Puss-in-Boots

July 1, 1970
Lewis and Eidrigevicius here take on a more familiar tale than in their Johnny Longnose , and they give it a distinctly adult look. Lewis's translation of the Perrault classic is smooth and accessible, but Eidrigevicius's trademark surreal paintings are uniformly overcast, even murky. Though some of the illustrations are dramatic (e.g., the cat's paw extends into one frame to grab a rabbit) and others wryly amusing (a shirt forms the river that Puss's master swims in), the somber tone seems at odds with the story, in which ingenuity triumphs. This enterprise is aimed at a group far different than that addressed by the Fred Marcellino version--and one of which few children will be members. Ages 5-8.