New Cat

by Yangsook Choi

Overview

New Cat loves everything about living in Mr. Kim's tofu factory, except for one thing: she has seen a mouse in the production room, where Mr. Kim doesn't allow her to go. She knows that one of her jobs is to chase mice, but how can she do this if she can't go where they are? In this charming picture book, Yangsook Choi tells the story of the night that New Cat follows her instincts rather than Mr. Kim's wishes and gets more than she bargained for.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781541313378
Publisher:	CreateSpace Publishing
Publication date:	03/08/1999
Pages:	34
Product dimensions:	8.00(w) x 10.00(h) x 0.09(d)
Age Range:	5 - 8 Years

About the Author

Yangsook Choi grew up in Korea and moved to New York to study art. She has written and illustrated many books for young readers. Her books have been acclaimed as "Best of the Best" by the Chicago Public Library, included on the American Library Association Notable Book list, selected by PBS Reading Rainbow, and have received the International Reading Association's Children's Book Award. For more information, please visit www.yangsookchoi.com

Editorial Reviews

New Cat's job is to keep mice out of Mr. Kim's factory, and luckily for Mr. Kim, it's a job his cat takes seriously. One night, a particularly elusive mouse enters territory strictly off-limits to New Cat-the factory's production room. After a brief ethical debate, New Cat resumes chase, then inadvertently helps contain a fire when she knocks over a bucket. Not a bucket of water, mind you, but something apparently just as good-a bucket of tofu (which, we later learn from tofu manufacturer Mr. Kim, is mostly water). The large sans serif typeface, simple but bold, suits the artwork's rounded shapes and solid black outlines, and Choi's crafty use of white space allows the text to become part of the whole design. The illustrations frequently vary perspective, adding a sense of movement and tension, especially in the dramatic pictures of a large, life-size New Cat making her rounds. Choi keeps her text simple and straightforward, often letting the illustrations provide the telling details of characterization. For instance, the text opens with Mr. Kim arriving at work and saying good morning to New Cat. "'Mi-yao!' New Cat would answer. They were best friends." The picture, however, shows us the actual scene that greets Mr. Kim: New Cat sitting at his desk, directly behind the nameplate reading "President," a small imperious frown on her face. Another illustration, of New Cat as a kitten at an animal shelter, one paw resting on the cage bars, slyly mimics the Asian statues of white cats that bring their owners good luck by inviting in customers and friends. In both business and friendship, Mr. Kim's luck couldn't possibly be better.

Horn Book Magazine

This may be the first appearance in a US picture book of tofu in a starring role, in a charming solo outing from the illustrator of Milly Lee's Nim and the War Effort (1997). Mr. Kim assigns New Cat the job of patrolling his tofu factory, searching for mice. The problem is that New Cat isn't allowed to go into the production room, which makes it the perfect escape route for a shrewd mouse that has taken up residence in the factory. One night, New Cat's feline instinct gets the best of her, and she slips out of the office to track down the mouse. She discovers that the rodent has been chewing the electrical wires, which this night, let off enough sparks to start a fire. By accidentally tipping over a barrel of tofu, New Cat squelches the flames, the mouse takes off in a huff, and Mr. Kim has to rescue his pet from a drenching in soybeans. Choi's tale is unique and refreshing in its setting and subject; in the pictures, she mixes soft colored surfaces with hard black lines and abrupt angles to vivid effect. (Picture book. 5-8) .

Kirkus Reviews