Catkin - Hardcover

Barber, Antonia

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1564024857 ISBN 13: 9781564024855

Publisher: Candlewick, 1994

Synopsis

There once was a cat named Catkin who was so small he could sit on the palm of a child's hand. He was given to a farmer and his wife to keep watch over their baby girl, by a wise woman who had seen danger in the child's future. And when the merry, heedless Little People who live deep under the green hills steal the child away, only Catkin can rescue her—if he solves three cunning riddles.

About this title

From School Library Journal:

Grade 1-3?Told in folkloric cadence, Barber's story is about the rescue of baby Carrie, who was switched for a changeling by the Little People. The hero of the tale is a multitalented cat called Catkin, so named because he was "...so small that he could sit in comfort on the palm of a man's hand." Because Carrie was stolen while in Catkin's care, the furry fellow risks all to venture into the enchanted land inside the hill. There, of course, he answers three riddles, the last of which frees Carrie but also binds him to that land forever. Posed with a final dilemma, the Lord of the Little People seeks guidance from the Wise Woman; her solution is to have the child and cat spend each winter in the underground realm and return to their own land each spring. The language is graceful and traditionally formal, and the story is charming, resonating of the Tam Lin and Persephone legends. The full-color illustrations, mostly on pages facing text, are dark and magical, and use light and shadow impressively to create drama. Elegantly designed, with Celtic-inspired borders and backgrounds, the book is a sensory pleasure. Independent readers will enjoy it on their own, and it will be a fine choice for read-aloud as well.?Carolyn Noah, Central Mass. Regional Library System, Worcester, MA
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Publishers Weekly:

Barber (The Mousehole Cat) and Lynch's (East o' the Sun and West o' the Moon) elegant collaboration rings with the depth and nostalgia of the best fairy stories and the primacy of myth. When a Wise Woman sees danger in young Carrie's future, she provides the girl with a feline protector, Catkin. The girl and her cat are inseparable until the day that a butterfly distracts Catkin, and the Little People bear away the child to their underworld. At the risk of binding himself to the Little People forever, Catkin undertakes the strenuous task of returning the child to her devastated parents. Luminous illustrations complement the graceful text, reflecting the shadows and sunshine of the two worlds. The Little People's underground kingdom is swathed in deep greens, moss and earth tones, while Catkin and Carrie themselves gleam with a golden aura. The sense of legend that pervades this work is borne out by the formal design, which incorporates art of varying sizes and handsome framing devices. Ages 4-up.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Candlewick
• Publication date: 1994
• ISBN 10: 1564024857
• ISBN 13: 9781564024855
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 48
• Illustrator: Lynch P.J.