Tom Finger - Softcover

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0747555966 ISBN 13: 9780747555964

Publisher: Bloomsbury Pub Ltd, 2002

Synopsis

One day a strange cat appears at the door. 'My name is Tom Finger,' he cries. Each day he appears, and each day he leaves a strange and wonderful gift: a silk purse, a lace handkerchief, an embroidered needle case. Queenie is completely entranced by him - her brother though is convinced he is a witch's cat. But Queenie is determined to find out - and one day starts following the cat through the snowy forest, following a trail of red wool...What Queenie finds at the end of the trail is totally unexpected. A book that has exquisite, beautiful illustrations,and a traditional feel that will be cherished for years to come. Praise for Tom Finger: 'McClure's storytelling has a strange magical rhythm to it and her drawings have a wistful delicacy' Books for Keeps 'enchanting' Financial Times 'a magical tale, set in a snowy landscape' Daily Telegraph

About this title

About the Author:

Gillian McClure is the acclaimed illustrator of 'Selkie' which has been translated into many languages around the world. This is Gillian's first book for Bloomsbury. Gillian lives in Cambridge.

From Publishers Weekly:

This odd, initially intriguing fantasy about a mysterious cat contains the evocative and repetitive language of fairy tales. Unfortunately, the sometimes cloying dialogue and mystifying plot may puzzle rather than satisfy readers. After the death of her cat, "Every day Queenie called her Tabby, sadly she called her dear old Tabby." In response, a huge cat named Tom Finger, walking upright, appears at her door with a gift (a lace handkerchief one day, a satin soap bag the next, etc.) as Queenie asks unanswered questions (e.g., "Young Tabby Tom Finger, where do you come from and where do you go?"). Queenie ignores her brother Ben's warning that Tom Finger must be in league with a witch and eventually she sets out to find the cat's home. Queenie never sees her, but the witch appears to Ben and to readers in delicate watercolors, knitting frosty webs in the sky and materializing in a mass of bubbles. Cheery and non-menacing, she guides Queenie (or does she?) to a cottage where she meets a grieving blind woman who gives her "a kitten, a dear little kitty, just like [her] tabby." Despite McClure's (Selkie) deft illustrations, neither text nor pictures amplify the mysteries that might resolve the plot. Who is the witch, and how is Tom Finger related to her? While the old-fashioned language and spirited characters kindle interest, the book seems to promise more than it ultimately delivers. Ages 4-8.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Bloomsbury Pub Ltd
• Publication date: 2002
• ISBN 10: 0747555966
• ISBN 13: 9780747555964
• Binding: Paperback
• Illustrator: Gillian McClure