Marigold Finds the Magic Words

June 1, 2017

PreS-Gr 2-Marigold is not your average orange cat. Not only is he very clean but he's also extremely well organized. Unlike most people, Marigold loves Mondays. Mondays are for baking. When Marigold bakes, he can't have any visitors or distractions. Instead, he spends time sorting through his recipes to find the best one before getting down to work. Everything begins according to plan. Marigold adds egg whites...easy. He pours in a cup of milk...peasy. He adds the juice of a lemon...squeezy. Then, he sprinkles in a pinch of...finch? That's when things start to go bad. As soon as Marigold thinks he has ushered one bird out, others show up ready to help. Soon, the cat has a messy kitchen, plenty of birds, and no cake. As a frustrated Marigold heads out for a calming walk, the birds decide to take matters into their own hands. This book contains the perfect recipe for fun. The birds are added in cumulative order (one finch, two pigeons, three loons) and equipped with aprons and chef hats. The avian characters are revealed in rhyme ("a smidgen...of pigeons, three tablespoons...of loons"), which makes the story even more amusing to read aloud. The watercolor illustrations are impeccable. The detailed scenery doesn't take away from the main characters. Marigold's expressions are well depicted as he goes from mild-mannered cat to puff-tailed wild animal, and children will enjoy his solution to the problem. VERDICT This humorous book would be ideal for a storytime reading.-Barbara Spiri, Southborough Library, MA

Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 1, 2017
A pinch of finch? A smidgen of pigeon? Marigold the persnickety perfectionist pussycat knows what his cake doesn't need--a kitchen filled with toque-headed birdbrains.But despite best-laid plans (Monday is, after all, baking day), the marmalade cat's inner sanctum gradually calls to mind Mel Brooks' version of Hitchcock. When a trio of loons materializes, Marigold loses it. Fangs bared, claws extended, and fur spiked, Marigold explodes in a "full-on feline frenzy!" Throughout the mad apron-slinging and -flinging, the birds remain laughingly unflappable--well, they do flap, but their grins remain in place. Tossing in the towel, he abandons the culinary chaos and stomps from the house. Malbrough's sprightly illustrations chronicle the comic progression from Marigold's serene satisfaction to his Vesuvian outbursts. The birds' reactions are perfect foils to Marigold's devolution from erudite to feral. The sharply focused watercolors against the crisp white background are as successful as the economic text in setting up Marigold for epic failure. The escalating tension raises expectations of a rousing payoff. To the detriment of the well-developed storyline and lively language, Malbrough appears to vacillate between wanting to develop a mentoring/teaching partnership between Marigold and his avian interlopers and fueling the traditional adversarial cat-bird relationship. Even taking into consideration the anemic finale, the joy evident in Marigold's meticulous attention to his confectionery creations may be enough to satisfy young pastry chefs-in-the-making. (Picture book. 3-7)

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May 22, 2017
It’s Monday, and that means a no-interruptions baking day for Marigold, a persnickety marmalade cat. He sets his sights on making a cake “that was absolutely fur-shreddingly fabulous,” but his plans are thwarted by the arrival of several birds—first a finch and, eventually, a gang of loons. The birds wear tiny chef’s toques, and though they don’t speak a word, their beady eyes and eager beaks make it clear that they want in on the action. Will it be The Great British Baking Show or Tweety vs. Sylvester? Debut talent Malbrough celebrates the act of culinary creation and the joy of being absorbed in a personal passion—and, like the best desserts, he doesn’t let his story get too sweet. In one of many lovely watercolor spreads, Marigold blends glossy curls of shaved chocolate and a ribbon of molasses into the batter; in another, he studies the instructions for fondant, one paw perched on his chin, the other absentmindedly scratching his head. Doing what one loves, Malbrough shows, makes it possible to transcend even the basest instincts—such as eating one’s visitors. Ages 3–7. Agent: Lori Kilkelly, Rodeen Literary Management.