Review by Booklist Review
A forlorn, yellow-eyed little kitty looks up at the tall buildings that close over her like a forest. A sea of human legs walk around her, some carrying briefcases or shopping bags. As she navigates the crowded sidewalks and busy street traffic, dotted yellow lines helpfully track her progress. There are many hazards: a screaming fire engine splashes through a puddle, and scary dogs bark at her, causing her to hide and run. The lucky kitty gets a bowl of fresh fish from the shopkeeper, but, uh-oh, snow is falling, and she is cold. When Kitty sings along with the street buskers playing jazz and gets a standing ovation, she finally finds a home with a warm and loving family. "Bravo city. Purring kitty. Loving kitty. Loving city," offers the spare text. The illustrated cartoonlike spreads, done in acrylic gouache, enable children to follow the journey of the orange-and-white cat as she navigates the busy metropolis and finds kindness and love.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
A little stray calico cat with big yellow eyes seems very much at home in New York City. Sure, there are noisy sirens and unfriendly dogs, but the feisty, curious feline doesn't seem the least bit underfoot as it meanders through the busy street grid. Miller (Horse Meets Dog) chronicles his protagonist's travels with compositions that range from bird's-eye views to dramatic low angles, while the abbreviated text may remind readers of their own pets' epithets: "Noisy city./ Hiding kitty"; "Wildlife city./ Playful kitty." The cat chases pigeons, vocalizes dramatically at a trio of dogs atop Patience--the New York Public Library's southerly marble lion--receives a bowlful of sardines from a friendly fishmonger, and jams with musicians under the Washington Square Arch. But when snow arrives--conveyed via a lovely, melancholy scene rendered in thick black outlines and acrylic gouache, with big circular flakes falling down into the Manhattan canyons--readers will cross their fingers that this stalwart New Yorker finds a home warmer than the streets, a hope that's rewarded in this affectionate cityscape's final pages. Ages 4--8. (Mar.)
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Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 3--This imaginative and creative book pulls readers in with the undulating trail of kitten pawprints on the endpapers. A tiny kitty is alone in a very big city. How will she survive? We follow kitty during her exciting day trying to stay out of harm's way by adjusting our focus to look near (the cat) and far (the city) as she makes her way through cavernous landscapes. In fact, the first page provides a kitten's-level view and then pulls up and out, providing a sense of perspective and helping readers understand how these marvelous illustrations work. The use of descriptors models the importance and power of using specific words sparingly; only two words, generally, are featured on each page making this an easy-to-read choice but also encourages preliterate onlookers to examine the detailed illustrations for more clues about kitty's plight. Kitty visits some famous sites, such as the main branch of the New York Public Library, but ends her day at Washington Square, where she sings along to a swinging trio playing at the park. There, a person, not really gendered, and with a pale skin color, finds and pets kitty. The next page shows that an entire family has welcomed the tiny kitty home. The endpapers draw this lovely journey to a close but look: is that the same child on page one who adopts her at the end? VERDICT This clever book will appeal to all children, as adventure, beginning reader, or even as an inviting cityscape to pore over.--Joan Kindig, James Madison Univ., Harrisonburg, VA
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
A piebald cat finds a new home. To a clipped text, a little white cat with black and orange splotches cheerfully scampers through New York City. It scrambles around walking human legs in a "crowded city," and the "speedy kitty" zips through parks and across busy streets, a dotted yellow line marking its path. The city is "noisy" and "scary," but the kitty is "brave," yowling at a pack of dogs from atop Patience the library lion. In that and other instances, the kitty does fine, eating a bowl of fish and performing with a jazz band, but the "cold kitty" in the "snowy city" befriends a White family that takes it home. Miller's bold, blocky, simple illustrations effectively show an expressive and adorable cat that isn't exactly lost but clearly wants to be found. Children might wonder where the kitty came from and why it doesn't already have a family, which opens up opportunities for creative thinking and conversation with young readers. The clever structure, a story told entirely through two-word phrases composed of adjectives and then the nouns "kitty" and "city," makes for a hypnotic, satisfying read-aloud experience, though the order changes after the first two pages, the only time the kitty precedes the city. A cozy story for cat lovers and anyone looking for a happy ending. (Picture book. 3-7) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
