Review by Booklist Review
Since he was young, Max, a litter of one from mama cat Gooseberry, has been "as much trouble as 10 kittens." Wherever he goes on the family farm, it seems he's always up to something, from teasing other cats and dogs (smartly, however, leaving goats, a horse, and geese alone) to romping among the bed sheets and proving himself a "mighty hunter." But Max is independent and mysterious, too, often leaving the farm on nighttime forays "where his real life begins." This posthumously released, unpublished story from the beloved author-illustrator team is a delight in text and art. From Max's "big, yellow eyes" to his "important tail, which tells if he feels good, or bad!" to his meticulous grooming, his traits and activities are descriptively related in the handwritten, playfully arranged narrative. The loose ink-and-watercolor illustrations of the round, big-eyed cat causing mischief extend the lively text. An endnote by the Provensens' daughter, Karen, provides further details and drawings of Max and family photos and history, including her own memories of growing up on the family farm.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Fans of the late Caldecott-winning couple's work will be delighted to encounter this never-before-published gem of a story about a rambunctious tabby cat named Max. A kind of sidebar to Our Animal Friends at Maple Hill Farm, in which Max appears, it's told in a similar style, via an informal narrative that builds on thin-lined ink drawings lightly washed in watercolor. Though Max's youth involves no littermates, vignettes of the kitten tussling with a bag of sugar, a spool of red ribbon, and crockery accompany text that indicates "he was/ as much/ trouble// as/ ten/ kittens./ And he was always hungry." Distinctive, curlicue hand-lettering on cream-colored pages enhances the story's sketchbook feel as the creators follow Max's maturation into a "terrible tease" of other animals, a "mighty hunter" ("Max has his own room and bed.// It is full of squirrel tails"), and a being with "an important tail" that reveals his mood. After examining Max's relationships with the farm's other animals and its pale-skinned human inhabitants, the story ends with a glimpse of Max taking off solo into a lonely, moonlit night where "his real life begins"--an acknowledgment that even closely observed creatures have their own secrets. A letter to readers from the Provensens' daughter concludes. Ages 3--8. (May)
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Review by Horn Book Review
"When Max was a kitten, he was the only one." Young Max was born to Gooseberry, both of whom readers of the Provensens' Maple Hill Farm books will recognize. Readers are privy to Max's life during the daylight hours, in which he explores the barnyard, teases other animals, drools over the baby chicks (though he knows better than to bother Goat Dear or Rebel the horse); and leaves squirrel tails for his humans (as the "mighty hunter" he is) in his "room and bed" on the family farm. But as the sun starts to set, "You would not know him. He looks like a tiger. Now...his real life begins." Off slinks Max to mysterious nocturnal escapades. Provensen fans will be thrilled that this "never-before-published picture book," complete with hand-lettering, has seen the light of day. It closes with a note from the couple's daughter, Karen Provensen Mitchell, who recalls growing up with the real-life Max on Maple Hill Farm. Via translucent watercolors, distinctive lines, and their singular style, the Provensens capture the riddles that are cats -- and the thrill of being one who roams a family farm. Julie DanielsonJanuary/February 2023 p.64 (c) Copyright 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
A previously unpublished, fully illustrated dummy from the celebrated Provensens merits a posthumous transformation. "When Max was a kitten, / he was the only one. // But he was as much trouble as ten kittens." The yellow-eyed tabby grows bigger than mom Gooseberry, with a barnyard swagger to match. Delicate watercolor-and-ink illustrations contrast with Max's bravado as he teases Maple Hill Farm's other cats and dogs but not its goats, horse, or geese. An intrepid hunter, Max lines his home (a cozy nook built into the side of the barn) with squirrel tails. The Provensens adroitly illustrate many of Max's feline characteristics, from sharp teeth and claws to his expressive, "important" tail. The charming narrative adopts a confiding tone, perhaps delivered by the light-skinned child depicted in many spreads. After tiring of the day's barnyard rounds, Max leaves for the fields. "You would not know him. / He looks like a tiger." Below a rising full moon, "his real life begins." The publisher engaged lettering specialists to preserve the Provensens' lovely handwritten forms as text type. Karen Provensen Mitchell, the couple's daughter, provides a lovely note, with reminiscences, family photos, and an early illustration of the real Max. Hopefully, this appealing package will propel new generations to discover the Provensens, whose visual chronicles so adeptly revealed their reverence for the land and animals they stewarded. (This book was reviewed digitally.) Utterly delightful. (Picture book. 3-8) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
