Review by Booklist Review
Ethel the cat is completely satisfied with her existence. Her set daily routine includes keeping an eye on her yard, checking the weather, making sure no villains (ants) get too close, and rolling on her favorite sidewalk square. As portrayed in the lively, humorous illustrations, complacent Ethel is living large and completely in charge of her tiny area of the world. Ethel does not notice, however, that someone has drawn on her sidewalk square with chalk, which has the unexpected effect of turning Ethel's white fur bright blue. A full-bleed two-page spread rendered in various shades of blue combines the appearance of watercolor, pastels, and pen-and-ink crosshatching to show a despondent Ethel, completely done in by this change to her well-ordered world. In her newly vulnerable state, she looks around and notices a young cat, Fluffy, whose own white fur today is pink! When the two cats explore the sidewalk together, they become amazingly colorful. The message about being open to new possibilities is perfectly pitched to child level, and the cats' funny expressions and reactions give the story entertaining levity.--Whitehurst, Lucinda Copyright 2017 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Can literal blues lead to metaphorical ones? For an old, fat cat named Ethel, the answer is yes. Ethel sticks to her routine each day, which includes rolling around on a particular square of sidewalk. She doesn't notice that the square is covered in blue chalk one day; her white fur turns bright blue, other cats whisper, and she retreats indoors, sad and embarrassed. After Ethel sees that her friend Fluffy is now pink, she has a change of heart-Reinhardt (Yaks Yak) gracefully reminds readers of the rewards of being open to new experiences. As befits a story with a central focus on color, Reinhardt's palette is rich and lush; a field dotted with poppylike flowers takes on a tie-dyed quality as watery bursts of red bleed into grassy greens and yellows. Jittery ink lines bring Ethel's world to life: when she ventures outdoors "to survey the land," Reinhardt shows her perched on the porch, overlooking a yard dotted with plastic flamingoes and mushrooms, elaborate topiaries, and one very dead houseplant. It's hard not to wonder what the story is with Ethel's unseen caretakers. Ages 4-6. Agent: Marietta Zacker, Gallt and Zacker Literary. (May) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 2-Readers learn everything they need to know about this feline on the first spread: "Ethel was old. She was fat. She was black. She was white. And she was very set in her ways." Part of her daily routine involves rolling on the sidewalk, but when one day the sidewalk has been covered in chalk art, Ethel's black-and-white life gets a little more colorful. Ethel is blue-literally and figuratively; her unintentional change makes her too self-conscious to follow her usual habits. She's saved by the appearance of a bright pink neighborhood friend, Fluffy, a perfect companion. Careful readers will spy Fluffy on every page, a true Ethel admirer, stalwart enough to dye herself on purpose. Reinhardt's whimsical pen and watercolor illustrations are well suited to this story of friendship and reliance. The pacing is spot-on; just a sentence or two per page leaves a lot of time for readers to inspect the art, which is full of texture and humorous details. VERDICT A great storytime read-aloud and a super matchup with James Dean and Eric Litwin's Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes and Karen Beaumon's I Ain't Gonna Paint No More.-Lisa Lehmuller, Paul Cuffee Maritime Charter School, Providence © Copyright 2017. 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 Kirkus Book Review
When you're set in your ways, little changes can really throw you.Ethel the black-and-white cat is old and fat. Each day she sits on the porch and surveys her surroundings, monitoring the weather, chasing a few ants, and rolling on her favorite piece of sidewalk. "It wasn't easy being Ethel, but she was good at it." Then one afternoon, rolling on her sidewalk leaves her covered in blue chalk. The other cats comment on her new look, and that makes Ethel feel blue. She hides inside until she spies Fluffy, who, though usually white, is pink. Fluffy joins Ethel in her daily routines, and this time sidewalk rolling makes them both rainbow-colored. Ethel is still old and fat, but only sometimes white and black; with her young companion, she's happy with that. Reinhardt's tale of routine interrupted is a quiet one that highlights the power of friendship. When the other cats comment on Ethel's new color, none says anything negative, but it makes her self-conscious. The final, wordless illustration of the whole troupe of them covered in rainbow chalk dust and a knowing smile passing between Ethel and Fluffy shows her confidence rebuilt. Watercolor-and-ink illustrations are scratchy and smeary and quite detailed (Fluffy has his eye on Ethel from afar from the start). Ethel's corpulence is exaggerated by comically skinny and stubby legs, but her comfort with herself keeps the depiction from feeling mocking.Ethel may not win any cat marathons, but she'll win hearts young and old. (Picture book. 3-8) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
