Review by Booklist Review
Stuck in a shelter, Violet the cat never had a good life, but she nonetheless feels she should be a kitty queen in a fresh environment. Unfortunately, whenever anyone stops to look at her, she goes, Meowwww! Hisssss! Spat! and they leave with a kitten instead. Finally, however, an older couple takes her home. Instead of being grateful, she gets into fights with their dogs, eats their food, and grabs their toys. Then a pack of stray dogs enters the yard, and Violet learns the advantages of having friends canine and human on her side. The simple story is heightened by Hoyt's energetic pencil artwork that captures the broad strokes leaping, climbing, clashing as well the wonderfully amusing positions a kitty can get into, including the classic tummy up, back down, legs akimbo stretch. There are more subtle moments, too, like the satisfaction on the face of a cat being sprung from a shelter. Kids won't be able to resist the worried-looking Violet on the cover and they'll be thrilled over how it all works out.--Cooper, Ilene Copyright 2010 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 2-Violet is a thin little cat who sits in a cage at the shelter. Imagining herself ruling a kingdom "with sharp claws and velvet paws," she arches her royal back and frightens away most people with her meows and hisses. A man and woman decide to give Violet a chance and take her home, where she quickly shows their two dogs who is in charge. George and Zippity, who first appeared in Casanova's Some Dog! (Farrar, 2007), stand aside as the cat eats first, plays with one dog's favorite toy, and sleeps in the other's hammock. The humans wonder if she will work out. When three stray dogs invade Violet's kingdom, she runs for her life. George and Zippity come to her rescue, arching their canine backs and snarling until the intruders flee. The grateful cat settles down at last, content to rule with purrs and soft velvet claws. Expressive watercolor-and-pencil illustrations capture the personalities of the animals and the kindness of their humans. Often-repeated animal cries-Violet's "Meowww!" with Zippity's "Ya-yippity!" and George's "Wa-roo-roo-roo-roo!"-make this a fun read-aloud and a real child pleaser. It will spark discussions about shelter animals and the importance of allowing them time to acclimate to their new homes.-Mary Jean Smith, formerly at Southside Elementary School, Lebanon, TN (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
After cat Violet is adopted, she is less than friendly toward her owners' two yippy dogs (known to readers of this book's predecessor, Some Dog!). The story line is predictable (guess who rescues Violet when some mean dogs threaten her?), but the book is pleasantly old-fashioned with its sketch-like art in muted colors and its refusal to cute-ify the scowly Violet. (c) Copyright 2012. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Violet the cat finds it hard to make friends with her new owners' two dogs until they show their loyalty despite her unfriendliness. Casanova's energetic text begins with a brief mention of Violet's previous home, where there was "too little food and too much shouting." Presumably that's why she hisses and spits at the people who stop by her cage at the shelter. Most walk away, but one couple decides to take her home. Once there she terrorizes George and Zippity, heroes of Some Dog! (2007). Things change after a trio of stray dogs finds her alone in the yard. Once rescued, Violet undergoes a serious attitude adjustment. From the cover that shows a wide-eyed, anxious-looking cat to the implication that Violet's earlier experiences shaped her personality to the fairly scary attack by the stray dogs, this is not a typically perky pet-adoption tale. Hoyt's illustrations, which appear to combine watercolor and pencil, set the story in and around a house by a lake and offer a mostly realistic look at the action. The cozy setting and some visual humor lighten the mood, as does Casanova's use of nonsense words to convey the barking and meowing of the various animals. Just as prickly as its heroine, this book requires an audience ready for its sobering back story. (Picture book. 4-7)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
