The text is accompanied by numerous black-and-white and color illustrations by artist Peggy Bacon that artfully evoke the world of the street cat.
Showing posts with label children's books. Show all posts
Showing posts with label children's books. Show all posts
Saturday, September 19, 2009
The Cat that Jumped out of the Story
The Cat that Jumped out of the Story, by Ben Hecht
Ben Hecht, screenwriter, journalist, author of "obscene" novels - who knew he wrote children's books as well? I didn't, until I found this little volume at a used book sale. It's a charming book, about Catarinka, a black cat who came out of the moon, and who has a Great Secret, one which she is afraid other cats would find out. Her friends, the mice Itzel and Bitzel, try to discover it, but she resists. Then comes Mickey Lickey, the Worst Cat in the World, who will turn her into hash if she doesn't tell him! Catarinka, however, outsmarts him, by, well, that would be telling!
The text is accompanied by numerous black-and-white and color illustrations by artist Peggy Bacon that artfully evoke the world of the street cat.
The text is accompanied by numerous black-and-white and color illustrations by artist Peggy Bacon that artfully evoke the world of the street cat.
Labels:
Ben Hecht,
cats,
children's books,
illustrated books
Saturday, May 2, 2009
Which Puppy?
29. Which Puppy?, by Kate Feiffer, illustrations by Jules Feiffer
It's a cute idea. When word spreads that the Obamas are going to adopt a puppy, all kinds of dogs, and other animals, want to be picked, and they decide to hold a contest. But the story doesn't hold together. The contests don't make sense, and then - out of absolutely nowhere - an "ancient custom" appears. And then there are three dogs which, if put together, meet the requirements. It's confusing.
The pictures are just okay. One of the fun things about children's books is that, often, there are surprises in the pictures, things to look for, particularly when there are "crowd" scenes. But there's nothing like that here. Just piles of dogs. Not that piles of dogs can't be cute, but it got a bit repetitious. I have to say, though, that the picture of the three dogs peering into the windows of the White House tugged at my heartstrings a bit. But then I can't read Mutts' Shelter Stories without wanting to dash off to the SPCA!
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