Zat Cat! A Haute Couture Tail - Softcover

Chesley McLaren

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0439519225 ISBN 13: 9780439519229

Publisher: Scholastic Inc., 2003

Synopsis

This effervescent "tail" of a Parisian cat is fluffier than chocolate mousse and bubblier than a split of pink champagne. McLaren sets the tone with a droll prefatory rhyme: "To those who speak `La Langue des Francais' please don't dismay. My French est mauvais." Having apologized in advance, she introduces her title feline, a gray stray who "roams about town, down the Champs Elysees, and when the mood strikes him he dines au cafe." One day, while trolling for a free lunch at a fine hotel, the four-legged gourmet happens upon a fashion show. After his claws snag a model's fuchsia train, he accidentally shreds Monsieur Pierre's entire collection; a gatefold enables a full-length view of the savaged runway. Fortunately if predictably, the chic audience adores the results: "So original, exotic, and free. These ingenious designs C'est le `Rage' de Paree!" Abundant footnotes translate such terms as the celebrity cat's new name, Etoile ("ay-TWAL Star"). McLaren, who also works in fashion, complements the funny, frivolous verse with flamboyant brushstrokes of black ink on a white background. Etoile charms tuxedoed men and women in stiletto heels, and every designer frock features extravagant accents. Admirers of Maira Kalman's Max books (or of Eloise's diction) will appreciate this livre's joie de vivre.

About this edition

• Publisher: Scholastic Inc.
• Publication date: 2003
• ISBN 10: 0439519225
• ISBN 13: 9780439519229
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 32
• Illustrator: Chesley McLaren