From Publishers Weekly
eppy plots, comical line drawings and a large typeface neatly tailor Geras's (Troy) two tales to the needs of reluctant readers especially those who find felines fetching. Told with plenty of Briticisms, each story affords a cat's-eye view of a household bordering the eponymous square. In the first and funnier entry, easygoing, pleasingly plump Blossom recounts a disastrous visit by Prissy, the six-year-old cousin of his eight-year-old owner, Miles. "She is a thorough nuisance," says the disgusted pet to his cat pals in Cuckoo Square and right he is. Pesky Prissy falsely accuses Blossom of causing her to break a flowerpot, deliberately makes a dreadful mess of the bathroom and douses the dozing pet with icy water. When Miles and Blossom join forces to try to drive away the unwelcome houseguest, their campaign culminates in a madcap dinner-table scene in which the conniving cat hides a mouse in Prissy's mashed potatoes. A wise tabby cat named Perkins relays the second, less raucous but equally witty story, in which the narrator becomes famous when he inadvertently creates a work of art. Ross's (illustrator of the Amber Brown novels) animated sketches drolly partner the text. A companion volume, More Cats of Cuckoo Square, is in the works. Ages 6-9.
Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
From School Library Journal
Gr 2-4-Four older cats with distinct personalities reside in houses surrounding Cuckoo Square, and frequently escape to the garden in the middle of the square to share stories about "their humans." In a series of easy chapters, Blossom, plump and comfortable, and "her person," Miles, endure a spoiled cousin who comes to visit, making their lives miserable. Readers will chuckle when Blossom and her feline pal Geejay successfully conspire to send the girl packing. In the second tale, Perkins, "a large, dignified tabby," reluctantly becomes involved in a Paint Your Pet contest. His paw prints across a finished portrait catch the attention of a famous art dealer, earning him the title "Perkins, the Pussycat Picasso." The jibes at both people and situations are very funny, but delivered with just a touch of adult sensibility, and some of the British references may puzzle the intended audience. Still, the breezy style, slapstick humor, and large print liberally interspersed with Ross's comical sketches offer just the right challenge for early chapter-book readers.
Caroline Ward, The Ferguson Library, Stamford, CT
Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
