Here Comes the Easter Cat

by Deborah Underwood, Claudia Rueda (Illustrator)

Overview

This New York Times bestseller brings a cat with flair to spare, an Easter Bunny with a job to do, and a hilarious break from sticky-sweet Easter fare—for fans of Patrick McDonnell,  Mo Willems's Elephant and Piggie, and Ben Clanton's Narwhal and Jelly.

Why should the Easter Bunny get all the love? That's what Cat would like to know. So he decides to take over: He dons his sparkly suit, jumps on his Harley, and roars off into the night. But it turns out delivering Easter eggs is hard work. And it doesn't leave much time for naps (of which Cat has taken five—no, seven). So when a pooped-out Easter Bunny shows up, and with a treat for Cat, what will Cat do? His surprise solution will be stylish, smart, and even—yes—kind.

An homage to classic comic strips from the author of The Quiet Book and The Loud Book, this Easter treat has a bit of bite, a sweet center, and a satisfying finish—sure to inspire second helpings.

Great as an Easter basket stuffer—read it at Eastertime and year-round!

"Clever . . . light-as-air." —The New York Times
★ "Brilliant . . . truly winning . . . wonderful." —SLJ, starred review
★ "Utterly endearing." —Kirkus, starred review
★ "Marvelous." —Publishers Weekly, starred review
★ "Cheekily amusing." —BCCB starred review  
"Witty . . . entertaining." —The Horn Book
“Hilarious.” —Booklist

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780803739390
Publisher:	Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication date:	01/28/2014
Pages:	80
Sales rank:	226,151
Product dimensions:	7.10(w) x 8.20(h) x 0.60(d)
Lexile:	AD460L (what's this?)
Age Range:	3 - 5 Years

About the Author

Deborah Underwood is the author of the New York Times bestseller The Quiet Book. She lives in San Francisco, CA.

Claudia Rueda is a full-time illustrator and lives in Colombia.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

Praise for Here Comes the Easter Cat

A Kirkus Best Book of 2014

• "This is a book that will be enjoyed in storytimes as well as one-on-one. The combination of witty text, plentiful white space, and brilliant images make this a truly winning book."—School Library Journal, starred review

• "Cat’s signs and facial expressions are cheekily amusing, sometimes contradicting the narrator (he holds up a poster of hearts while sticking out his tongue in disgust as the narrator states, “Well, of course everyone loves the Easter Bunny”). Add it to an Easter or cat storytime lineup, or tuck it into a cat-lover’s Easter basket."—BCCB starred review 

• "Utterly endearing."—Kirkus Reviews, starred review
 

Editorial Reviews

Underwood uses a clever narrative technique to tell her light-as-air story. She addresses Cat directly, and Cat, apparently unable to speak, holds up signs and makes extravagant gestures and facial expressions in reply. Children too young to read the story can get the gist of Cat's responses just by looking.

The New York Times - Sarah Harrison Smith

★ 02/17/2014
Underwood and Rueda deliver an Easter book with real personality in this story of a cat who’s got his eye on the Easter Bunny’s job. Underwood (The Quiet Book) structures the story as a conversation between Cat and a witty unseen narrator; Cat never speaks, but instead communicates his responses his facial expressions, body language, and the occasional placard. Rueda (Is It Big Or Is It Little?) does a marvelous job of capturing Cat’s rapidly changing emotions, from his pride at picking the perfect vehicle to deliver Easter gifts (a massive red motorcycle, naturally) to his horror at realizing that an Easter Cat’s busy schedule would mean no time for naps. It’s a highly appealing blend of slightly edgy humor and underlying sweetness, and the ending suggests that Santa better watch his back. Ages 3–5. Author’s agent: Erin Murphy, Erin Murphy Literary Agency. (Jan.)

Publishers Weekly

A New York Times bestseller

A Kirkus Best Book of the Year

"Underwood uses a clever narrative technique to tell her light-as-air story." —The New York Times

★ "Will be enjoyed in storytimes as well as one-on-one. The combination of witty text, plentiful white space, and brilliant images make this a truly winning book . . . Wonderful." —School Library Journal, starred review

★ "Utterly endearing." —Kirkus Reviews, starred review

★ "Underwood and Rueda deliver an Easter book with real personality in this story of a cat who’s got his eye on the Easter Bunny’s job . . . Marvelous . . . A highly appealing blend of slightly edgy humor and underlying sweetness." —Publishers Weekly, starred review

★ "Cat’s signs and facial expressions are cheekily amusing, sometimes contradicting the narrator . . . Add it to an Easter or cat storytime lineup, or tuck it into a cat-lover’s Easter basket." —BCCB starred review  

"Witty . . . entertaining." —The Horn Book

“Hilarious.” —Booklist

From the Publisher

★ 01/01/2014
PreS-Gr 2—What happens when a lazy cat decides he wants to take over Easter? Readers meet Cat, who conveys his thoughts with pictures and facial expressions. As the story progresses, Cat becomes more and more convinced he is the perfect candidate to replace the Easter Bunny. Will he get his way? The narrator, who kids will enjoy pretending to be, explains Cat's actions and asks all the right questions. "Clothes? No, you don't need special clothes. Well…the Easter Bunny does wear a very nice vest. Wow. That's very…sparkly." This is a book that will be enjoyed in storytimes as well as one-on-one. The wonderful ink-and-color pencil illustrations depict the characters' expressions perfectly, enabling children to decipher what is happening even without the narrative. The combination of witty text, plentiful white space, and brilliant images make this a truly winning book, especially for libraries looking to expand their Easter collections.—Brooke Rasche, La Crosse Public Library, WI

School Library Journal

★ 2014-02-19
An attention-seeking, nap-loving cat hatches a plan to become the Easter Cat so that he will be loved like the Easter Bunny. The text is arranged as a series of questions from an unseen authority figure. The silent main character, referred to only as Cat, answers the questions through gestures or expressions or by holding up posterlike signs. He magically produces signs, props, costumes and motorcycles in the manner of a cartoon cat, all in the service of his plan to become the Easter Cat. Eventually he meets the real Easter Bunny, who is exhausted from delivering all those eggs without any naps at all. Cat comes up with a new plan: He'll drive a motorcycle (quite a spectacular Hog) with the Easter Bunny and a sidecar for deliveries and help deliver eggs while the bunny naps. Quirky colored-pencil illustrations complement the whimsical story, with a minimalist illustration on each spread facing a short question or comment from the narrator. The design uses an interesting, old-fashioned typeface and plenty of white space, creating a playful but sophisticated mood that plays on Cat's contrary personality. After his success at assisting the Easter Bunny, Cat comes up with another idea for the final spread: He tries on a Santa Claus costume that just might predict a sequel. Utterly endearing. (Picture book. 3-6)

Kirkus Reviews