THE THREE LITTLE PUGS AND THE BIG BAD CAT

bookshelf

THE THREE LITTLE PUGS AND THE BIG BAD CAT

Name: THE THREE LITTLE PUGS AND THE BIG BAD CAT
Author: Becky Davies
ISBN: 978-1-6801-0043-2

by Becky Davies ; illustrated by Caroline Attia ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 1, 2017

Children who are familiar with the traditional story will find this a fresh, funny alternative.

bookshelf

The traditional story of “The Three Little Pigs” is recast with pug puppies instead of pigs and a malevolent, white cat in the role of the Big, Bad Wolf.

Digitally composed illustrations use photographs of the appealing pugs imposed on illustrated backgrounds, using a contemporary palette of pastel shades and effective use of white space. The Big, Bad Cat accessorizes with magenta 10-gallon hat and boots, and her outsized personality is conveyed both through her ferocious appearance and apt textual descriptions: “What a sight! Sharp, scratchy claws, a terrible twitching tail, and mean beady eyes.” The pugs, Bubbles (straw house), Bandit (stick house), and Beauty (brick house), set off to build their own homes, carrying backpacks of food that entrance the cat. She uses a hair dryer to blow down the straw house, a leaf blower to destroy the house built of sticks, and a huge fan and a jumbo jet to attack the sturdy brick house. The action concludes when the cat’s owner calls her home, followed by the surprise introduction of new additions to the cat’s family home—three familiar pug puppies. The book’s design includes speech balloons and display type integrated into the text for emphasis, as in the curlicue typeface chosen for the cat’s owner’s doting blandishments. The pugs are undeniably appealing with their worried facial expressions, and the cat is crafty and amusing rather than truly scary.

Children who are familiar with the traditional story will find this a fresh, funny alternative. (Picture book. 4-8)

Pub Date: March 1, 2017

ISBN: 978-1-6801-0043-2

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Tiger Tales

Review Posted Online: Dec. 20, 2016

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2017

- BOOK REVIEW
HOW TO MAKE A BOOK
by Becky Davies ; illustrated by Patricia Hu

- BOOK REVIEW
CITIES OF THE WORLD
by Becky Davies ; illustrated by Josie Portillo

- BOOK REVIEW
I LOVE YOU MORE THAN ALL THE STARS
by Becky Davies ; illustrated by Dana Brown

bookshelf

WHY A DAUGHTER NEEDS A MOM

by Gregory R. Lange ; illustrated by Sydney Hanson ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 1, 2019

New parents of daughters will eat these up and perhaps pass on the lessons learned.

bookshelf

All the reasons why a daughter needs a mother.

Each spread features an adorable cartoon animal parent-child pair on the recto opposite a rhyming verse: “I’ll always support you in giving your all / in every endeavor, the big and the small, / and be there to catch you in case you should fall. / I hope you believe this is true.” A virtually identical book, Why a Daughter Needs a Dad, publishes simultaneously. Both address standing up for yourself and your values, laughing to ease troubles, being thankful, valuing friendship, persevering and dreaming big, being truthful, thinking through decisions, and being open to differences, among other topics. Though the sentiments/life lessons here and in the companion title are heartfelt and important, there are much better ways to deliver them. These books are likely to go right over children’s heads and developmental levels (especially with the rather advanced vocabulary); their parents are the more likely audience, and for them, the books provide some coaching in what kids need to hear. The two books are largely interchangeable, especially since there are so few references to mom or dad, but one spread in each book reverts to stereotype: Dad balances the two-wheeler, and mom helps with clothing and hair styles. Since the books are separate, it aids in customization for many families.

New parents of daughters will eat these up and perhaps pass on the lessons learned. (Picture book. 4-8, adult)

Pub Date: May 1, 2019

ISBN: 978-1-4926-6781-0

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky

Review Posted Online: March 16, 2019

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2019

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES | CHILDREN'S FAMILY | CHILDREN'S HOLIDAYS & CELEBRATIONS

PETE THE CAT'S 12 GROOVY DAYS OF CHRISTMAS

bookshelf

PETE THE CAT'S 12 GROOVY DAYS OF CHRISTMAS

by James Dean ; illustrated by James Dean ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 18, 2018

Pete’s fans might find it groovy; anyone else has plenty of other “12 Days of Christmas” variants to choose among

bookshelf

Pete, the cat who couldn’t care less, celebrates Christmas with his inimitable lassitude.

If it weren’t part of the title and repeated on every other page, readers unfamiliar with Pete’s shtick might have a hard time arriving at “groovy” to describe his Christmas celebration, as the expressionless cat displays not a hint of groove in Dean’s now-trademark illustrations. Nor does Pete have a great sense of scansion: “On the first day of Christmas, / Pete gave to me… / A road trip to the sea. / GROOVY!” The cat is shown at the wheel of a yellow microbus strung with garland and lights and with a star-topped tree tied to its roof. On the second day of Christmas Pete gives “me” (here depicted as a gray squirrel who gets on the bus) “2 fuzzy gloves, and a road trip to the sea. / GROOVY!” On the third day, he gives “me” (now a white cat who joins Pete and the squirrel) “3 yummy cupcakes,” etc. The “me” mentioned in the lyrics changes from day to day and gift to gift, with “4 far-out surfboards” (a frog), “5 onion rings” (crocodile), and “6 skateboards rolling” (a yellow bird that shares its skateboards with the white cat, the squirrel, the frog, and the crocodile while Pete drives on). Gifts and animals pile on until the microbus finally arrives at the seaside and readers are told yet again that it’s all “GROOVY!”

Pete’s fans might find it groovy; anyone else has plenty of other “12 Days of Christmas” variants to choose among . (Picture book. 4-8)