tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3020960402708303830.post583941045005861249..comments2024-03-28T14:53:38.827-04:00Comments on BLCKDGRD: Belligerent Cat That Won't Let GoUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3020960402708303830.post-52416348117808879382017-04-09T09:10:40.366-04:002017-04-09T09:10:40.366-04:00The Cat's Meow
Gary Soto (1997)
Review
for ...<b>The Cat's Meow</b><br />Gary Soto (1997)<br /><br />Review<br /><br />for Grades 2-4<br /><br />Third grader Graciela is shocked when her white cat, Pip, starts speaking to her in Spanish. She has to deal with the situation by herself since her parents are seriously strange (maybe "because they're parents") and a friend from school thinks she's <i>loca</i>. So Graciela asks Pip to tell her her story and this feline does-in Spanish, which is translated in footnotes at the bottom of each page. It seems that Pip was befriended by an eccentric kindly neighbor who taught her Spanish (and several other languages). The details (perhaps involving earphones) remain a secret between Senor Medina and Pip, but Graciela enjoys her new talking cat and her new friend. Unfortunately, a gossipy neighbor alerts the media and Senor Medina is hounded into moving away with Pip. Graciela is devastated until her pet returns, now black and speaking French. On one level, this is a charming animal fantasy that is engaging and entertaining, with a sprinkling of Spanish words and a believable heroine. However, readers are sure to be distracted by concern for Graciela's parents, who repeatedly act irrationally, misunderstand what she says, and speak in non sequiturs. Soto's intended effect isn't clear (is it an attempt at humor? a child's perspective of how parents act?), and compromises the success of the book.<br /><br />Anne Connor, Los Angeles Public Library<br /><i>School Library Journal</i>mistah charley, ph.d.https://www.blogger.com/profile/06303695341246058680noreply@blogger.com