Cat & The Cuckoo, The [Hardcover]

Ted Hughes (Author), Flora McDonnell (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 6 and up | Series: Single Titles

Here are 28 whimsical, lyrical, and robust animal poems from one of the twentieth century's most celebrated poets. The mole, the cat, the squirrel, the donkey, and others make memorable appearances, accompanied by striking duotone artwork. Acutely observed, accessible, and surprising, this is perfect for children learning to love poetry.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 3-6-Stylized ink drawings accompany a collection of poems first published in Britain in 1987. As in Moon Whales and Other Moon Poems (Viking, 1976; o.p.), illustrated by Leonard Baskin, Hughes's often stark images are paired with black-and-white drawings. Unlike Baskin's art, though, McDonnell's lighthearted portraits do not seem in harmony with the images that Hughes's words paint. The poet's animals are most true to their animal nature-his Crow "-lifts a claw-/A crucifix/Of burnt matchsticks"; his Cuckoo "-leaves her [the Linnet] to weep with a worm in her hand." Words, if not pictures, keep these creatures strong and wild.-Kathleen Whalin, York Public Library, M.-- to weep with a worm in her hand." Words, if not pictures, keep these creatures strong and wild.
Kathleen Whalin, York Public Library, ME
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Gr. 3-6, younger for reading aloud. With physical immediacy, the 28 poems in this children's collection by the late British poet laureate bring readers and listeners close to each animal's sounds and movements. Sometimes the viewpoint is of a child right there watching, as when pigeons "clatter up, and veer, and soar in a ring / It's as if the house suddenly sang something." Sometimes Hughes imagines the animal's experience, not to personify it, but to be it, move like it: "With a rocketing rip / Squirrel will zip / Up a tree-bole." There's feeling, too, in the particulars--the half-domesticated goat with "Lumps of torn hair / Glued here and there." Opposite each poem, McDonnell's black-and-white wash illustrations, with big frontal close-ups of the animal in a farm setting, capture the silliness as well as realism and mystery. First published in England in 1987 and now reissued, this exuberant read-aloud collection will prepare kids for Hughes' unforgettable adult poems about fierce animals and nature. Hazel Rochman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 6 and up
  
• Hardcover: 64 pages
• Publisher: Roaring Brook Press; First Edition edition (March 5, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0761315489
• ISBN-13: 978-0761315483
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 5.4 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.2 ounces
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,843,184 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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