12/06/2021
This loopy tale from previous collaborators Pinkwater and Renier (Adventures of a Dwergish Girl ) is predicated on the factoid that “90 percent of body heat is lost through the top of the head.” To remedy the situation, a yellow-haired, pink-skinned entrepreneur named Matt Katz rents out trained cats of “unusual furriness and warmth,” which form themselves into highly specialized chapeaus for “mountain climbers, adventurers, Arctic explorers, and people living in Chicago.” When a green-skinned witch friend of the Katz family (which includes wife Glamorella as well as children Pocketmouse and Lambkin, all brown skinned) becomes stranded up a mountain with a possible brain freeze (she was last seen eating “an extra-large jumbo frozen fruitsicle”), Katz dispatches a huge and resourceful marmalade puss named Thermal Herman 6 7/8ths, “warmest cat ever known.” The cat forms itself into a witch’s hat in a wonderful vignette of balletic moves, while the wealth of meandering character-driven asides and the story’s densely colored gouache drawings are packed with details both on point and amusingly extraneous. It’s worldbuilding at its most absurd. Ages 4–8. Author’s agent: Jennifer Laughran, Andrea Brown Literary. Illustrator’s agent: Steven Malk, Writers House. (Feb
"Tongue-twisting text, odd and lovable characters, and Renier’s vibrant, gouache, mixed-media-esque illustrations make a delightful fever dream that will please both the grown-up reading the books and the kiddos listening. . .This is Pinkwater at his best, clever, charming, and weird in the best possible ways."
The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
**STARRED REVIEW** "Pinkwater fans know to expect absurd situations, wry humor, and zany mayhem, and this latest picture book does not disappoint. . .Renier’s vivid gouache illustrations feature bold, in-your-face hues and busy, detail-filled compositions that extend the text and invite protracted viewing. . .This ridiculous adventure will be catnip to feline-lovers and those with an offbeat sense of humor."
"“With jolly maximalism and Shrinky Dinks shadings, this is a book that invites children to take off their thinking caps, relax and revel in pure silliness."
**STARRED REVIEW** "Pinkwater fans know to expect absurd situations, wry humor, and zany mayhem, and this latest picture book does not disappoint. . .Renier’s vivid gouache illustrations feature bold, in-your-face hues and busy, detail-filled compositions that extend the text and invite protracted viewing. . .This ridiculous adventure will be catnip to feline-lovers and those with an offbeat sense of humor."
—Booklist Kirkus Reviews Publishers Weekly The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books New York Times
2021-12-03
When Thirdbeard’s elderly mother, Chickarina, goes missing on a snowy evening, he enlists the help of Matt Katz. Thirdbeard fears that his Mommy, who happens to be a nice, harmless witch, will suffer from brain freeze since she was last seen eating “an extra-large jumbo frozen fruitsicle, blueberry and avocado flavor,” and walking hatless up a steep mountain known as Witch's Spitz. Luckily, Matt's beloved and most successful kat hat, Thermal Herman 6⅞ths, has only just returned from a trip to Nepal. With one look from Matt, Thermal Herman 6⅞ths rushes out into the falling night. Aided by a madcap motorcyclist and a random moose who is “using his antlers as a hat rack” for some unspecified reason, the plucky cat saves Chickarina and brings her home, warmly hatted. This zany picture book is delightfully replete with straight-faced nonsense and atypical characters, many of whom have green skin and long, pointy noses. White, androgynous Matt wears colorful, mismatched socks and is husband to the always-fly, brown-skinned Glamorella, whose clothing and hairstyle change in every scene. Their son, Pocketmouse, an aspiring magician, uses a wheelchair made out of a charcoal barrel grill, and their daughter, Lambkin, wears a jester’s costume and is forever performing circus tricks. The bright and busy gouache illustrations are chock-full of offbeat, whimsical details that tell parallel stories of their own.
Flamboyantly fanciful and so much fun! (Picture book. 4-8)
