by Chris Riddell
Macmillan, 2007
171 pp.
Age: 6+
Reading Level: 8+
Interests: mysteries, adventure, travel, strong heroines, fashion, clever plans and maps
Next: Ottoline At Sea, Ottoline Goes to School
Ottoline and the Yellow Cat
21 May 2012 Leave a comment
in Books, books 6+ Tags: cats, cities, crime, detective, dogs, family, fashion, mystery, strong girls, travel
Smoky Night
05 Feb 2012 Leave a comment
in Books, books 6+ Tags: cats, city life, community, crime, racial tension, racism, single parent, violence
CALDECOTT MEDAL WINNER – 1995
Eve Bunting, text
David Diaz, illustrations
Harcourt, 1994
32 pp.
Age: 6+
Interests: city life, crime, racial tension, violence, community, single parent family, cats
Also by this author: Fly Away Home, Coffin on a Case!, The Memory String, How Many Days to America?, Night Tree, S.O.S Titanic
Sam, Bangs & Moonshine
11 Jan 2012 Leave a comment
in Books, books 5+ Tags: cats, gerbils, lying, ocean, pets, single parent, storms
CALDECOTT MEDAL WINNER – 1967
by Evaline Ness
Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1966
36 pp.
Age: 5+
Interests: cats, imagination, tall tales, storms, ocean, storms, pets, single parent
Other books illustrated by Evaline Ness: All in the Morning Early, A Pocketful of Cricket, Tom Tit Tot
Stanley’s Little Sister
26 Nov 2011 Leave a comment
in Books, books 3+, Canadian books Tags: cats, dogs, friendship, pets
BLUE SPRUCE nominee 2012
written by Linda Bailey
illustrated by Bill Slavin
Toronto: Kids Can Press, 2010
30 pp.
Ages: 3 +
Interests: dogs, cats, pets
Mrs. Cockle’s Cat
10 Sep 2011 Leave a comment
in Books, books 4+ Tags: balloons, cats, London, ocean
GREENAWAY MEDAL WINNER – 1961
Philippa Pearce, author
Antony Maitland, illustrator
London: Constable and Co., 1961
30 pp.
Ages: 4 +
Interests: cats, flying, balloons, London, ocean, boats
Also by this author: Tom’s Midnight Garden
Stuart Little (1999)
31 Jul 2011 Leave a comment
in Movies, movies 5+ Tags: adoption, boats, cats, family, mice, New York
Rated: Rated PG for brief language
Length: 84 min.
Age: 5 and up. Commonsense Media sez: 6 +
Scary Factor: Stuart in the washing machine as water is filling up; chased by cat several times; two major chases from alley cats in park
Intense: concept of getting mafia-like cats to rub him out (“scratch him out”); police station conversation about killing sprees and grisly crime photos; alley cats menace a lot but don’t get very close; alley cats dispatched in end by dumping them in pond (aren’t hurt, are seen climbing out and running off)
Bad Behaviour: George pushes another boy down, fists flying, etc. and doesn’t get in any trouble for it (the impression we’re left with is that it’s all right because the other boy was so unpleasant)
Language: swearing! “damn”s, “hell”; presumably included for sole purpose of winning a PG rating; also rude language, “shut up”, “moron”, “loser”, “speak to the butt”
Interests: mice, cats, New York, adoption, family
Next: read the book! More
Millions of Cats
26 Jul 2011 Leave a comment
in Books, books 3+, Classics Tags: animals, cats, pets
by Wanda Gág
New York: Coward-McCann, 1928
30 pp.
Age: 3+
Interests: folktales, cats
Kitten’s First Full Moon
06 Apr 2011 Leave a comment
in Books, books - infant+ Tags: animals, bedtime, cats, moon, night
CALDECOTT MEDAL WINNER – 2005
Kevin Henkes, author and illustrator
New York: Greenwillow Books/HarperCollins, 2004
29 pp
infant +
interests: animals, cats, moon
Rarest Kind of Best 