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Blackall, Sophie

Negative Cat

32 pp. | Penguin/Paulsen | August, 2021 | Trade ISBN 978-0-399-25719-3 $17.99 | Ebook ISBN 978-0-698-17298-2 $10.99
(2) K-3 This entertaining tale is a tribute to animal rescue shelters--and to literacy. The narrator is in the midst of an intense campaign to get a cat; we read that there have been 427 days of fervent pleas. The boy agrees to conditions--including a commitment to reading daily, even though reading is a challenge--and is allowed to choose a cat from the shelter. Max turns out to be aloof and troublesome. But just as the family is about to return this "negative" cat to the shelter, the narrator unlocks the key to Max's affection: reading to him. Later, the boy comes to the shelter to read to all the cats, and then his entire class does, too. The many eye-catching details in Blackall's fine-lined illustrations invite close inspection; for instance, readers will notice the narrator's mother sharing Wenzel's They All Saw a Cat at bedtime, and later Max becomes enthralled with Gág's Millions of Cats. Blackall expertly captures body language and extracts a lot of humor from the surly cat, especially when comparing him to the animated pet-owner: we see the child attempt to connect ("I tell him all my best jokes. He doesn't even smile"); the cat is shown with his back to readers, staring at the wall or rudely putting his tail in a stick of butter. As a result, it's immensely rewarding to see the connection that occurs when the boy starts to read (and to enjoy it!) and Max crawls closer to cuddle. A positive and satisfying tale.
Reviewer: Julie Danielson | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2022

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