a spray of water, the firefighter who “lights” the rocket.

Pair this with Leo Timmers’ Who Is Driving? (2007) for twice the guessing fun. (Picture book. 3-6)

Pub Date: July 1, 2012

ISBN: 978-1-58089-251-3

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Charlesbridge

Review Posted Online: May 15, 2012

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2012

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