Catfish Kate and the Sweet Swamp Band

May 11, 2009
Rocking out on her banjo, the bodacious Catfish Kate gradually adds members to her band (“Hum strum/ rattle-rattle/ tootle-ootle croon/ scritch-scratch/ zing zang/ underneath the moon”). But conflict arises when the girls' music interrupts the quiet that Skink and his Skunktail Boys need for reading. Smith (See How They Run
) adds plenty of comical visual details to his cartoonlike illustrations of the swampy nocturnal setting—flashlights attached to branches allow the skink and skunks to read, while band member Spider hangs by a thread to “scritch-scratch” a record. The rhythm of the narrative stumbles briefly when Weeks (Bunny Fun
) sets up the feud, which escalates until “Kate said, 'WAIT! There has to be a way/ for you to have your quiet, while we still get to play./ We have to find a compromise
,/ that's what we need to do.' ” A skunk asks, “What's a compromise?” but Weeks defines the term only by example—cattail fluff as earplugs lets the two groups coexist peaceably. Weeks's morality tale has bounce, but kids may remain confused about what a compromise entails (besides plugging one's ears). Ages 4–8.

May 1, 2009
PreS-Gr 3-"Hum strum/rattle-rattle/tootle-ootle croon./Sweet swamp music underneath the moon." Catfish Kate is playing her banjo with her friends Snake, Newt, and Skeeter, but Skink and his Skunktail Boys complain. They have come to the swamp to read and they want QUIET! When the two arguing groups reach an impasse, Kate calls her girl band away to search for a compromise. The Skunktail Boys think they've won but wait! Kate has an ace up her sleeve, and all ends well: "Happily ever after/underneath the moon." The text is short and rhythmic with many noisy sounds, and the colorful cartoon illustrations burst with lively motion. Although there are various other "band" picture books, some also with onomatopoeic sounds, this rhyming romp emphasizes the importance of compromise. It would be a good jumping-off point for a discussion on conflict resolution as well as just a fun read-aloud."Judith Constantinides, formerly at East Baton Rouge Parish Main Library, LA"

Copyright 2009 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 15, 2009
Preschool-G Catfish Kate hums and strums a guitar when along come a newt, snake, gator, skeeter, and spider to play in the Sweet Swamp Band: Hum strum / rattle-rattle / tootle-ootle croon / scritch-scratch / zing zang / underneath the moon. This jazzy onomatopoeia is ripe for choral reading. The boys of the swamp arent so keen on the noise of the all-girl band, though: in a nice reversal of gender stereotypes, theyd rather sit quietly and read. The escalating war plays out in rhyming couplets until the sparring parties reach a common ground. The resolution, though, in which the girls suggest that the boys stuff cattail fuzz in their ears, is weak at best. Lively, spirited illustrations of cartoon animals bounce across the pages, complementing the high energy of the text. Wordplay helps add humor to the illustrations, as the skunk boys read the Daily Scent and Stinkerbelle. Teachers and librarians will appreciate the nonpreachy way in which the message of compromisea hard-learned lesson for most childrenis delivered here.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)