The Cats on Ben Yehuda Street

February 18, 2013
neighbors becoming friends takes place in contemporary Tel Aviv. There are shades of Cynthia Rylant's Mr. Putter & Tabby books as fishmonger Mr. Modiano brings fish to Mrs. Spiegel every day, with instructions that it is for her, not for her cats, Ketzie and Gatito. She's a cat lover; he is not. Every day, Mrs. Spiegel offers tea to Mr. Modiano, who declines. Then she feeds the fish to her cats. One day, Ketzie goes missing. The story unfolds with gentle humor and the suggestion of deeper feeling behind each scene. Carabelli (A Witch in a Fix) creates expressive humans and felines in scenes of daily lifeâin the hall of an apartment building, on the beach, in a cafeâusing pastel colors to evoke Israel's sun and sea, with splashes of primary colors on people's clothes and lips. Mr. Modiano's white hair and moustache practically have lives of their own, and the cats have extralong tails, whimsical details that emphasize character. The patterns, shading, and textures on each page offer additional visual interest in this light and charming tale. Ages 3â8. Agent: Brenda Bowen, Sanford J. Greenburger Associates.

May 1, 2013

PreS-Gr 2-Mr. Modiano, owner of the Tel Aviv Fish Palace, is not a fan of the cats living up and down Ben Yehuda Street. He finds them "messy, meowing, and useless." He also has no use for the felines on the cushion outside the apartment of his neighbor, Mrs. Spiegel, even though they are the recipients of his nightly gift of leftover fish. Mrs. Spiegel, however, loves little gray Ketzie with a pink collar and big white Gatito with no collar at all. But only Ketzie is allowed to sleep indoors due to a "Just One Cat" rule in their building. All this background leads to a quickly dealt with plot in which Ketzie disappears only to be found by Mr. Modiano, who then invites Gatito inside to be his very own cat, new blue collar and all. The mixed-media illustrations give more personality to the cats than the humans, though the Hebrew lettering on signs and labels is a nice touch. While the story is slight, it has a pleasing message about opening one's heart (and door) to friendship. An additional purchase for large collections.-Martha Link Yesowitch, Charlotte Mecklenburg Library, NC

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