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MRS. CRUMP’S CAT

Name: MRS. CRUMP’S CAT
Author: Linda Smith
ISBN: 0-06-028302-5

by Linda Smith & illustrated by David Roberts ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 1, 2006

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Who doesn’t know someone who adamantly vows never to let a stray cat in the house? Meet Mrs. Crump, who “opened her front door one rainy day to fetch the paper and discovered an exquisite golden cat shivering on her porch step.” The cat won’t shoo, slips inside the door and polishes itself in front of the fire. As the cat ingratiates itself paw by paw, Mrs. Crump comes up with one reason after another why not to give the cat the boot, buying cream at the grocer’s, bathing it for fleas, buying a collar, etc. Her last resort is a sign in Mr. Henry’s store window: “Found. One sneaky, finicky, troublesome, wet yellow cat with fleas.” Surprise—no one claims it and you can guess what happens next. Subtle illustrations with a British accent (seamed stocking, spectator shoes) humorously underplay the tale. Kids will see what’s coming and giggle as the cat pussyfoots its way into Mrs. Crump’s home and heart. (Picture book. 4-8)

Pub Date: May 1, 2006

ISBN: 0-06-028302-5

Page Count: 32

Publisher: HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2006

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS

- BOOK REVIEW
THE INSIDE TREE
by Linda Smith & illustrated by David Parkins

- BOOK REVIEW
THERE WAS AN OLD WOMAN WHO LIVED IN A BOOT
by Linda Smith & illustrated by Jane Manning

- BOOK REVIEW
MRS. BIDDLEBOX
by Linda Smith & illustrated by Marla Frazee

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DIARY OF A SPIDER

by Doreen Cronin & illustrated by Harry Bliss ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 1, 2005

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The wriggly narrator of Diary of a Worm (2003) puts in occasional appearances, but it’s his arachnid buddy who takes center stage here, with terse, tongue-in-cheek comments on his likes (his close friend Fly, Charlotte’s Web), his dislikes (vacuums, people with big feet), nervous encounters with a huge Daddy Longlegs, his extended family—which includes a Grandpa more than willing to share hard-won wisdom (The secret to a long, happy life: “Never fall asleep in a shoe.”)—and mishaps both at spider school and on the human playground. Bliss endows his garden-dwellers with faces and the odd hat or other accessory, and creates cozy webs or burrows colorfully decorated with corks, scraps, plastic toys and other human detritus. Spider closes with the notion that we could all get along, “just like me and Fly,” if we but got to know one another. Once again, brilliantly hilarious. (Picture book. 6-8)

Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2005

ISBN: 0-06-000153-4

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Joanna Cotler/HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2005

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS

- BOOK REVIEW
LAWRENCE & SOPHIA
by Doreen Cronin ; illustrated by Brian Cronin

- BOOK REVIEW
MAMA IN THE MOON
by Doreen Cronin ; illustrated by Brian Cronin

- BOOK REVIEW
LAWRENCE & SOPHIA
by Doreen Cronin ; illustrated by Brian Cronin

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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

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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)