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Cat Tale [Hardcover]

Michael Hall
4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)

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Book Description

August 28, 2012 4 - 8 years

From word to word they find their way, Lillian, Tilly, and William J.

Like this:

They spot some ewes.

They use a box.

They box some fleas.

And flee a steer . . .

First they see, then they do.

The only thing missing? You!

Come join the fun.

Meow!

Michael Hall's inquisitive cats set out to spend the afternoon snacking and reading, but wind up chasing words, including homophones and homonyms, on a silly tongue twister of an adventure!


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Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Gr 1-3-Hall's book of wordplay featuring homophones and homonyms is deceptively simple in appearance but sophisticated in concept. Appealing graphic-style illustrations, printed in brightly colored, textured acrylics on paper cutouts, are set against a white background; geometric shapes can be found in most cutouts and in the shaded painted areas. The story follows three cats-Lillian, Tilly, and William J.-as they set off on a nonsensical word-based adventure. The rhymed text is written in short sentences printed in extra-large type. Nevertheless, in many instances the rapid change in meaning from one homophone to the next presupposes that readers will recognize the difference in each pair of words. For example, "They choose a spot./They spot some ewes./They use a box/to hide from bees./They do their best/to box some fleas." In the midst of the silliness, the cats lose direction, stumbling through even more nonsense in order to get back on track, which allows Hall to demonstrate how he creates the links from one homophone to another. This instructive tale may be more useful in a classroom setting than as a read-aloud.-Susan Scheps, formerly at Shaker Public Library, OHα(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Review

“Eye-poppingly bright and friendly . . . a twisty, imaginative story . . . [with] ‘read it again’ magic.” (New York Times )

Product Details

  • Age Range: 4 - 8 years
  • Hardcover: 40 pages
  • Publisher: Greenwillow Books (August 28, 2012)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0061915165
  • ISBN-13: 978-0061915161
  • Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 0.4 x 11.5 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #352,957 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars Tailing cats in kitty tales September 13, 2012
Format:Hardcover
When we are old and gray and the stars gleam a little less brightly in the wide firmament above our heads, I have no doubt that there will STILL be children's librarians out there debating the merits (or lack thereof) of picture books designed with older child readers in mind. To bring this subject up is akin to throwing a lit match on diesel soaked tinder, but what the heck. You see, walk into any decent library and you'll find a picture book section teaming with fantastic 32-48 page titles that simply do not circulate. And why? Because of the standard belief, sometimes by children, sometimes by adults, that when you reach a certain age you "outgrow" picture books. As if they were a pair of shoes liable to give you blisters if you kept them around too long. This is, naturally, bupkis. Picture books are appropriate for all ages, really (and if you don't believe me why don't I just introduce you to a little number I like to call Woolvs in the Sitee). So the fact that a book like Michael Hall's Cat Tale exists pleases on both the 6-year-old level as well as the 10-year-old level should surprise few. Wielding homophones like weapons, Hall brings his artistic sensibilities (to say nothing of his love of controlled chaos) to the wordplay realm and the end result is that everyone's a winner for it.

Meet Lillian, Tilly and William J. Three little cats that are out for a day. In rhyming verse we watch as at first their adventures are small. "They pack some books and kitty chews. They chose a spot. They spot some ewes." As the book continues they cats become more adventuresome. "They train a duck to duck a shoe. They shoo a truly naughty gnu." Yet the words begin to get tangled and the cats are in a state.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Cute and clever for slightly older readers November 11, 2012
Format:Hardcover
When this book arrived for me to review (unbidden, but not unwelcome), my 8-year-old son thought it was inviting enough to pick it up and read it. With just a glance at the illustrations and sparse text, I thought it was a typical picture book aimed at 3 - 6 year old children, but boy, was I wrong!

Cat Tale by Michael Hall is slightly oversized with brightly colored, crisp paper cut graphics (I am trying to sound more educated about picture book art styles than I actually am, but I think that this gets the point across).

The story actually starts on the title page, so don't miss it: "From word to word/they find their way,/Lillian, Tilly, and William J."

The wordplay is fantastic:

They choose a spot.
They spot some ewes.

Not only does "They flee a steer" sound great (and look fantastic on the page with a bright creature reminiscent of Babe the Blue Ox), but it introduces a new word "flee," in a very clear context with the worried expressions the cats wear as they are turning to run. On the next page they "steer a plane," and the fun plays on words continue until they get off track, but then the tale is reigned in by the cats' tails.

I hope this review has piqued your curiosity about this lovely book that is sure to delight clever kids of all ages (When my 14-year-old daughter heard my son and I talking about it as I was writing up this review, she also said she thought it was "cool," so apparently it grabbed her attention at some point when it was lying around.).
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5.0 out of 5 stars Cat Tale March 15, 2013
Format:Hardcover
This is so fun to read. I can't wait to read it to a young kid. Then to older kids. What a great study of homonyms. But what I like best are the way the sounds roll off your tongue, the tightly rhyming lines. Love it. I'm officially a fan of Michael Hall.
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4.0 out of 5 stars Great for teaching homophones! December 2, 2012
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
This is a delightful book illustrating homophones and multiple meaning words in use. My second grade students loved it, but it can definitely be used for higher grades. My students did not always "get" how some of the words can have more than one meaning.
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