Toots the Cat - Hardcover

Kuskin, Karla

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0805068414 ISBN 13: 9780805068412

Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR), 2005

Synopsis

Meet Toots, the lovable feline terror of the house

Toots will win you over just as easily as she walks all over you. She eats, plays, naps, and comes and goes as she pleases. But she is so lovable that you’ll want her to be your very own animal companion.

In this collection of poems, an ode to the author’s own cat, Karla Kuskin’s evocative and whimsical phrases perfectly capture Toot’s attitude and charm. Vibrant, playful illustrations by Lisze Bechtold make the pages come alive with feline energy.

About this title

About the Author:

Karla Kuskin is the celebrated author of such books as The Philharmonic Gets Dressed. Ms. Kuskin, a cat lover, and her husband, live on Bainbridge Island in Washington State.

Lisze Becthold is the author and illustrator of such highly praised picture books as Buster the Very Shy Dog. She lives in South Pasadena, California with her family and pets.

Visit Lisze Bechtold at her web site: www.liszebechtold.com

From School Library Journal:

PreSchool-Grade 3–In this story in poems, readers are introduced to Toots–a calico–who saunters inside a house, claims the best chair as her own, and decides that she is home. Through selections about her ears, nose, tail, and character, readers get to know this cat who loves naps and moonlight strolls. There is a relaxed chronology; Toots adopts her family, observes her summertime schedule, makes paw prints in the snow and, finally, rests in a pool of sunlight in a favorite chair. There are moments of tranquillity (When our cat is at rest/our house is at rest/and so is the earth and sky), as well as instances when she shows her undomesticated side: A velvet missile/arching toward a feathered goal. Most of the selections have easy, natural rhyme schemes and comfortable rhythms. Kuskin uses gentle humor throughout and captures the characteristics of these beloved pets. The poem In or Out? summarizes the indecisive spirit of felines in a whirlwind of playful poetics: Whatever wherever whichever/however forever moreover/from cover to cover/from housemat to clover/she makes it quite clear/she would rather be here/if she's there. Bechtold's cheery pencil, watercolor, and gouache illustrations portray a charming cat who shares her house with three other felines and a devoted human. Set against plenty of white space, the illustrations add to the humor of funny poems and caring sentiment of the touching ones. Display this book with Cynthia Rylant's Boris (Harcourt, 2005) and Alice Schertle's I Am the Cat (Lothrop, 1999).–Shawn Brommer, South Central Library System, Madison, WI
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

About this edition

• Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 0805068414
• ISBN 13: 9780805068412
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 32
• Illustrator: Bechtold Lisze