The Horn Book Guide

PICTURE BOOKS

Newman, Lesléa

Ketzel, the Cat Who Composed

40 pp. | Candlewick | October, 2015 | Trade ISBN 978-0-7636-6555-5 $16.99

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Amy June Bates. This reality-based story concerns composer Moshe Cotel and his adopted kitten, Ketzel, whose run across the piano keyboard results in a special mention from the Paris New Music Review for the twenty-one-second composition, "Piece for Piano: Four Paws." In watercolor, gouache, and pencil, the illustrations convey an appealing human-animal bond. An author's note explains the true events that inspired the book.

Reviewer: Frieda F. Bostian