But Not Kate - Hardcover

Moss, Marissa

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0688106013 ISBN 13: 9780688106010

Publisher: Lothrop Lee & Shepard, 1992

Synopsis

Kate compares herself to the other kids in school and fears that there is nothing special about her, until she becomes the magician's helper in an assembly

About this title

From School Library Journal:

PreSchool-Grade 1-- Little mouse Kate doesn't feel she's the best at anything or special in any way. She's so ordinary and so unspectacular--until the school magic show. Then, a reluctant Kate is chosen to be the magician's assistant. Suddenly, ordinary Kate can make flowers appear, pull rabbits out of a hat, and turn a plain, old scarf into a star-spangled streamer. The story, like Kate herself, seems slight and unspectacular at first glance. But like her, it offers hidden charms. Most children will relate to Kate's shrinking-violet feelings and cheer when she finally discovers her own unique talents. Unfortunately, the illustrations don't quite match Kate's blossoming talents. The pencil-and-wash paintings are colorful and animated, but the depiction of the main character and her rodent classmates are of mass-market cartoon quality. Henkes's coterie of mouse characters are a much more attractive and appealing group. This title is similar in theme to his Chrysanthemum (Greenwillow, 1991), but is for a slightly younger audience. Not a must purchase, but a useful and entertaining addition.
- Heide Piehler, Shorewood Public Library, WI
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Publishers Weekly:

A worthy theme--the need to feel special--is here explored through rather fatuous text and undistinguished art. Kate, a mouse, can't think of what to paint in art class, has nothing worthwhile in her school lunch box and is always last in line. All this changes when the magician Abra Shazam, performing at Kate's school, calls on the reluctant mouse for assistance. By marshalling the courage to mount the stage and shout the magic words, Kate transforms Abu Shazam's scarf--and in the process, herself--from something lackluster into something shining. Despite good intentions, the book mirrors the early haplessness of its protagonist. The spare, verselike text that doesn't quite rhyme and doesn't quite scan awkwardly depicts an all-too-magical transformation, while the watercolor illustrations may strike some as unappealing. The outsize ears and triangular heads of Moss's ( After-School Monster ; Regina's Big Mistake ) spindly limbed mice make them look unsettlingly like Yoda from The Empire Strikes Back . Ages 5-up.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Lothrop Lee & Shepard
• Publication date: 1992
• ISBN 10: 0688106013
• ISBN 13: 9780688106010
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 1