This collage adaptation of the old tale is alive with texture. Hand-stamped patterned paper, weathered fabric, and various solid whites and off-whites are combined with scribbled pencil and swirling paint to create illustrations that are compelling and pleasantly busy. Dramatic changes of scale (showing both geographical distance and physical power) and the characters’ ever-changing positions and postures make every picture unique. Puss herself is cut from worn, striped fabric and sports an ornamented coat and huge black boots. Initially an inheritance that her master finds disappointing, Puss quickly becomes the main character. With prowess and ingenuity both feline and human, she cleverly brings her master from a state of poverty into a state of wealth, love, and joy. This version is gentler than many others: peasants are promised rewards (rather than threatened) when Puss needs their help in her scheme, and tiny smiles appear on almost every page. Even the ogre is fairly mild-mannered compared to many fairy-tale monsters. However, somewhere underneath the mildness is depth, made up of Puss’s intelligence and power and the complexity of the illustrations. The unusual variety of texture and pattern invites slow or repeated perusal, but the quickly moving plot will also support group readings. The simple text, sometimes subtly funny, is a perfect match for both story and pictures. This playful and rich adaptation, complete with a heroine who is male in most versions, is fresh and full of energy. (Picture book/fairy tale. 3-5)
Pub Date: March 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-8019-4368-9
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Abrams
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2002
Bogacki's second book about two friends (Cat and Mouse, 1996) is a charming glass-half-empty/glass-half-full story. From their respective homes, the little mouse and the little cat want to go out to the meadow to play with each other, but their siblings warn them that it might rain. The two friends meet anyway, and thanks to an optimistic frog, the pair learn how to play in the drizzle. The text and illustrations shine in their simplicity; Bogacki's lines recreate rain and grass, and give the characters furry appeal. The circle of tolerance grows in this entry: During a second day of rain, all the little cats, all the little mice, and all the little frogs frolic together. (Picture book. 3-5)
Pub Date: Aug. 1, 1997
ISBN: 0-374-31189-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 1997
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Roslyn Rutabaga wakes up one morning with a grand plan: She wants to dig the Biggest Hole on Earth. Maybe it will even lead to the South Pole! She crunches down her carrot flakes and sets to work. But before she digs very far, an angry worm pops up and yells at her for digging up his front yard. Then she accidentally wakes a grouchy mole from his slumber. And finally, just when she thinks she’s found a Triceratops’s big-toe bone, a grumbling dog comes and snatches his dinner away. Roslyn flops back into the hole, defeated. She’s never going to meet a penguin now. But then her dad walks by and marvels at her work. The hole may not have reached the South Pole, but it does happen to be the perfect place for a picnic! With smudgy brown dirt flying and bits of carrots, leaves, boots and bugs (and at one point suggestive Chinese characters) strewn about in Gay’s torn-paper–and–mixed-media renderings, readers will find much to relish in the illustrations. Roslyn Rutabaga is one darned determined—and adorable—bunny. (Picture book. 3-5)
Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-0-88899-994-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Groundwood
Review Posted Online: June 28, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2010
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