Tag: cats

Poppy Cat by Sara Acton

Poppy Cat is a copy cat.

She follows me wherever I go.

She does whatever I do.

 

A small girl shares stories of life with her loved cat, Poppy Cat. Poppy Cat follows her around and shares many of her daily activities. But each of them likes to do things by themselves too, with varying levels of success. Poppy Cat begins with early morning happiness and ends with bedtime happiness, shared with a pet. Illustrations are loose watercolours with black outline. Images sit in white space.

Poppy Cat is a gentle story of a child and her pet, the two of them learning and sharing throughout an ordinary day. The mischief Poppy Cat gets to is seen as humourous rather than troublesome and there appears to be an understanding that everyone needs time on their own. The white space in which the simple text and images are set allows the reader to make this story their own. It’s a slow-down-and-live-in-the-moment story, revelling in the simplicity of everyday. Recommended for pre- and early schoolers.

 

Poppy Cat, Sara Acton Scholastic Press 2014 ISBN: 9781743620168

review by Claire Saxby, Children’s author and bookseller

www.clairesaxby.com

Lisa Absolutely Loves Art by Sophie Norsa

Lisa and her cat Picasso watched from the café

as artists created their paintings.

One day the gallery hung all its paintings.

Their colours were like a rainbow on the wall.

Lisa took Picasso to see the pictures,

but when her back was turned

he ran away.

Lisa and her cat Picasso watched from the café

as artists created their paintings.

One day the gallery hung all its paintings.

Their colours were like a rainbow on the wall.

Lisa took Picasso to see the pictures,

but when her back was turned

he ran away.

Lisa and her cat, Picasso, watch artists at work outside the Art Gallery every day. When finally the art is framed and hung in the gallery, Lisa takes Picasso to have a closer look. But Picasso vanishes. So begins an imaginary adventure. Lisa searches through the gallery experiencing the worlds of great artists. Though she cannot see him, Picasso is present in each opening. So too is a small tortoise. Lisa walks through the work of Rousseau and Monet, van Gogh and Seurat. And finally, Lisa finds Picasso, back at the café for another treat. And then it’s time to create her own art, inspired by what she’s experienced. Illustrations fill the spreads and threaten to spill out.

Lisa Absolutely Loves Art offers young readers and artists a closer look at famous paintings. Lisa immerses herself in each page, almost accidentally in her search for her cat. She experiences the paintings with all senses, being drenched in rain, joining dancers for rehearsal in a wooden-floored hall. Even if young readers are not familiar with the paintings depicted (and there’s a list of them with images in the final pages) they will enjoy the romp through the pages. Teachers and parents may use this book as an introduction to art and artists, and young artists may be inspired to create their own masterpieces. Recommended for pre- and early-schoolers.

 

Lisa Absolutely Loves Art, Sophie Norsa New Frontier Publishing 2014 ISBN: 9781925059045

review by Claire Saxby, Children’s author and bookseller

www.clairesaxby.com

Kitten Kaboodle Mission One: The Catier Diamond by Eileen O’Hely ill Heath McKenzie

With white fur, blue eyes, and a diamond-studded, pink velvet collar, Misty wasn’t your typical alley cat. Dingy Litter Alley in the backstreets of Felcanham was the last place you’d expect to find a cat like Misty.

She padded along between the rows of rubbish bins, taking great care to keep her paws well away from the dirty puddles on the ground. And with every step she took, the feeling that she was being watched grew stronger.

A sudden noise behind Misty made her stumble. Her front paw slid into a puddle, splashing muddy droplets all over her fur.

She looked at the browny-black spots in horrow, then saw something even more frightening. From the shadows between the rubbish bins, ten yellow eyes were staring at her.

With white fur, blue eyes, and a diamond-studded, pink velvet collar, Misty wasn’t your typical alley cat. Dingy Litter Alley in the backstreets of Felcanham was the last place you’d expect to find a cat like Misty.

She padded along between the rows of rubbish bins, taking great care to keep her paws well away from the dirty puddles on the ground. And with every step she took, the feeling that she was being watched grew stronger.

A sudden noise behind Misty made her stumble. Her front paw slid into a puddle, splashing muddy droplets all over her fur.

She looked at the browny-black spots in horrow, then saw something even more frightening. From the shadows between the rubbish bins, ten yellow eyes were staring at her.

Kitten Kaboodle is a secret agent, not content with a normal cat life. He’s the go-to cat when there are mysterious disappearances. This time, it’s pedigree kittens that are vanishing and it’s up to Kitten Kaboodle, No 1 agent for CAT (Clandestine Activity Taskforce) to sort out what’s going on. He goes undercover as a pedigree kitten and allows himself to be kidnapped (kit-napped?) by DOG (Disaster Organisation Group). He discovers their dastardly plan despite nearly giving himself away with his awesomeness. There are black and white illustrations throughout giving ‘face’ to the myriad characters and breaking up the text.

‘Kitten Kaboodle Mission One: The Catier Emerald )’ shows just what your pet animals get up to when they vanish in the night. Cats work alone, mostly, and dogs act in groups. Cats are bright, dogs have grand plans but are not as smart as they think they are. Non-pedigreed and non-pampered animals are likely to be more resilient than pampered pedigrees. Lots of fun and puns wrapped up in an over-the-top mystery about a famous diamond. Young independent readers will enjoy this exploration of the secret lives of animals, which references the style of many classic whodunits. Heath McKenzie’s illustrations combine the cute and the clever in each cat, and the comic brutishness of the enthusiastic but not-so-bright dogs. Recommended for lower- to mid-primary independent readers.

 

Kitten Kaboodle Mission One: The Catier Emerald ), Eileen O’Hely ill Heath McKenzie

Walker Books Australia 2014 ISBN: 9781921529931

review by Claire Saxby, Children’s author and bookseller

www.clairesaxby.com

A New Friend for Marmalade, by Alison Reynolds & Heath McKenzie

Toby, the boy from across the road, joined in.
Ella shrugged and Maddy sighed…
Marmalade peeped out in surprise.

Ella, Maddy and Marmalade the cat love to play together, but when the boy from across the room tries to join in, he gets in the way. He knocks down cubbies and smashes sandcastles. He even pats Marmalade the wrong way. Ella and Maddy are not impressed, but Marmalade enjoys the tummy rubs. Then, when Toby’s attempts to help with a new sand castle scare Marmalade up a tree, it is Toby who has the solution.

A New Friend for Marmalade is a picture book story about friendship and acceptance. A companion book to A Year With Marmalade, it is just as beautiful as the first, and can either stand alone or be read as a sequel. The message of acceptance is gentle, and the whimsy of the resolution will appeal.

This is an exquisite picture book.

 

A New Friend for Marmalade

A New Friend for Marmalade, by Alison Reynolds & Heath McKenzie
Five Mile Press, 2014
ISBN9781743466599

 

You can see an interview with Alison here.

Ted, by Leila Rudge

Ted had been at the pet shop for as long as he could remember.
He was a smart dog with his own jumper,
and he did his best to make a good impression.
But there were so many other dogs that nobody noticed Ted.

Ted is a little dog with a big problem. he doesn’t belong – and belonging is what he most wants. So he sets off to find the perfect place. He tries the circus, but everybody cheers the circus dogs and nobody notices Ted. Similarly, Ted doesn’t succeed as a pageant dog or a guard dog. Dejected, he is about to head back to the pet store when he comes across Dot, who is looking for a furry friend who enjoys long walks and ball games. Ted does his best to get noticed by Dot – and succeeds.

Ted is an adorable picture book story about an adorable dog. He may not be suitable for any of the roles he tries, but he is a dog who will win the hearts of young, and not-so-young readers. The illustrations, using pencil and ink with touches of paper collage, have a gentle whimsy to them, with lots of detail for readers to explore and discover.

Perfect for young animal lovers.

 

Ted, by Leila Rudge
Walker Books, 2013
ISBN 9781921977503

Available from good booksellers or online.

A Year with Marmalade, by Alison Reynolds & Heath McKenzie

Reviewed by Dale Harcombe

A Year with Marmalade

This is a delightful picture book about friendship. Two girls Ella and Maddy are best friends. That is until Maddy has to go away for a year and asks Ella to take care of Marmalade, her cat. Both Marmalade, the cutest orange cat you could ever wish to see, and Ella are sad at the parting.

Anyone who has ever had a best friend who went away will be able to associate with the feelings conveyed. It made me think of a best friend who went away when I was young and I’m sure it will evoke similar memories in readers young and old.

Through the changing seasons which are beautifully depicted in text and illustrations, we see Ella’s feelings about the loss but then something starts to change. I’m not going to give the ending away by saying what that is, but let me say it is a satisfactory ending.

The text is simple and flows well with a great deal of expression and the illustrations compliment it perfectly. With its limited colour scheme the illustrations manage to convey so much and Marmalade is one of the most expressive cats I have ever seen (this from someone who is not a cat person. But Marmalade almost convinced me. )

Given the reasonable price for a charming hard cover picture book this is sure to find its way into many homes and schools and so it should.

A Year With Marmalade
Text by Alison Reynolds
Illustrations by Heath Mc Kenzie
Published by Five Mile Press
ISBN 9781742488806
Hardcover picture book $14.95

Available from good bookstores or online.

Come on Everybody, Time to Play, by Nigel Gray & Bob Graham

Sunday morning.
No school today.
Where is everybody?
It’s time to play.

Come on Everybody, Time to Play!

It’s Sunday morning, which means no school – so why is the narrator of this story the only one up? That’s not really a problem, because she’ll soon have them all moving – cats and kittens, dogs and puppies, little brothers, and even Mum and Dad, will soon be awake and part of her games.

This is a lovely family story of waking up and spending time together. Told in catchy rhyming text which encourages prediction by even very young readers, and also supports guessing of what is under the flaps on some of the spreads. Sturdy card stock and a toddler friendly size ensure this will withstand frequent loving (and reading!).

First published in 2008, and newly released.

Come on Everybody, Time to Play!, by Nigel Gray & Bob Graham
Walker Books, 2012
ISBN 9781921529528

Available in good bookstores and online.

Rainbow Street Pets, by Wendy Orr

What would you do if you lost a pet?
Where would you go if you found one?

When Lachlan has to move from the family farm to a house in the city, the only consolation he can find is that his dog Bear is going to come with him. He loves Bear more than anything else in the world – and Bear loves him, too. But on the way to the city something terrible happens – Bear gets lost. He is devastated, and after searching for days he almost gives up hope. But miracles can happen, and when Lachlan starts at his new school there is someone there who just might have seen Bear.

‘Lost Dog Bear’ is the first of six wonderful animal stories in Rainbow Street Pets. Each is self contained but all are centred about animals lost or adopted from the Rainbow Street Animal Shelter, with the result that characters – animal and human – feature across several stories. There’s the tale of a brave cat that saves its elderly owner’s life, a stolen pony and even an orphaned lion cub.

Highly readable and lots of fun, Rainbow Street Pets is a boon for young animal lovers.

Rainbow Street Pets

Rainbow Street Pets, by Wendy Orr
Allen & Unwin, 2012
ISBN 9781742379081

This book is available from all good bookstores and online from Fishpond. Buying through this link supports Aussiereviews.

Sam the Cat, by Sam Bowring & Andrew McLean

‘We never had this problem when you were a kitten,’ Jane told Sam. ‘We agreed to call you Sam right away. It was our favourite name.’
‘That’s right!’ said Ian. ‘We didn’t need to think about it at all. Maybe we should call the baby Sam, and give the cat a new name!’

Sam the cat is very happy living with his owners Jane and Ian – until Jane brings home a baby. Not only do Jae and Ian spend all their time doting on the new addition – but they also give it his name. Now Sam is expected to answer to Jack – and he’s not happy. In disgust, he takes a walk, the longest walk he’s ever taken, and before long he’s lost. Far from home. When Ian finally finds him, Sam doesn’t care wha they call him – as long as he can be home with his family.

Sam the Cat is a picture book based on the true story of how the author got his name. Trues story or not, youngsters will enjoy the idea of a cat facing an identity crisis, with echoes of the familiar story of sibling rivalry between toddlers and new babies. Illustrations, in pen, ink, watercolour and pastel, show a big-eyed ginger and white cat whose expressions evoke both sympathy and smiles.

Very cute.

Sam the Cat

Sam the Cat, by Sam Bowring & Andrew McLean
Working Title Press 2012
ISBN 9781921504297

This book is available from good bookstores or online from Fishpond.

After Cleo: Came Jonah, by Helen Brown

When her beloved cat Cleo died, Helen Brown vowed that she would never get another one -hers was a one-cat family. Cleo had come into their life when they needed healing, and seen them through some tough times – and some good ones, too.

‘If I keep writing from my heart, I think Mum was saying it could do some good – not just for me, but for other people as well. There was something really urgent about it, too. Mum and Cleo were telling me to hurry up an finish it. They don’t want me to waste time.’
The prospect of running out of time hadn’t occurred to me before. It was something I was about to confront.

When her beloved cat Cleo died, Helen Brown vowed that she would never get another one -hers was a one-cat family. Cleo had come into their life when they needed healing, and seen them through some tough times – and some good ones, too. But a friend tells her that her old cat will, one day, choose a new one for her – the cat she is meant to have. As she battles breast cancer, Helen meets a feisty kitten called Jonah and, once again, there’s a cat in the house.

Jonah is different than Cleo. He’s a highly-stung, egocentric escape artist full of energy and happy to let his family know when he’s not pleased. At times Helen wonders what she’s let herself in for. But at other times, Jonah proves to be just the medicine she – and her family – need. Jonah is there as Helen recovers from her mastectomy, writes her first book, organises her son’s wedding, and struggles with her daughte’rs desire to become a Buddhist nun.

After Cleo Came Jonah is a warm, honest and uplifting account of family life amidst challenges and joys, with special focus on the mother-daughter relationship and the impact of facing one’s own mortality. A sequel to the best selling Cleo, readers will be delighted to spend more time with Helen and her family, in this intimate , heart-warming offering.

After Cleo Came Jonah

After Cleo Came Jonah, by Cleo Brown
Allen & Unwin, 2012
ISBN 9781742377773

This book is available in good bookstores, or online from Fishpond. Buying through this link supports Aussiereviews.