 | |
| Author | Emily Gravett |
|---|---|
| Country | England |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Children's picture book |
| Published | 2012 (Macmillan Children's Books) |
| Media type | Print (hardback) |
| Pages | 32 (unpaginated) |
| ISBN | 9780230745377 |
| OCLC | 800852809 |
Matilda's Cat is a 2012 children's picture book by Emily Gravett. The book is about Matilda, a girl dressed in a ginger-striped cat costume, who attempts to involve her similarly ginger-striped cat in various activities to no avail but then eventually snuggles up with the cat in bed.
A review in Kirkus Reviews of Matilda's Cat wrote "A master of animal countenance, Gravett pairs an expressive cat with a busy kid and winks at the difference between textual and visual message", [1] and Booktrust wrote that "Gravett’s illustrations in this funny and touching picture book are as delightful as ever." [2]
Matilda's Cat has also been reviewed by Publishers Weekly , [3] Booklist , [4] School Library Journal , [5] Horn Book Guides , [6] Library Media Connection, [7] The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books , [8] The New York Times , [9] and The Wall Street Journal . [10]
It was long-listed for the 2013 Kate Greenaway Medal [ citation needed ].
Debi Gliori is a Scottish writer and illustrator of children's books.
Emily Gravett is an English author and illustrator of children's picture books. For her debut book Wolves published in 2005 and Little Mouse's Big Book of Fears published three years later, she won the annual Kate Greenaway Medal recognising the year's best-illustrated British children's book.
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Gravett's humor generally runs from giddy to Gothic; in this story, it's toward the sweeter end of the spectrum.
Gravett, the creator of Again! (2013), creates big, bold drawings against clean, white backgrounds, perfect for showcasing spunky Matilda, her uncooperative cat, and their odd-couple friendship, which happily succeeds even though they have nothing in common.
The energetic watercolor artwork is pure Gravett, with plenty of visual jokes and with characters-girl and cat-who express their feelings with every fiber of their being. For every overly exuberant youngster who has ever attempted to win the affections of a feline, this picture book offers reassurances that the friendship bond will most like occur but perhaps not on the child's timetable.
Generous white space puts Matilda and her cat front-and-center in each amusing, clever double-page spread.
Gravett's use of cat and dog motifs in the illustrations, and details such as the cat using the storybook as a platform for preening, enhance the unconditional relationship between Matilda and her tabby.
The listlike narrative is carefully and crisply structured, ... The contradiction between the text and the put-upon cat's comical expressions is the real hoot here, and young pet owners will particularly relate to Matilda's desire to have her cat behave according to her whims.