From Publishers Weekly
Nimble, polished prose and elegant, cinnamon-toned paintings distinguish this pungent Chinese folktale. Newly widowed (and newly impoverished) Chin Yu Min is nearly done in by her own haughtiness after she spurns the kindness of her neighbors: "Coin by square-holed-coin, her strings of cash flowed away like streams from a fishpond." Encountering a cat expertly catching fish with a graceful flick of its tail, she eagerly offers the creature a home in exchange for food. Complacent once again, the old woman rudely dismisses a beggar, giving him nothing but "a torn and tattered basket"--unaware that her beloved cat is asleep inside. In a dynamic debut, Grandpre's tony illustrations--featuring strikingly angular, elongated figures--capture every humorous nuance, even as they convey Chin Yu Min's anguish at her own folly. Armstrong's ( Hugh Can Do ) vigorous text is rich with imagery and regional flavor, making the ultimate reunion of the repentant woman and her faithful feline all the more endearing. Neatly turned phrases and carefully considered language fall pleasantly on the ear without becoming flowery or overdone. In sum, the graceful balance of word and image yields a treat to be savored. Ages 4-9.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to an alternate
Hardcover
edition.
From School Library Journal
Grade 3-4-- Chin Yu Min, a haughty and frivolous rich woman in a fictitious Old China, must mend her ways when her husband dies and her money runs out. She meets a ginger cat who fishes so well with his tail that she recoups some of her fortunes from selling his catches. When he disappears, Chin Yu Min is so distraught that she humbles herself enough to ask her neighbors for help; when the cat is found, she invites them to dinner. Despite a rather abrupt volte-face, this is an amusing story that is told with gusto in mellifluous prose. The exaggerated melodramatics of Chin Yu Min offset her vicissitudes with comic effect and successfully soften the implied moral. The illustrations, in watercolor and pastels, accentuate the entertaining theatricality of the text. Colors are rich, yet applied with subtlety. Composition is dramatic, and perspective is employed strikingly. The eponymous cat is properly anthropomorphized without losing his felinity. As this is a fanciful invention, inaccuracy of detail in clothing, dwellings, implements, etc. can be overlooked. However, the exaggerated stylization and angular pitch of the characters' eyes and cheekbones perpetuate an unfortunate, offensive stereotype. This surprising and distressing feature disqualifies an otherwise enterprising work for inclusion in any children's collection. --John Philbrook, San Francisco Public Library
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to an alternate
Hardcover
edition.
