A beautifully written story about why Siamese cats are really Chinese cats, and why their faces, ears, paws, and tails turn darker as they grow up. Sagwa, a "pearl white kitten," lived with her parents in the House of the Foolish Magistrate. Sagwa's parents were forced by the Magistrate to write his strict, selfish rules by dipping their tails in ink. When Sagwa falls into an inkpot and walks over one of the Magistrate's Scroll of Rules — the one banning all singing — her paw marks change the meaning of the scroll so that it reads, "People must sing." When the people of the town hear the new rule, they sing in praise of the Foolish Magistrate, which warms his heart and causes him to take back all the old rules. He celebrates what Sagwa has done by opening his house to all stray cats, declaring that they shall eat as much catfish as they wish and that for ever after, "all Chinese cats shall have dark faces, ears, paws, and tails — in honor of the greatest of felines, Sagwa of China." Tan, who collaborated with Schields on her first children's book, The Moon Lady (1992), tells this charming tale perfectly, in language that is both simple and elegant. And Schields's artwork complements the text wonderfully with its traditional Chinese border decorations and colorful, well-drawn characters. (Picture book. 5-8)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 1994
ISBN: 0-02-788835-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 1994
BOOK REVIEW
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
Funny and thought provoking.
The hidden history of one of the world’s most popular pieces of furniture.
An anthropomorphized fox in a purple jacket and green pants stands on a stage, showcasing various kinds of sofas and what they’re used for: eating, sleeping, dance parties, and sliding down pillows. Just as the fox is about to provide a demonstration of that last activity, complete with a drawing, an opossum in a gray pinstriped suit emerges: “You can’t show that to children! Someone could break their neck!” Using a tape dispenser–like machine, the opossum covers up the offending image with a black censor bar. The fox continues to expose “truths” about couches: Some of them grow on farms (“Where do you think we got the term couch potato?”); they have an insatiable hunger, which leads to objects disappearing among the cushions; and some are actually aliens in disguise. The opossum is skeptical, but when a chaotic parade of couches enter the scene to prove the fox right, the opossum is forced to reconsider. This is a hilarious send-up of conspiracy theories and adults’ attempts to shelter children from the real world. Depicting elegantly attired creatures, Liniers’ muted artwork contrasts humorously with the surreal scenarios depicted. The dialogue between the fox and opossum is entertaining, but grown-ups might want to pre-read before read-alouds to avoid tripping over some phrasing (e.g., “secret elite couch enforcement squadron”).
Funny and thought provoking. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: April 23, 2024
ISBN: 9780593619131
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Putnam
Review Posted Online: Feb. 3, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2024
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