Fri, 02 Jul 2010 10:31:41 GMT
I Don't Want a Cool Cat Reviews
I Don't Want a Cool Cat by Emma Dodd has been receiving some fantastic reviews from across the pond in America.
Check out what the U.S has been saying about I Don't Want a Cool Cat below:
School Library Journal:
Cats may have a reputation for being finicky, but there’s not a feline in this book that’s as fussy as the little girl telling the story, a companion to I Don’t Want a Posh Dog! In fluid rhyming text she turns down a cool cat, a stuffy cat, a greedy cat, and a prize cat. The cat she wants has one important feature–it’s a cat she can call her own.
Pedigree and distinction cannot measure up to affection, and the one she chooses is just what anyone would want. There is no shortage of charm or humor in this book, exhibited by the artwork. Dodd uses solid colors and heavy outlines to distinguish figures against pastel-colored pages devoid of all background.
The illustrations are all on spreads that make full use of the oversize space, even when they hardly take up any of it, as in the case of the “slinky, dinky, twinky cat,” whose inability to fill a page personifies its inability to meet the girl’s desires. Playful and jubilant, this book for cat connoisseurs will work well as a read-a-loud and for emerging readers who like to have fun with sounds and words.
Kirkus:
It’s definitely been done before—by the author herself (I Don’t Want a Posh Dog, 2009) as well as by myriad others who’ve created their own takes on “why my pet’s the best.” Still, this rhyming litany of all the characteristics the unnamed narrator is not looking for in a cat seems likely to find an enthusiastic audience.
The attractive, inventive illustrations have a cartoon-style simplicity but include enough detail and variety to make repeat readings enjoyable. The depiction of the narrator, a young girl with a button nose, bowl haircut and red dress and shoes, remains constant throughout, providing continuity and connection. From the low-key humor of the double-page spread that features a large, chops-licking tiger (“I don’t want a big cat”) to the engaging internal rhyme of, “I don’t want a prowly cat. / A howly, yowly, scowly cat,” to the “purry” happy ending, there’s plenty for young listeners and adult readers to enjoy.
For those who don’t want a dull book, never fear—Dodd's latest is picture- (and pitch-) perfect.
