★ 01/04/2016 In Bogart (Big and Small, Room for All) and Smith’s (Sidewalk Flowers) interpretation of a medieval Irish poem, a solitary, scholarly monk observes the cat living in his cell. The monk records the similarities between the cat’s pursuits and his own, creating a quietly powerful story about work, companionship, and the things that sustain—whether knowledge, faith, or a tasty mouse. A combination of panel sequences and full-page scenes, Smith’s ink-and-watercolor illustrations are dominated by moody browns and grays, with occasional bursts of color in the monk’s illuminated manuscripts; the cat’s playful curiosity and mutual tenderness with the monk add notes of light and humor. Bogart doesn’t emulate the rhyming couplets of the source material, instead writing in subtle, straightforward sentences: “We are each content, with all we need to entertain us.” Despite the reflective tone, text and art move readers swiftly through the story, which builds to a seeming epiphany for the monk. It’s a sophisticated and subtle story about the pursuit of joy—one that will easily resonate with readers young and old. Ages 4–8. Illustrator’s agent: Emily van Beek, Folio Literary Management. (Mar.)
The text’s subtle moral is timeless but also sings with elegiac timeliness — what a wonderful counterpoint to modern life’s hamster wheel of achievement and approval, this idea that there is poetry in every pursuit executed with purposefulness and savored with uncompetitive joy.
The New York Times - Maria Popova
Truly a wonderful book, THE WHITE CAT AND THE MONK expresses the richness of the relationship between the two characters.
CM: Canadian Review of Materials
Smith . . . imbues the text with contemporary visual language through his singular, elegantly minimalist graphic novel aesthetic.
The adaptation . . . is as unostentatious as the watercolor-and-ink illustrations, which meld a medieval spirit with a modern sense of cartooning, a juxtaposition that is fresh and seems entirely right.
Author Jo Ellen Bogart has provided an unembellished, thoughtful text that pays tribute to the value of perseverance and dedication for one's vocation, be it humble or exalted.
Canadian Children's Book News
The watercolor-and-ink artwork has both heft and humor, especially in the joyful depictions of the manuscripts...Readers who consider the story’s underlying messages about necessities, companionship, and fulfillment will come away enriched.
If ever there was a book that could calm a child and draw her into meditative contemplation (perhaps right before bed?), The White Cat and the Monk is it.
STARRED REVIEW Quill & Quire
This is a great book for any group of readers . . . a great book to introduce to kids who may not think they like poetry.
The Children's Writer's Guild
The stylized artwork captures the timeless beauty of the poem in this simple yet meaningful picturebook, highly recommended.
Truly a wonderful book, THE WHITE CAT AND THE MONK expresses the richness of the relationship between the two characters.
Canadian Review of Materials
If ever there was a book that could calm a child and draw her into meditative contemplation (perhaps right before bed?), The White Cat and the Monk is it.
STARRED REVIEW Quill and Quire
Short-listed for the Governor General's Literary Awards, Young People's Literature Illustrated Books
A New York Times Best Illustrated Children's Book
Brain Pickings' Best Children's Books of 2016
“
there is no denying that this a beautiful piece of bookmaking. The watercolor-and-ink artwork has both heft and humor, especially in the joyful depictions of the manuscripts. The shift from the darkness of the early spreads to the bright color of the characters' time together captures the pleasure of the relationship. The final spread of daybreak, meanwhile, is irresistible. Readers who consider the story’s underlying messages about necessities, companionship, and fulfillment will come away enriched.” Booklist , Starred Review
"A stunningly illustrated meditative ode to the simple joys of human-animal companionship and the pursuit of knowledge." School Library Journal , Starred Review.
“It’s a sophisticated and subtle story about the pursuit of joyone that will easily resonate with readers young and old.” Publishers Weekly , Starred Review.
"Reminiscent of the succinct storytelling and expressive brushwork of Chris Raschka and Kevin Henkes, this quiet, historical gem will charm children and adults alike." Kirkus Reviews , Starred Review.
"The text’s subtle moral is timeless but also sings with elegiac timeliness what a wonderful counterpoint to modern life’s hamster wheel of achievement and approval, this idea that there is poetry in every pursuit executed with purposefulness and savored with uncompetitive joy." The New York Times
"The adaptation . . . is as unostentatious as the watercolor-and-ink illustrations, which meld a medieval spirit with a modern sense of cartooning, a juxtaposition that is fresh and seems entirely right. " Horn Book
"Smith . . . imbues the text with contemporary visual language through his singular, elegantly minimalist graphic novel aesthetic." Brain Pickings
"Author Jo Ellen Bogart has provided an unembellished, thoughtful text that pays tribute to the value of perseverance and dedication for one's vocation, be it humble or exalted." Canadian Children's Book News
"This is a great book for any group of readers . . . a great book to introduce to kids who may not think they like poetry." The Children's Writer's Guild
"Truly a wonderful book, The White Cat and the Monk expresses the richness of the relationship between the two characters." Canadian Review of Materials
"The stylized artwork captures the timeless beauty of the poem in this simple yet meaningful picturebook, highly recommended." Midwest Book Review
12/01/2016 Gr 1–5—On a dark night, a white cat slinks through a stone abbey until it reaches a monk's candlelit chamber. There, each spends the late hours absorbed in patient work—the monk over his books, the cat outside a mouse's hole—until they welcome the dawn together. Adapted from the anonymous Irish poem "Pangur Bán," the simple, lyrical text combines with shadowy ink and watercolor images into a beautifully illustrated ode to companionship and the pursuit of knowledge.
★ 2016-01-09 In the ninth century C.E., an anonymous, Irish Benedictine monk penned a poem drawing parallels between the pursuits of his cat and his own work; Bogart's retelling and Smith's paintings create an accessible window into this world. The tale begins wordlessly with watercolor-and-ink compositions framed in sequential panels of varying size. Readers follow the titular feline from a forest into the monastery, where he pads under vaulted ceilings to a row of closed doors. From within one, light leaks out, and a robed man with a long, white beard welcomes his friend: "I, monk and scholar, / share my room // with my white cat, Pangur. / By candle's light, late into the night / we work, each at a special trade." The voice is lyrical yet easily understood. As the animal stalks a mouse, the monk studies a manuscript. The illuminated pages he pores over present cryptic, Celtic-inspired designs featuring the picture book's characters. The palette shifts from shadowy panels with spots of golden light to colorful full bleeds depicting the open volume. Contentment and joy are reflected in text and image as the duo move toward the window; joined by a butterfly, they behold the "light in the darkness." Reminiscent of the succinct storytelling and expressive brushwork of Chris Raschka and Kevin Henkes, this quiet, historical gem will charm children and adults alike. (author's note) (Picture book. 4-7)