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THE VERY FLUFFY KITTY, PAPILLON

Name: THE VERY FLUFFY KITTY, PAPILLON
Author: A.N. Kang
ISBN: 978-1-4847-1798-1

From the Papillon series

by A.N. Kang ; illustrated by A.N. Kang ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 6, 2016

Puffy Papillon’s the most charming puss to pop up in years! (Picture book. 3-8)

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Fluffy kitty Papillon is lighter than air!

Papillon may be big, but that really is just his fur. He literally floats around the house, causing Miss Tilly to worry that he’ll be blown away. She tries to weigh him down with his favorite treats (doughnuts, fish, pizza, spaghetti); it doesn’t work. Then she happens upon the idea of holding him down with clothes…and gets a bit overzealous with the costumes. One day, Papillon refuses even to wear an eye patch—and on seeing a bird through the open window, he floats after it and does indeed get lost. It turns out that no one in the wild is as nice as Miss Tilly. Papillon wants to go home, but he doesn’t know the way. Thankfully, his new bird friend does. Miss Tilly is overjoyed to see her wayward floating feline…and the tiny vermillion bird on Papillon’s head gives her the perfect idea for keeping him grounded. Kang’s debut is an irresistible tale of an independent kitty who discovers home is best (especially when shared with a friend). Expressive Papillon soars across the muted, often monochromatic illustrations with pluck and aplomb, soft-edged pencils evoking his fluff and bright spots of red making the bird easy to find. Youngsters will be carried away by his obvious personality and beg for more. The page that depicts disgruntled Papillon in his costumes is worth the price of admission alone.

Puffy Papillon’s the most charming puss to pop up in years! (Picture book. 3-8)

Pub Date: Sept. 6, 2016

ISBN: 978-1-4847-1798-1

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Disney-Hyperion

Review Posted Online: May 13, 2016

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2016

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ACTION & ADVENTURE FICTION | CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S SCIENCE FICTION & FANTASY

- BOOK REVIEW
I WORKED HARD ON THAT!
by Robyn Wall ; illustrated by A.N. Kang

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THE CHRISTMASSY CACTUS
by Beth Ferry ; illustrated by A.N. Kang

- BOOK REVIEW
STARLA JEAN CRACKS THE CASE
by Elana K. Arnold ; illustrated by A.N. Kang

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CARPENTER'S HELPER

by Sybil Rosen ; illustrated by Camille Garoche ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 16, 2021

Renata’s wren encounter proves magical, one most children could only wish to experience outside of this lovely story.

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A home-renovation project is interrupted by a family of wrens, allowing a young girl an up-close glimpse of nature.

Renata and her father enjoy working on upgrading their bathroom, installing a clawfoot bathtub, and cutting a space for a new window. One warm night, after Papi leaves the window space open, two wrens begin making a nest in the bathroom. Rather than seeing it as an unfortunate delay of their project, Renata and Papi decide to let the avian carpenters continue their work. Renata witnesses the birth of four chicks as their rosy eggs split open “like coats that are suddenly too small.” Renata finds at a crucial moment that she can help the chicks learn to fly, even with the bittersweet knowledge that it will only hasten their exits from her life. Rosen uses lively language and well-chosen details to move the story of the baby birds forward. The text suggests the strong bond built by this Afro-Latinx father and daughter with their ongoing project without needing to point it out explicitly, a light touch in a picture book full of delicate, well-drawn moments and precise wording. Garoche’s drawings are impressively detailed, from the nest’s many small bits to the developing first feathers on the chicks and the wall smudges and exposed wiring of the renovation. (This book was reviewed digitally with 10-by-20-inch double-page spreads viewed at actual size.)

Renata’s wren encounter proves magical, one most children could only wish to experience outside of this lovely story. (Picture book. 3-7)

Pub Date: March 16, 2021

ISBN: 978-0-593-12320-1

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Schwartz & Wade/Random

Review Posted Online: Jan. 12, 2021

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2021

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES | CHILDREN'S FAMILY

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HOW TO CATCH A MONSTER

From the How To Catch… series

by Adam Wallace ; illustrated by Andy Elkerton ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 1, 2017

Only for dedicated fans of the series.

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When a kid gets the part of the ninja master in the school play, it finally seems to be the right time to tackle the closet monster.

“I spot my monster right away. / He’s practicing his ROAR. / He almost scares me half to death, / but I won’t be scared anymore!” The monster is a large, fluffy poison-green beast with blue hands and feet and face and a fluffy blue-and-green–striped tail. The kid employs a “bag of tricks” to try to catch the monster: in it are a giant wind-up shark, two cans of silly string, and an elaborate cage-and-robot trap. This last works, but with an unexpected result: the monster looks sad. Turns out he was only scaring the boy to wake him up so they could be friends. The monster greets the boy in the usual monster way: he “rips a massive FART!!” that smells like strawberries and lime, and then they go to the monster’s house to meet his parents and play. The final two spreads show the duo getting ready for bed, which is a rather anticlimactic end to what has otherwise been a rambunctious tale. Elkerton’s bright illustrations have a TV-cartoon aesthetic, and his playful beast is never scary. The narrator is depicted with black eyes and hair and pale skin. Wallace’s limping verses are uninspired at best, and the scansion and meter are frequently off.

Only for dedicated fans of the series. (Picture book. 5-8)