Saturday 6 February 2010

There are cats in this book - Viviane Schwarz


I'm excited about a picture book again! It hasn't happened in ages. I'm sure there are floods of brilliant picture books out there, but we as a shop don't get that many recently, and as a result I'm picture book-starved. This one here was a pleasant surprise, and definitely one of my favourite ever.

It's a lift-the-flap book, but it takes the concept to a whole new ingenious level. There's no story, just the interaction with three cats - Moonpie, Tiny and André - who get woken up by you turning their blanket up and then ask to play with them. They literally become your playmates. You can engage in a pillow-fight with them, throw wool at them, save them from drowning, drying them up and then tuck them in, all in one book!
I not only love the concept, but also the humour, the kittens' expressions, the bold sketchy lines, the bright colours, everything!
While I was looking for some web images to show you the book, I found a youtube video where the author Viviane Schwarz reads the whole thing, with sound effects included! If you have 4 minutes to spare, you can watch it here:


and you could even visit her website, where you can view her gallery, read her blog and bio.
In fact, I recommend you do all of the above. This woman rocks!

8 comments:

mariel said...

I love interactive picture books, they add that extra dynamic to reading time! Especially when they are funny ;) Thanks!

Jill said...

This looks so cute! I've just put it on hold at my library. Thanks!

valentina said...

Mariel, I love them too, although sometimes they can be a bit repetitive, always using usual devices "borrowed" from lots of other books of the same kind.
I found this one really unique, and great great fun!

Darla, the kittens are very cute, aren't they? I hope you'll like it as much as i did:)

carina gomes said...

Hi Valentina! I loved your blog, it is so cute and special. I am a Brazilian storyteller living in London and still learning about English authors. This kittens story is very different.
I'll be your blog addicted right now!
Best wishes,
Carina.

valentina said...

aww thank you Carina. I'm glad you stumbled upon my little blog:)

Jill said...

Valentina - Can I tell you how much we absolutely ADORE this book? It's delightful! I laughed so hard reading it at work when it came in that of course everyone else wanted a turn, and they all loved it. And then I took it home and read it to my kids, who were enchanted. THANKS! :-)

valentina said...

ahhh that's great Darla!! You made me put a big smile on my face:)

tinylittlelibrarian said...

Yay! I really liked this book when it came into the library, too. Thanks for sharing the video, it was a treat!