Pizza Kittens - Hardcover

Voake, Charlotte

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0763616222 ISBN 13: 9780763616229

Publisher: Candlewick, 2002

Synopsis

From the creator of GINGER, a comedy of errors for every mischievous kitten who has ever squirmed at the dinner table.

It’s suppertime! Can three rambunctious kittens meet the challenge of sitting through an entire meal without leaving the table a disaster zone? After one promising start, an accidentally spilled drink and flying peas spell reluctant defeat. But the next night Dad makes pizza - everyone’s favorite - and Mom declares an early victory. At last, a family meal together that’s "absolutely perfect" . . . or is it?

Charlotte Voake’s sprightly, expressive watercolors are the ideal complement to this comically familiar story, celebrating the daily mayhem of family mealtime.

About this title

About the Author:

Charlotte Voake is a highly acclaimed author and illustrator of books for children, including GINGER, for which she won the 1997 Smarties Book Prize Gold Award. She illustrated ELSIE PIDDOCK SKIPS IN HER SLEEP by Eleanor Farjeon and has been short-listed four times for the prestigious Kurt Maschler Award in Britain. PIZZA KITTENS, says Charlotte Voake, is based on personal experience. "Good manners are not acquired overnight," she explains. "Just when you think things are going well, accidents happen. The secret is to keep trying!"

From Publishers Weekly:

A cat family melts down whenever dinner rolls around: Can this mealtime be saved? It certainly doesn't look promising. Rendering her wiry cats with eager, bright eyes and tense, upright postures, Voake comically conveys the anxiety and frustration of a family determined to sit down together and enjoy a pleasant meal. Mom can't seem to make anyone happy with her menu choices: "Fish sticks your favorite!" she says. "Not my favorite," replies one kitten. "I wanted baked beans," says another. "Oh no, not salad!" cry the three feline siblings in unison a few beats later. Dad's subsequent attempt at helming a civilized repast ("The next evening began well," the author writes ominously) degenerates into a whine-fest and sodden pea disaster. Voake gives her readers a front-row seat for these gastronomic train-wrecks. Most of the spreads resemble a stage set, as if the audience is sitting just a few feet in front of the cats' dining room table. Her distilled settings and electrified ink lines exude the edgy energy of an onlooker who is trying to record the action as it unfolds and can capture only the most telling details and emotions. As for the ending, Voake, a clearheaded observer of family dynamics, concludes with yet one more kitten mishap. But by serving up a conciliatory pizza ("Our favorite!" squeal the kittens) she also reassures readers that the family will endure to dine together again. Ages 3-5.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Candlewick
• Publication date: 2002
• ISBN 10: 0763616222
• ISBN 13: 9780763616229
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 40
• Illustrator: Voake Charlotte