Eula Square Cat: December 2010

Monday, December 20, 2010

Thursday, December 16, 2010

A wonderful review from the School Library Journal!
Thank you, School Library Journal!

SCHOONMAKER, Elizabeth. Square Cat. illus. by author. unpaged. CIP. S &

S/Aladdin. Jan. 2011. RTE $14.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-0619-3. LC 2009039884.

PreS-Gr 1–Playing off the square peg in the round hole theme, this title

gently packs a powerful message about self-acceptance and friendship. Eula,

a square cat, laments the difficulties she faces in a world of round cats.

When she tips over, it’s difficult to get up. Living in a city surrounded by

square buildings renders her invisible. Circle skirts or outfits with

stripes are a “fashion don’t” on a square cat, and trying to “make it work”

is not an option. Her round feline friends, Patsy and Maude, try to help sad

Eula get her “purr” back. After a makeover including round hoop earrings, a

beehive hat, rouge painted on her cheeks, and a doughnut party, Eula falls

again, and....you get the picture. Her friends put themselves into square

boxes and show her the possibilities and upside of living the square-cat

life. Ink and bright watercolor illustrations using basic shapes with simple

and engaging facial expressions steal the show. Schoonmaker uses the shapes

of these clever cats’ mouths, eyes, and eyebrows to communicate their

emotions. Eula changes from skeptical, to happy, to confident. The support

of loving friends and her experience figuring out how to “make it work” for

herself are the catalysts. Plentiful white space is used to help the

colorful blue, orange, and yellow cats pop off the page. This delightful

book with its spare and simple text is perfect for storytime or sharing

one-on-one.–Anne Beier, Clifton Public Library, NJ

Eula Square Cat