Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
When Ms. Melba has to go to the doctor, the star of Here Comes the Easter Cat and its sequels reluctantly agrees to be a substitute teacher at Kitty School. Underwood and Rueda maintain the droll narration and spare visual humor of the previous books as Cat guides eager kittens through music (electric guitars are involved), building time (a "fountain that spouts fish" is involved), and art (major cleanup is involved). There's plenty to giggle over on almost every page, but the funniest moment might belong to Ms. Melba, who returns to the classroom with a "cone of shame" around her neck. Ages 3-5. Author's agent: Erin Murphy, Erin Murphy Literary. (Aug.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 1-Cat is back for his first non-holiday adventure, this time as a substitute teacher. Ms. Melba has to go to the doctor, so Cat is called upon to lead a classroom of eager preschool kittens. Cat has a few entertaining missteps, but by the time Ms. Melba returns, the whole classroom has enjoyed making music, building, and painting. What Ms. Melba will never know is that music included rocking out on a very loud electric guitar, that Cat showed the kittens how to build a fountain that spouted fish, and that the painting was done on the classroom walls. This fifth installment of series follows the same conventions of the previous titles. The unseen narrator prompts and prods the feline hero along, with many a comment and question from Cat communicated through wordless signs on sticks. Readers are encouraged to interact with the text, just as the narrator does. Soft primary colors and light shading, created with ink and color pencil on white paper, complement the amusing facial expressions of the reluctant protagonist. Plenty of white space, clear layouts, and well-placed, large text make this a great book for a group storytime. -VERDICT Whether new to this series or a seasoned fan, this amusing read-aloud has much to offer the younger back-to-school crowd.-Amy Seto Forrester, Denver Public Library © 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
Cat is back, a busy schedule of naps interrupted by some substitute teaching when Ms. Melba gets sick. Will Cat survive?It turns out that missing naps isn't the worst partattempts to escape out the window or hide under the desk show that kittens are out of Cat's comfort zone. But the unseen narrator's guilt trip about Ms. Melba's past kindnesses gets the feline moving, albeit reluctantly. But what to do with all those identical-looking kittens? Music? Sure, but when the recorders prove discordant, Cat breaks out an electric guitar, which disturbs the class next door. Building time is more successful, but Cat again goes too far with art time, providing bowls of paint and demonstrating how to dip paws in and make prints on the wall. Uh-oh. Ms. Melba's back (from the vet, evidently, as she is in an Elizabethan collar that will have pet owners chuckling). In a clean-up worthy of The Cat in the Hat, the kittens pitch in to save the day. And when asked what they learned, they use signs like Cat's to explain. And Cat? Cat's learned that kittens aren't so bad after all. Cat's droll expressions and signs are highlights, but while amusing, this entry doesn't rise to the level of predecessors; Cat doesn't walk that fine line between nasty and nice in the way that readers have come to expect, and the give-and-take with the narrator also isn't as much fun. Not Cat's funniest outing, but readers may get a kick out of imagining what adventures they might have with their own substitute teachers. (Picture book. 4-8) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
