Cat Talk

by Patricia MacLachlan, Barry Moser (Illustrator), Emily MacLachlan Charest

Overview

From cuddler to troublemaker, kitten to tom, cats have a lot to say. Authors Patricia MacLachlan and Emily MacLachlan Charest and illustrator Barry Moser give voice to and celebrate our most opinionated furry friends in this spirited collection of poems filled with rich language, perfect for reading aloud. Cat Talk is sure to make readers wonder what their own four-legged friends have to say.

Supports the Common Core State Standards

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780060279790
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	03/19/2013
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	8.70(w) x 11.10(h) x 0.50(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Patricia MacLachlan (1938-2022) was the celebrated author of many timeless books for young readers, including Sarah, Plain and Tall, winner of the Newbery Medal. She was also the author of many beloved picture books, a number of which she cowrote with her daughter, Emily.

Barry Moser is the prizewinning illustrator and designer of more than three hundred books for children and adults. He is widely celebrated for his dramatic wood engravings for the only twentieth-century edition of the entire King James Bible illustrated by a single artist. He lives in western Massachusetts.

Emily MacLachlan Charest lives with her husband, her children, Sofia and Nicholas, two dogs, and one oversized cat, Romeo, who thinks he's a dog. She works with young children. She is the coauthor of Bittle, Painting the Wind, Once I Ate a Pie, and other books. She lives in Massachusetts.

Editorial Reviews

Beautifully rendered...this will no doubt find enthusiastic fans of all ages.” — Kirkus Reviews

“Eclectic and engaging....A treat for cat lovers of all ages.” — Publishers Weekly

“Abounding with feline attitude...This is a delight for youngsters who are owned by cats, a natural for pet-day celebrations, and a strong choice for classroom sharing and discussions of poetic points of view.” — School Library Journal

“These [poems] are appealing to read aloud and engaging to read alone, and they’ll provide plenty of inspiration for kids to write odes to their own kitties.” — Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

From the Publisher

These [poems] are appealing to read aloud and engaging to read alone, and they’ll provide plenty of inspiration for kids to write odes to their own kitties.

Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

These [poems] are appealing to read aloud and engaging to read alone, and they’ll provide plenty of inspiration for kids to write odes to their own kitties.

Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

As they did previously for dogs (Once I Ate a Pie, illustrated by Katy Schneider, 2006), MacLachlan and Charest give voice to a collection of charming pets beautifully rendered by veteran illustrator Moser. In 13 poems, each on a double-page spread, 16 cats (and one mouse) are lovingly described. Cat fanciers will immediately recognize the personalities of these particular pussycats. From the straightforward revelation of the delightfully outsized ego of Princess Sheba Darling, who declares "I love me," to affectionate Romeo's embrace of everyone and everything, to the wary, unwilling domestication of torn-eared Tough Tom, the poems speak in the cats' voices. That they also manage with only a few words to create specific situations, sometimes even including a bit of a back story, is what makes these poems true portraits rather than the cute caricatures that sometimes inhabit collections like this one. Moser's watercolor illustrations, of course, contribute significantly to the overall quality. Majestic, maternal, suspicious, playful or placid, each cat is pictured in a pose and setting that reflect and illuminate the text. Tuck's toes and tail peek out from the covers beside two pairs of bare feet. Alice balances on the edge of the bathtub. Minnie slips through the night, almost invisible. Though published for the preschool audience, this will no doubt find enthusiastic fans of all ages. (Picture book. 4 & up)

Kirkus Reviews