McLeary, E. (2014). Purrs, Paws and Claws. Auckland, New Zealand: Scholastic. ISBN: 9781775432272 Pages: 32 Age Level: Early Childhood 0-6 / Middle Childhood 7-12 Genre: Picture Book / NZ Fiction / Poetry Rating: 4 stars
---------------
Erroll McLeary has presented us with a selection of nursery rhymes and limericks with a twist on the original. They are all pussy-cat inspired! There's 'Pussycat Horner' (Little Jack Horner), 'The Cat and the Fiddle', 'Jittery-Tickery Tock' (Hickery Dickery Dock), and 'This little Kitty' (This Little Piggie) to name a few. A hilarious collection that is a joy to read-aloud. Children young and old will enjoy it, either for it's fun rhymes, or to see if they can match the original with the adaption.
McLeary's illustrations show the humour of the rhyme in the way they have been done. Each image has it's own little quirks. I didn't know whether I should look at the images first to see if I could figure out the rhyme, or read the ditty first and then see if the images matched. Very cleverly done. A fun rhyming book to add to your collection. A nice change for bed-time read-alouds. A book that cat-loving kids will really enjoy :-) I got my copy of Purrs, Paws and Claws from the Taradale Primary School library where I work. You can find a copy at Napier Libraries.
Gurney, C., & Bennett, J. (2014). Esau the Paw. Auckland, New Zealand: Scholastic. ISBN: 9781775431855 Pages: 32 Age Level: Early Childhood 0-6 / Middle Childhood 7-12 Genre: Picture Storybook / NZ Fiction Rating: 4 stars
---------------
Esau the Paw was a VERY cool cat. No cat was fluffier, be sure of that!
OMG! Esau the Paw is the cutest fluffiest cat! One of the descriptions of him is that he looks 'like a big bloated fur ball'. And he does! His facial expressions as he plays are fantastic. And his looks of absolute disgust I'm sure I have seen on my own cat!!! Esau the Paw has a beautiful fluffy coat that his owner grooms when he gets it tangled. Until ... one day it is just so bad that he has to go to the vet ... where he gets a trim - Doh! Chris Gurney's rhyming text is easy to follow. He humorously tells the tale of poor Esau's catastrophic results from playing in the mud. Something many a pet owner can relate to - especially those of us with long-haired darlings, be they cats or dogs ;-) John Bennett's illustrations are bright and colourful and clearly show Esau's delight in life ... and his disgust once he has been shaved bald! Predominantly full of full-page illustrations like this one, children will be able to relate to their own pet's predicaments when they get messy in the winter. A humorous and colourful read-aloud that will be enjoyed again and again. I got my copy of Esau the Paw from the Taradale Primary School library where I work. You can find a copy at Napier Libraries.
Dean, K., & Dean, J. (2014). Pete the Cat and the New Guy. London, UK: HarperCollins Children's Books. ISBN: 9780007590803 Pages: 40 Age Level: Early Childhood 0-6 Genre: Picture Storybook Rating: 4 stars
---------------
Join Pete the Cat on his latest groovy adventure. There's a new guy in the street and Pete thinks he might be 'his kind of guy'. But when Pete meets him he finds that he is not the same at all! Gus is different. Gus is a Platypus. But Pete knows that being different is really cool and that makes his special in his own way. And when Gus can't find what he is good at Pete sais ...
Don't be sad,
don't be blue.
There is something
everyone can do!
And guess what?!?! There is something that Gus can do! I really love the Pete the Cat series of books. Not just because you can go online and listen to Eric Litwin sing the songs(book?) - He's soooooooo groovy man!! Dean instills a message into each of these books that teaches children a number of things. In Pete the Cat and the New Guy the message is all about acceptance, individual differences and friendship. Just because you can't do what everyone else does, doesn't mean you should stop trying to find your own talent. And when you do, then groove to it man! The text is simple and rhythmic with lots of repetition. It gets the message of acceptance, individual differences and friendship across in a way that younger children can understand. This is a good book to read aloud and for sharing as there is really too much text for young children to read on their own, however kids will be able to pick up on the rhyming repetition quickly and join in with the story. The illustrations are very bright and colourful. The characters are colourful, and the backgrounds are colourful. The characters are quite simply drawn, and there is not much facial expression to determine their moods. Actually with their eyeballs all being in the upper part of their eyes they all have a very 'chilled' look to them - very hippy'ish :-)
Pete the Cat and the New Guy has a video of the story being read by children, rather than the Eric Litwin songs of his other books. It is a great way for children to learn the rhythm of the story, while also a chance for them to have the story read to them if an adult or older student isn't available to read. Good idea for a learning station during class literacy sessions.
This will be another great book to add to our collection. Both for the message it is trying to get across and for the bright colourful illustrations. A couple of our year 3 classes last year did lots of drawing activities with the Pete the Cat books. The illustrations in the book are simple enough for children to reproduce themselves, and they can come up with their own stories to go along with their cat. They are great to use for book week activities as an alternative to the Mr Men series. My one disappointment is that Eric Litwin is not the author of this book, rather it is James' wife Kimberley, and so there is no song to go with it. Of all the books this one may be a little didactic - and not so happy-go-lucky as the previous books. Still a great addition to your collection. I got my copy of Pete the Cat and the New Guy from the Taradale Primary School library where I work. You can find a copy at Napier Libraries.
McLeary's illustrations show the humour of the rhyme in the way they have been done. Each image has it's own little quirks. I didn't know whether I should look at the images first to see if I could figure out the rhyme, or read the ditty first and then see if the images matched. Very cleverly done.
