Francis the Scaredy Cat - Softcover

Ed Boxall

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0744594855 ISBN 13: 9780744594850

Publisher: Walker Books Ltd, 2003

Synopsis

With bold, childlike illustrations, Ed Boxall tells a comforting tale about friendship - and the discovery that love can make you brave, even if you’re a scaredy cat.Francis has a secret, even from his best friend, Ben. He’s a scaredy cat! Francis is afraid of the dark, but most of all he’s afraid of the hissy, whispery monster he hears in the garden on stormy nights. One dark night Ben is late getting home, and Francis worries that the monster has captured him. Will Francis face his fears and head into the dark night to rescue his friend? And who is that monster hissing in the tree?

About this title

About the Author

Ed Boxall grew up in a rambling old house in England, with a dusty attic and a wild garden to explore. He always knew he wanted to be an artist and went on to study art at Saint Martin’s College of Art in London. He says, "I got the idea for writing FRANCIS THE SCAREDY CAT from looking back to my childhood and remembering that I felt I was a little bit different from everyone else." He lives in a seaside town with his wife and big fluffy cat, who is a bit of a scaredy cat too.

From Booklist

PreS. Francis is a quirky, gentle cat: he loves reading, bubble baths, hunting carrots, and a boy named Ben, with whom he lives. Francis is also a "scaredy cat." He's afraid of the dark and especially the "whispery hissy monster" that he hears in a garden tree. One night, when Ben doesn't come home, Francis worries: what if the monster got him? Terrified but determined, Francis climbs the tree and faces his "monster," another cat--big and wild, but "with a kind face"--who leads Francis back down and into Ben's waiting arms. In both text and pictures, Boxall's first offering perfectly captures the terror of confronting secret fears. Repetitive, lyrical sounds and rhythms and surprising word choices will instantly appeal to children: Francis loves Ben's "kind hands and voice as familiar as pillows and pajamas." The dramatic paintings--childlike, elemental, and strong, reminiscent of Georg Hallensleben's pictures in Kate Banks' Baboon (1997)--shift with the story's mood from cheery pink and red to terrifying swirls of stormy black. The "monster" is shown as both friendly and enigmatic--an arching, dark, feline shape, mysterious, maybe even imaginary. An evocative, appealingly simple title that taps right into a preschooler's private world. Gillian Engberg
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Edition details

• Publisher: Walker Books Ltd
• Publication date: 2003
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0744594855
• ISBN 13: 9780744594850
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 32