playing with wool,
boxes,
and riding bikes!
Matilda's cat likes
tea parties,
funky hats..."
You don't have to look very far for fun when one of Emily Gravett's books is at hand. In this newest one that I had in my TBR pile, I found just what I was looking for when thinking about wonderful books to help little ones see the joy that comes from reading on their own!
Her artistic flair is easily recognized for its charming characters and this is no exception, as you can see from the cover. Matilda is delighted to be manhandling her cat; the cat does not seem so enamored of the treatment. Matilda is nothing if not persistent and she tries to involve the cat in any number of pursuits. The front endpapers show the cat 'makaing tracks' for the inside of the book, and then a bit cautious while watching Matilda, who is dressed in a remarkably similar cat suit to the actual one sported by her pet.
On the title page we watch as Matilda draws a reasonable facsimile of the cat she so loves. Moving inside, Matilda is delightedly entangled in a mass of wool while the cat cowers behind the wool basket, and tries to avoid being hit in the head by a flying ball of red yarn. Turn the page and the cat who doesn't like to play with wool now likes playing with boxes. Or does he? Is that Matilda hiding in a decorated tower of them?
The cat doesn't seem too keen on wool, boxes or riding bicycles; mighty Matilda tends to take each of those favorite activities for her own. What about a tea party? How does one open a banana if one is a cat? Matilda tries to keep him busy; the cat is decidedly disinterested. No hats, no sword fights, no drawing...not even bedtime stories!
This is my favorite spread from the book:
If you know Emily Gravett's work, you will recognize the reading material...and check out that shadow. In the end, it seems the cat likes nothing that Emily likes. It isn't until the final page that we discover what he really does like! Perfect, and oh, so sweet.
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