Someday When My Cat Can Talk

March 1, 2008
K-Gr 2-In simple rhyming text, a girl contemplates all that she will learn once her cat can talk to her. She knows that he wanders, and that he has secrets to share. She imagines him visiting faraway places, where he will witness local customs and answer burning questions, such as why the birds eat crumbs in San Marco Square, or if British cats do indeed drink tea. The girl may be an afterthought as her cat travels, but what he knows and internalizes is front and center in her mind. Brooker's illustrations, rendered in collage and oil paint, have the look and feel of a scrapbook. They fill the pages and are as big and bold as the girl's imagination. Maps on the endpapers show the imagined European voyages of the cat. "The Facts Behind the Story" presents some tidbits about some of the locales, but they seem unnecessary after such a fanciful journey. Rather, the book should be enjoyed as the whimsical daydream that it is."Kara Schaff Dean, Walpole Public Library, MA"

Copyright 2008 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 15, 2008
A young girl imagines the secret adventures of her tight-lippedkitty companion, including stowing away on an ocean liner, bound for the cultural delights of Europe. No ordinary tourist, the felicitous feline dines on mouse at Buckingham Palace, models on the catwalks of Paris, and hobnobs backstage at Viennas grand Opera House before returning home to the Nantucket shore.Offering a story that will inspirewanderlust in the littlest travelers, Lazoprovides acharming rhyming text, but readers might want to make a preliminary run-through as some of the chosen pronunciations of French locales can cause stumbles. Brookerssophisticated collage illustrations, incorporating brocade textiles and wallpaper, pearls, and other frills and finery, invite readers to explore each scene for the various treasures found within. Endpapersdisplay a map of the felines travels, and a brief authors note provides some background history and detail about each stopover.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2008, American Library Association.)