Paddiwak and Cozy - Hardcover

Doherty; Doherty/bartlett

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 053130180X ISBN 13: 9780531301807

Publisher: Scholastic, 1999

Synopsis

A prince of a cat, Paddiwak is taken aback when his owner comes home with a new cat, and Paddiwak leaves home vowing to never go back, until a rainstorm weakens his resolve, and the haughty cat learns to share his home.

About this title

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Paddiwak is unhappy with the new cat that Sally brings home. While he's outside sulking, Cozy, the newcomer, hides inside. Later that evening, the two miserable felines climb into a linen cupboard and comfort one another. The story, originally published in 1989 (Dial; o.p.), has some word changes and all new illustrations. The rhyming text flows well in both versions, but the illustrations are very different from one another. Bartlett's bold, vibrant acrylic paintings and primitive figures fill the pages, while Teresa O'Brien's colorful drawings had more details, such as mice who appear throughout the story. Two discrepancies between the text and Bartlett's illustrations may bother more discriminate readers. On one page, Paddiwak is supposed to be out in the rain, yet the color palette is bright and cheerful. Later, "When all the house was sleeping," and Cozy climbs into the linen cupboard, the pictures still look light and sunny. Nevertheless, youngsters will relate to the feelings of jealousy conveyed in the story and be glad that the two animals are able to overcome their animosity toward one another. There are many other books available on jealousy such as Barbara Joosse's Nugget and Darling (Clarion, 1997) and Susanna Gretz's Frog in the Middle (Macmillan, 1991). Buy this one only where there is a need for more.
Kathleen Staerkel, Indian Trails Public Library District, Wheeling, IL
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews

Bartlett doesn't allow readers not to like her artwork, with the brio and dash of her thick colors and the instant appeal of her characters' faces. The same applies to Doherty's trim little story, which is full of enjoyable word play. Paddiwak, a cat and ``a heartthrob (quite a snob), very smart in his neat black suit,'' rules his roost until the day, that ``terrible day,'' when Sally brings home another cat, and what a cat: ``A laugh of a cat, a dumpling cat with a black bit here and a white bit there, floppy round the tummy and great big paws.'' Paddiwak takes grave offense, hisses, and leaves, huffing that he will never return. The new cat explores timidly, while Paddiwak stews outside. Just when the new cat is feeling really lonely and blue, the dark and the rain suggest to Paddiwak that he end his self-imposed exile. He is sodden and rumpled as he sneaks into a favorite den and finds ``something as cuddly as a cushion to lay his head on.'' That's the new cat, now called Cozy, and so is the story, where a cat can act like a fool without being condemned as one, as long as he knows when to come in out of the rain. (Picture book. 3-6) -- Copyright ©1999, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

About this edition

• Publisher: Scholastic
• Publication date: 1999
• ISBN 10: 053130180X
• ISBN 13: 9780531301807
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 32
• Illustrator: Bartlett