A Carnival of Cats

by Charles Ghigna, Kristi Bridgeman

Overview

There’s a purrrfect little carnival coming to town, filled with adorable cats of all different kinds!

In this hint-and-reveal board book, babies, toddlers and cat-lovers alike will enjoy discovering (and guessing) what breed of cat is hiding on the next page. With playful rhyming text from award-winning author Charles Ghigna, aka Father Goose®, and beautiful illustrations by celebrated artist Kristi Bridgeman, this exuberant board book will have everyone guessing what cat is that!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781459806870
Publisher:	Orca Book Publishers
Publication date:	09/01/2015
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	26
Lexile:	BR (what's this?)
Age Range:	3 Months to 2 Years

About the Author

Charles Ghigna, or Father Goose®, lives in a treehouse in the middle of Alabama. He is the author of more than 100 award-winning books from Random House, Disney, Hyperion, Scholastic, Simon&Schuster, Time Inc., Abrams, Boyds Mills Press, Charlesbridge, Capstone, Orca and other publishers. He has served as poet-in-residence and chair of creative writing at the Alabama School of Fine Arts and as a nationally syndicated feature writer for Tribune Media Services.

Kristi Bridgeman has illustrated several books for children. Her fine-art pieces can be found at the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria and Sooke Harbour House Gallery. Born and raised on the west coast of Canada, Kristi resides and paints in her home-based studio at the edge of the rainforest on Vancouver Island, British Columbia.

Editorial Reviews

08/03/2015
Ghigna and Bridgeman offer a rhyming guessing game featuring 10 cats, set against the festive atmosphere of a carnival. Pennants, balloons, lanterns, and confetti adorn Bridgeman’s mixed-media illustrations, while readers can turn the pages to complete Ghigna’s playful rhymes: “Fluffy fur./ Fun to pat./ Could that be a.../ Persian cat!/ Eyes the size/ of a harvest moon./ Could that be a.../ Great Maine Coon!” Bridgeman’s wide-eyed cats can initially be spied peeking through small square frames; page turns reveal them displaying their circus-worthy talents: a tabby cat grins widely as it balances on a ball, and a black Bombay walks a tightrope. Cat lovers of any age should be delighted. Up to age 3. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

"This would be a great book to pair with a non-fiction book about cat breeds."

Resource Links

"Ever since we received this book, Henry has wanted to read it every night...Each page features different appearances, names, and behaviors of cats. I was surprised at how much I learned! We’ve been practicing the different types of cats, so he will be better able to identify his feline friends. I’d highly recommend this board book. It is quite fun to read, and every night, I look forward to reading it...This book will be a wonderful read aloud in an early childhood classroom. There are opportunities for comparing and contrasting, rhyming, and cross-curricular elements by talking about different breeds of cats."

Unleashing Readers

"From its alliterative title to the closing surprise, A Carnival of Cats is a fun, informative read. Highly Recommended."

CM: Canadian Review of Materials

"A charming pet tale...Beautiful illustrations are sure to enchant even the youngest reader. If you’re looking for a book that can be read, enjoyed, [and] chewed upon...A Carnival of Cats is sure to delight."

January Magazine

"The illustrations are gorgeous."

The Latest 49th Shelf

"Ever since we received this book, Henry has wanted to read it every night...Each page features different appearances, names, and behaviors of cats. I was surprised at how much I learned! We’ve been practicing the different types of cats, so he will be better able to identify his feline friends. I’d highly recommend this board book. It is quite fun to read, and every night, I look forward to reading it...This book will be a wonderful read aloud in an early childhood classroom. There are opportunities for comparing and contrasting, rhyming, and cross-curricular elements by talking about different breeds of cats."

Unleashing Readers blog

"From its alliterative title to the closing surprise, A Carnival of Cats is a fun, informative read. Highly Recommended."

CM Magazine

"The illustrations are gorgeous."

49th Shelf blog

★ 2015-10-14
A carnival theme runs through the illustrations in this brief introduction to different breeds of cats. Rhyming text and a window at the center of the right-hand pages suggest a certain type of cat. For example: the first window frames the paws and part of the face of an orange-and-black kitty cat, and the accompanying text reads: "Orange and black / from head to toe. / Could that be a…." Turn the page for the answer—"Calico!"—and an illustration of the calico cat grinning while swinging from a trapeze bar. The artwork, created with sepia ink, watercolor, and wax resist on paper, offers lovely, detailed pictures of all the felines frolicking about in carnival settings. In addition to the calico, the book features a tabby, Siamese, Persian, Maine coon, bobtail, Bombay, Russian blue, and a Scottish fold. The kitty riddles are framed with scenes of a little girl trying to identify a black-and-white cat, and the final heartwarming pages read: "Here comes that cat. / I know what kind. / He's just a stray. / That cat is… // Mine!" No doubt preschoolers will enjoy learning about the various breeds of cat, but it's the whimsical illustrations that really make this one something to purr about. (Board book. 2-4)

Kirkus Reviews