Review by Booklist Review
In Claude Monet's studio sleeps a china cat named Chika. When the artist taps her three times with his paintbrush, she comes alive. After stretching, she slips away, looking for adventure. The portly painter follows and spots her within one of his paintings on the wall. Stepping through the frame into The Luncheon, he chases the cat, but she quickly reappears in the next painting, The Gare Saint-Lazare. Monet sees her on the train bound for Trouville, where he catches up with her at the seaside. In the end, they share a peaceful moment on the bridge overlooking the pond at Giverny, until Chika leaps toward a frog below and ends up very wet. Inspired by an actual clay cat in Monet's studio, the story serves as a child-friendly introduction to the artist and some of his most famous paintings. The chase narrative provides a loose framework for action, while the breezy, mixed-media artwork creates a series of lively, well-imagined scenes. Find-the-cat fans will enjoy their searches for Chika within the illustrations of this pleasing book.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
This gentle fantasy's premise hinges on an actual porcelain cat figurine that Claude Monet (1840--1926) owned (an afterword includes a photo). In Murray's imagination, it becomes Chika, a "magic cat... made of delicate pottery" who comes to life when "Monet tapped her three times with his paintbrush." As cats do, Chika immediately gets into things--in this case, Monet's paintings, where she wreaks havoc. He chases her through four well-known works, clambering through a picnic, a train station, and a day at the beach until both end up tumbled into the famous water lily pond. It's a device that brings the paintings to life, aided by Cameron's winsome drawings of the portly artist and sleek little white cat within affable pastiches of Monet's paintings. In a final spread, reproductions framed like works on the artist's wall reveal a glimpse of Monet's visual genius. An amusing wander through Monet's world. Ages 3--7. (Aug.)
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Review by School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 3--A charming picture book imagines what would happen if a Monet had had a magical pottery cat that could jump between paintings. Monet taps the cat with his paintbrush, allowing the creature to come to life. It's a bit mischievous, so it darts into a nearby painting, followed by Monet, and off they go, on a chase through the artworks. Each famous painting is described in detail and represented in the book's watercolors carefully enough that people who are familiar with Monet's art will recognize them easily. The story describes bits of historical France, which may send readers to do further research on the subject; an author's note tells of the real pottery cat and what happened to it. VERDICT Art educators may find this book useful, as will families preparing for a museum visit.--Debbie Tanner, S D Spady Montessori Elem., FL
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
Chika, a white ceramic cat in Claude Monet's Giverny house, comes to life and leads the painter on a merry chase through four of his paintings. When Monet taps the cat three times, the frolicsome feline jumps off her green pillow and enters The Luncheon. Monet clambers in after her. Taking time to sip milk from a teacup and eat some crusty bread, she saunters through the painted garden just ahead of Monet, escaping by jumping out of this bucolic scene and entering The Gare Saint-Lazare. The portly painter finds himself on the ground in this painting, searching for Chika. Kids will spot her amid the crowds, the steam, and the trains, and then find her in a train window, leaving the station. Chika and the painter visit two more paintings, The Boardwalk on the Beach at Trouville, and one of his iconic water-lily paintings.The silliness of the rather elderly White man in blue suit and straw hat climbing in and out of paintings and the cat's amusing interactions with the painted characters and landscapes will keep readers chuckling while they get a taste of the famous French impressionist's oeuvre. The textured brush strokes of the original oils are in evidence while the artist and his cat are rendered in looser, cartoony illustrations that stand out from the paintings. An afterword provides facts about the actual ceramic cat. For a more detailed look at the painter's methods, read Barb Rosenstock and Mary GrandPré's Mornings With Monet (2021). (This book was reviewed digitally.) A delightful introduction to a famous artist for young cat fanciers and art lovers alike. (afterword) (Picture book. 5-7) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
