Kristi Jemtegaard
…loving but unsentimental…Eugene Yelchin's sinuous draftsmanship, playful perspectives and sunny palette provide just the right counterpoint to this tale of a cat with attitude to spare.
—The Washington Post
From the Publisher
Sometimes the full savor of a book only comes through silent absorption. That is manifestly the case with ‘Won Ton: A Cat Tale Told in Haiku'…Children old enough to read will get the full force of the harmonious combination of Lee Wardlaw's wry verse and Eugene Yelchin's witty illustration.” —Wall Street Journal
“From the front cover on, this nameless shelter cat steals the show, with wide eyes, a sinewy body and a blue-gray coat....The charm of the text is that we see everything anew, from the cat's perspective.” —Chicago Tribune
“Gloriously illustrated by Eugene Yelchin, the story is a beguiling tale of a wary shelter cat and the boy who takes him home. It's an adoption story that's funny, touching, visually exciting and unforgettable.” —Santa Barbara Family Life
“The poignant story of a shelter cat finding a forever home unfolds in haiku verse in this funny, lovely and original picture book…offering a beguiling mix of humor…and emotion—along with a painless lesson in the creative possibilities of this form of poetry.” —Buffalo News
“Perfect pussycat poetry for anyone who has ever loved a shelter cat.” —Kirkus Reviews, STARRED REVIEW
“[A]n unforgettable character in a shelter cat whose veneer of cynical toughness masks his vulnerability. Won Ton's sweetly humorous story will steal the hearts of readers young and old.” —School Library Journal, STARRED REVIEW
“Both the tightly constructed lines and elegant, playful illustrations unerringly imagine a cat's world, including the characteristic feline seesaw between aloof independence and purring, kneading adoration…[A] wry, heartwarming title that's sure to find wide acceptance in the classroom and beyond.” —Booklist, STARRED REVIEW
“A surprisingly powerful story in verse.” —Publishers Weekly
DECEMBER 2012 - AudioFile
Children will enjoy the adventures of a cat named Won Ton as he makes the journey from animal shelter to his new home and from aloofness to caring. This story is written in haiku—actually senryu, a genre that focuses on the foibles of human, but read cat, nature. Wardlaw captures high points in Won Ton’s life, including the moment he is chosen, as well as when he is named, and his enjoyment of the warm napping spot he finds on the stomach of the person he calls “my boy.” James Yaegashi is outstanding in delivering the haiku and in making this audio flow from poem to poem as a story. Within each haiku, he brings auditory delight. He elongates yawns to underscore boredom and changes his tone to one of panic when Won Ton is catnapped for a sister’s tea party. The oft-repeated high-speed refrain “Let me out, let me out, let me back in!” elicits laughter. A.R. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine
Kirkus Reviews
In 33 senryu (Japanese poetry similar to and derived from haiku but focusing on human—or, here, feline—foibles instead of nature), Wardlaw relates the tale of a grey shelter cat. In his cage he thinks, "Gypsy on my left. / Pumpkin, my right. Together, / we are all alone." During visiting hours one day, though he takes pains to appear disinterested, the grey cat hopes the boy who rubs his chin just right will selecthim. He does! And after a scary car ride comes the naming. "Buster? Bubba? SPIKE? / Great Rats! Those don't befit an / Oriental prince." Won Ton might be what the boy calls him, but he has a secret name...he won't tell just anyone. Won Ton survives new food, being catnapped and dressed up and a trip to the backyard. And he finally calls the boy's house home. Wardlaw's terse, traditional verse captures catness from every angle, while Yelchin's graphite and gouache illustrations telegraph cat-itude with every stretch and sinuous slink. Perfect pussycat poetry for anyone who has ever loved a shelter cat.(Picture book/poetry. 4-9)
