Children's Book Double Header
Title: Curious Cats in Art and Poetry
Editor: William Lach
Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Publication Year: 1999
ISBN: 9780689830556
Rating: 5 stars
Title: Little Night Cat
Author and Illustrator: Sonja Danowski
Publisher: North South Books Inc.
Publication Year: 2016
ISBN: 9780735842663
Rating: 5 stars
I haven’t done a picture book review before, so I thought I’d do two together since they are thematically linked. A friend recently recommended both of these books to me and they were delightful reads, even to an adult.
Curious Cats in Art and Poetry was a compilation of cat related poems and cat related art from The Metropolitan Museum of Art. The Met is one of my favorite places in the entire world, so I knew this book would be good. The poems and art span history and the globe. While it’s too short to include art or poetry from everywhere, I do think the selections are pretty diverse for so few selections. William Lach, the editor, did a great job pairing the art to the poetry and it seems like the art was always meant to be seen along with these poems. I thought the poetry was great, and some of the poems and poets I hadn’t read before. I also really enjoyed getting to see all the different portrayals of cats in art over human history. From pets to big cats, they are all depicted. It’s clear that humans have always loved our cats. The book does include a detail drawing of Henri-Julien-Félix Rousseau (le Douanier)’s The Repast of the Lion juxtaposed with Langston Hughes’s “A Lion.” I think the painting pairs well with the poem, but the detail of the painting is of a lion eating either a cheetah or a leopard and it’s a bloody scene. Like I said, it fits with the feeling behind “A Lion,” but it might be a bit much for a children’s book.
Little Night Cat is a story about a boy named Tony who donates all of his stuffed animals to an auction at the animal shelter to help raise money for the shelter. While visiting the shelter to donate his toys, Tony connects with a shy cat named Valentine who is a resident of the shelter. Tony sings Valentine a song he wrote called “Little Night Cat.” Later that night, Tony is struggling to sleep without his stuffed animals. His mom gives him Paul, her stuffed cat from her childhood. Tony falls in love with Paul. The next day, Tony makes his mom promise not to leave Paul at home alone, but is disappointed to find that Paul isn’t with her when Tony’s mom comes to pick him up after school. He reminds her of her promise and she shares that she didn’t break her promise and that Paul isn’t alone at home. It turns out that Tony’s mom had returned to the shelter and adopted Valentine! Tony and Valentine quickly form a deep bond until one night when Valentine accidentally gets out and runs away. Tony is worried about Valentine and sits on the balcony singing “Little Night Cat.” The sounds of the song bring Valentine home and the reader is left to assume that everyone lives happily ever after. I’m not going to lie. I teared up reading this book. It’s a sweet story that anyone who has loved a cat can relate to. The really remarkable thing about this book though is not the story, but the illustrations. The illustrations are beautiful. They are photorealistic and extremely detailed. They tell the story so completely that I’m not sure the words are even needed.
Both of these books were extremely enjoyable. They are great for young readers, but can be fun for the whole family.