 | |
| Author | Nonny Hogrogian |
|---|---|
| Illustrator | Nonny Hogrogian |
| Country | USA |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Children's picture book |
| Published | 2009 (Roaring Brook Press/Macmillian) |
| Media type | Print (hardback) |
| Pages | 32 (unpaginated) |
| ISBN | 9781596434295 |
| OCLC | 763471734 |
Cool Cat is a 2009 Children's picture book by Nonny Hogrogian. In this wordless book, a cat is joined by other animals to colourfully paint a ruined brown landscape.
A reviewer in The Seattle Times of Cool Cat wrote "Hogrogian’s art can seem deceptively simple, but she is a picture-book master who knows how to keep readers turning the pages.", [1] and School Library Journal wrote "Both visually and conceptually, this is a gem.". [2]
Cool Cat has also been reviewed by Kirkus Reviews , [3] Publishers Weekly , [4] The Horn Book Magazine , [5] Library Media Connection, [6] and The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books . [7]
Nonny Hogrogian was an American writer and illustrator, known best for children's picture books. She won two annual Caldecott Medals for U.S. children's book illustrations. From childhood she preferred folk and fairy tales, poetry, fantasy and stories.
The Lion & the Mouse is a 2009 nearly wordless picture book illustrated by Jerry Pinkney. This book, published by Little, Brown and Company, tells Aesop's fable of The Lion and the Mouse. In the story, a mouse's life is a spared by a lion. Later, after the lion is trapped, the mouse is able to set the lion free. Adapting the fable, with the moral that the weak can help the strong, as a wordless picture book was seen as a successful way of overcoming the brief plot generally found in the source stories. While it was Pinkney's first wordless picture book, it was not the first time he had told the story, having previously included it in his Aesop's Fables, published in 2000. Pinkney, who had received five Caldecott Honors, became the first African American to win the Caldecott Medal for his illustrations in this book. His illustrations were generally praised for their realism and sense of place. The cover illustrations, featuring the title characters but no text, drew particular praise.
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Big Cat, Little Cat is a 2017 children's picture book written by Elisha Cooper. It was published by Roaring Brook Press, a subsidiary of Macmillan Books. In the story, a large, white cat welcomes a new black cat into a family. The white cat then dies, and the cycle begins anew when the family adopts a new kitten. Cooper was inspired to write the story after his family experienced a similar situation. Critics praised his illustrations, for their ability to help further the story's messages and themes. These monochromatic illustrations were different than the style Cooper normally employed when illustrating a book. The book was well-reviewed, and received a 2018 Caldecott Honor.
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The Goblin and the Empty Chair is a 2009 children's picture book by Mem Fox and illustrated by Leo and Diane Dillon. It is a modern fairy tale, and is about a hermit goblin who observes a farming family that is so aggrieved that they cannot carry out their daily tasks; for 3 days the goblin secretly does their work not realising that he has been seen, eventually the goblin is invited to partake in breakfast with them.
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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.
My Pet Human is a 2015 children's book written and illustrated by Yasmine Surovec. It concerns a black and white stray cat that likes his independence but is eventually persuaded through the regular provision of food and comfort that having a little girl and her family to look after him may not be such a bad thing.
Cat Dreams is a 2009 children's picture book by Ursula K. Le Guin and illustrated by S D Schindler. It is about a cat that has a nap, dreams of fantastical kitty things, like raining mice, is startled awake, then finds a nice human lap to snooze on.
Preschoolers will grin with delight as each page turn reveals something new in the evolving panorama. Accomplished with panache, a warm palette and quiet drama, the subtle message and charm of this wordless transformation make it a perfect companion to Leo Lionni's Frederick.
In Hogrogian's silent yet richly imagined vision of the Peaceable Kingdom, the animals do not just inhabit their world but work together to help mend it—a vision of possibility.
Hogrogian's pencil and watercolor art may look simpler and less energetic than that in her books of thirty years ago, but her characters are just as appealing, with the same dignified and mysterious introspection that distinguished her best work.
The illustrations are detailed and clearly show the differences from the beginning to the end of the story. Unlike many wordless books, this book has a clear sequence of events and would translate well into a storytime book.
This may therefore provide sweet lapsharing fodder for young animal lovers, who will likely then want to bring their own stuffed menagerie to assist with artistic endeavors.