I picked this book off the library shelf because of its intriguing, poetic title. I opened it because of its alluring front cover. I checked it out for Dano because its simple, dreamlike story was so unlike the realistic books about trucks and trains he favors, and I wanted to see if he'd like this too. Stretching his imagination is always a good thing.Turns out, he does like it! Which means I've gotten to read it over and over this week :-) I love the simple story of a boy sailing off to a dreamy island and cavorting the night away with the five cinder-eyed cats and a host of ocean creatures. The text is as poetic as the title, beginning with free verse, then rhyming later on. My favorite line is: "Cats like velvet shadows move." I love the alliteration and assonance of the Vs and As, and anyone who's ever been friendly with cats knows that's just how they do move.
The Cinder-Eyed Cats combines simple, poetic text with soft paintings and a story that will delight children and parents alike. Or at least, it delights my children and me :-)
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Rachel -- I LOVE the title of this book. Cinder-Eyed. I love that description. It seems that children's books have gotten so much more well-written over the years, so much more poetic. Don't get me wrong, I still love my "Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People's Ears" -- which is just about the darkest, creepiest children's book I've ever come across (go figure that's what I cut my teeth on), but Cinder-Eyed is beautiful.
ReplyDeleteHmm, sounds like a good. I'll have to check it out for the girls.
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