Ugly Cat & Pablo

April 24, 2017
In a banter-filled odd-couple story, a mouse named Pablo and his feline friend Ugly Cat roam their neighborhood making trouble and eating street cart food (paletas are a particular favorite). Quintero (Gabi, a Girl in Pieces) also shows the pals’ softer side: they regret riding their English bulldog friend Big Mike around like a bull, and they get a chance to apologize when Big Mike rescues them during an attempted paleta theft gone awry. The friends’ keyed-up conversations, which intermingle English and Spanish, can ramble, but Ugly Cat and Pablo have abundant chemistry and personality, qualities that are further accentuated by Knight’s bold b&w cartooning. Ages 7–10. Author’s agent: Peter Steinberg, Foundry Literary + Media. Illustrator’s agent: Anne Moore Armstrong, Bright Group.

May 1, 2017

Gr 2-4-Pablo has adventure in his bones, and he knows the best way to motivate his lazy best friend, Ugly Cat, is through his stomach. Pablo convinces Ugly Cat to vamonos al parque because there is sure to be adventure and food there. They hatch a plan to scare a little girl and an ice-cream man in order to get some treats, but the best laid plans often go awry, especially when friends are thinking with their stomachs and not their hearts. In this tale of the push-and-pull of friendship, Spanish and English words are intermixed; enough context is given that those who do not read Spanish should easily understand the text. Knight's outstanding illustrations add humor and give real personality to all of the neighborhood characters. In the text, the characters are each given a distinct font for their dialogue. VERDICT A funny new series that will find an audience with fans of Nick Bruel's "Bad Kitty" and Megan McDonald's "Stink."-Stacy Dillon, LREI, New York

Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 1, 2017
Grades 2-5 Ugly Cat and Pablo are a cat-and-mouse team of best friends, and when they decide to go to the park one day, they hit the jackpot: a girl is buying their favorite foods, chicharrones and a paleta. When their plan to make the girl drop her food goes wrong, Pablo finds himself in the girl's clutches, and she plans to make him lunch for her snake! With the help of their neighbor dog Big Mike, Ugly Cat manages to get the girl to drop Pablo, but further mishaps follow. Comical illustrations accompany the text and do a good job of showing Ugly Cat and Pablo's predicaments. The author successfully includes the serious and important topic of how to properly treat a friend, through Ugly Cat and Pablo's interactions with each other and with Big Mike. Spanish words are included on every page and reflected in street and neighborhood names. Short chapters and the bold, unique text, especially when expressing dialogue, will be sure to keep the attention of young readers.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)