Original Cat, Copy Cat

by Sarah Kurpiel, Sarah Kurpiel (Illustrator)

Overview

Pineapple loves being an only cat—and then Kiwi comes along. But despite the chaos and the annoyances, Pineapple soon realizes that a new kitten—a new friend—makes everything twice as fun. Original Cat, Copy Cat is a celebration of friendship and acceptance. It will be adored by fans of Wolfie the Bunny and Max the Brave.

Pineapple the cat loves his comfortable life: that is, until he’s not the only cat in his house anymore. Now Pineapple’s entire routine is turned upside down. Worst of all, new kitten Kiwi copies everything Pineapple does.

One day, Pineapple decides he’s had enough. But being an only cat isn’t the same anymore. With his old routine soured, Pineapple learns that having a friend makes everything better. And eventually, it’s hard to tell who’s the copy cat, after all.

Sarah Kurpiel’s spare text, exuberant artwork, and expressive characters make for an irresistible picture book, one perfect for storytime sharing and animal lovers everywhere. 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062943835
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	08/03/2021
Pages:	40
Product dimensions:	8.90(w) x 11.10(h) x 0.50(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Sarah Kurpiel  is the author and illustrator of Lone Wolf, which was named an Indie Next Pick. She is a librarian and a self-taught artist, inspired by animals, nature, and everyday life. She uses a power wheelchair and considers her disability an important part of her identity. Sarah Kurpiel lives with a cat as loud and as fast as Kiwi in Downers Grove, Illinois. www.sarahkurpiel.com

Sarah Kurpiel  is the author and illustrator of Lone Wolf, which was named an Indie Next Pick. She is a librarian and a self-taught artist, inspired by animals, nature, and everyday life. She uses a power wheelchair and considers her disability an important part of her identity. Sarah Kurpiel lives with a cat as loud and as fast as Kiwi in Downers Grove, Illinois. www.sarahkurpiel.com

Editorial Reviews

Pineapple’s pre-Kiwi schedule included ample doses of eating, window-watching, sleeping, solitary play, and snuggling with his human. . . . Newly bonded, the pair eats, naps, and makes mischief together, and a final spread shows them sharing a cozy lap-nap. . . . A familiar story of house-bound pet rivalry, amiably resolved.” — Kirkus Reviews

“Pineapple the cat lives a pampered life of playing, napping, and snacking . . . until tiny tabby Kiwi shows up. . . . Kurpiel caters to a younger audience, offering a simple, older-sib-recognizable plot, retro pastel coloring, and unpretentious digital art. . . . “Motifs of fruit . . . are playful Easter eggs for more observant viewers, and they may quickly lead to an identifying game during one-on-one storytimes.” — Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

From the Publisher

Pineapple the cat lives a pampered life of playing, napping, and snacking . . . until tiny tabby Kiwi shows up. . . . Kurpiel caters to a younger audience, offering a simple, older-sib-recognizable plot, retro pastel coloring, and unpretentious digital art. . . . “Motifs of fruit . . . are playful Easter eggs for more observant viewers, and they may quickly lead to an identifying game during one-on-one storytimes.

Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

Pineapple the cat lives a pampered life of playing, napping, and snacking . . . until tiny tabby Kiwi shows up. . . . Kurpiel caters to a younger audience, offering a simple, older-sib-recognizable plot, retro pastel coloring, and unpretentious digital art. . . . “Motifs of fruit . . . are playful Easter eggs for more observant viewers, and they may quickly lead to an identifying game during one-on-one storytimes.

Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

Pineapple the cat lives a pampered life of playing, napping, and snacking . . . until tiny tabby Kiwi shows up. . . . Kurpiel caters to a younger audience, offering a simple, older-sib-recognizable plot, retro pastel coloring, and unpretentious digital art. . . . “Motifs of fruit . . . are playful Easter eggs for more observant viewers, and they may quickly lead to an identifying game during one-on-one storytimes.

Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

2021-06-02
Fluffy Pineapple’s comfortable feline routine, upended by small, sleek newcomer Kiwi, must adjust to a decidedly new normal.

Metaphorically depicted on a large clock, Pineapple’s pre-Kiwi schedule included ample doses of eating, window-watching, sleeping, solitary play, and snuggling with his human. “Kiwi was fast. / Kiwi was LOUD. / Kiwi was exhausting.” Kiwi mimics Pineapple, following him everywhere. (Spot illustrations show them eating a houseplant and scratching an armchair, among tamer pursuits.) Kiwi supplants Pineapple in their human’s reading chair, too—a scene sure to elicit twinges in any reader who’s had to share parental affection. Reaching his limit, Pineapple scares his rival off. Predictably, the ensuing serenity is too serene. Once resumed, his “sweet routine had soured.…Pineapple started to worry.” Locating and then monitoring Kiwi takes Pineapple to new household spots like the attic, where the two gaze out at nesting birds. Newly bonded, the pair eats, naps, and makes mischief together, and a final spread shows them sharing a cozy lap-nap. Kurpiel’s pictures, executed in flat pastels anchored with brown and blue-gray, include plenty of fruity touches for readers to spot, from the citrus-slice clock and watermelon planter to a lamp with a pineapple base.

A familiar story of house-bound pet rivalry, amiably resolved. (Picture book. 3-6)

Kirkus Reviews