Review by New York Times Review
Fat Cat's sheepish grin is the running punch line in this cheerful, boldly designed picture book (in cartoony typefaces named Chaloops and Eatwell Chubby, according to the end-papers). Fun to read aloud, it would also make an effective early reader for preschoolers: "Will Fat Cat sit on ... the cow?" - here the cow emits a worried "Moo?" - "No! Fat Cat will not sit on the cow!" By the end, the cow, a pig, a dog and a chicken can be thankful to a mouse for providing a nice fat chair. GREEN AS A BEAN. By Karla Kuskin. Illustrated by Melissa Iwai. Laura Geringer/HarperCollins. $16.99. (Ages 3 to 8) "What would you be if you were green? ... Would you still be you?" Kuskin's more than 50 books of poetry and prose include many gems like that one. Originally published in 1960 under the title "Square as a House," "Green as a Bean" glows with inviting new drawings by Iwai and poses the same playful yet profound questions to get young readers thinking (and probably doodling): if you were green, square, loud or small, what would you be? JACK PLANK TELLS TALES. By Natalie Babbitt. Michael di Capua/Scholastic. $15.95. (Ages 8 and up) In her latest book, Babbitt takes an old-fashioned concept and gives it storytelling verve. Jack Plank is a sailor who loses his job on a pirate ship (he was bad at pillaging). While looking haplessly for a job in a Caribbean port town, he entertains his fellow guests at a rooming house with one tall tale after another: the mummy searching for its missing hand, the seaman who set off in search of a mermaid. There's even a story about a troll and a bridge. The earnestness of Jack's delivery adds to the charm, as do Babbitt's comical line drawings. THE WICKED NG TODDLAH. By Kevin Hawkes. Knopf. $16.99. (Ages 4 to 8) With booties as big as tractors, a giant baby lands in a small town in Maine - and quickly becomes the "wicked big toddlah" of the title. As huge as Gulliver, "Toddie" bawls in a mammoth cradle, has his diaper changed by heavy equipment and plays with the boats in the bay. The cheerful absurdity of this setup works best in the more slapstick scenes, as when Toddie helps his family during sugaring season, with a moose, an ax and Grandpa in his rocking chair all stuck to his coat with maple syrup. SOME DOG! By Mary Casanova. Illustrated by Ard Hoyt. Farrar, Straus & Giroux. $16. (Ages 3 to 6) George, a basset hound, has "a good life" - until a stray dog arrives, a top-speed, curly-haired showoff who takes over the house. Sleepy George can't compete. The new pooch, Zippity, rushes ahead to the grocery store and steals George's sleeping spot. When Zippity gets himself put out of the house in a storm, though, George proves his loyalty and big-heartedness, bringing a satisfying conclusion to his annoying predicament The parallels to an attention-grabbing younger sibling may reassure older and wiser members of the household that their places are secure. GUYAHOLIC. By Carolyn Mackler. Candlewick. $16.99. (Ages 14 and up) V lives with her grandparents in upstate New York, and as high school graduation looms she waits to see if her mother will let her down one more time. Sure enough, she does: Mom can't make it from Texas. So V begins a cross-country trip to see her, which leaves her plenty of time to ponder the meaningless relationships she's had with guys - and to realize that her boyfriend, Sam, may be something different In spite of the novel's familiar teenage trappings. Madder's unsentimental feel for how kids think and talk, and how they go about entering the grown-up world, makes V's Journey engrossing. JULIE JUST
Copyright (c) The New York Times Company [October 27, 2009]
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Fat Cat is ready to take a seat, and all the other animals firmly believe it's not a matter of "what" but rather "whom" he will choose for his resting place. Solidarity quickly breaks down-"Sit on the Pig! Sit on the Pig!" shrieks Chicken in full Furies-like mode-until Mouse gingerly broaches an alternative: "Perhaps he could sit on the chair?" Sighs of relief all around-until the animals realize it's Fat Cat's lunchtime. Thomas, in a rollicking and highly promising debut, makes this book a laugh-out-loud pas de deux between Dick-and-Jane-get-stylish typography (which goes by the evocative names of Eatwell Chubby and Chaloops) and the supremely silly visual evocation of high anxiety. Eschewing anything that smacks of a setting (except for the comfy chair to which Fat Cat is directed) she renders her barnyard characters in super-saturated colors and thick, bold outlines. Mood swings generally have a bad name these days, but Thomas makes them a hoot. Ages 3-5. (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-K-Observing the wide Cheshire grin from the front cover, readers are soon made aware that Fat Cat is getting ready to sit down. It takes only one page for them to realize that what is to come is utmost absurdity-will Fat Cat sit on a cow, a chicken, or a pig? Finally, mouse comes up with a grand idea to solve the current problem. But wait-now it is lunchtime! What will Fat Cat eat? This book could be classified as an easy reader for those who are just beginning to recognize words that sound alike and are repeated through the text, because picture clues are abundant. Yet toddlers can equally enjoy the story because of the simple yet direct question posed in the title. The cartoon illustrations are bright, basic, and expressive, with a bold outline for each character, allowing the pages to be seen by a group at storytime. The well-paced, laugh-out-loud humor ensures that this story can be enjoyed again and again.-Blair Christolon, Prince William Public Library System, Manassas, VA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
In this comic debut, Thomas has created a cat that puts Garfield to shame. With just a few, oversized words per page, the drama is clear: Where will this gargantuan cat sit? On the cow? The cow looks terrified, and he should be. The cat's head dwarfs the cow's, so it's no wonder the cow raises his hooves in a joyous "Yee-haw!" when he realizes he has been spared. The fun of the story is the interaction between the characters on the page and with the readers themselves. Lapsitters will yell out a warning and cluck and moo along with the threatened farm animals. These animals are all eyes and teeth, fearful in terror or laughing in relief. Familiar animals, repetitive text and heavily outlined page-filling graphic illustrations add up to a lot of laughs. This is a book that toddlers and new readers will reach for again and again. Shelve this near Mo Willems' Pigeon books. (Picture book. 3-6) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
