Chicken And Cat Clean Up [Hardcover]

Sara Varon (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 4 and up | Grade Level: P and up

Sara Varon follows up on her irresistible CHICKEN AND CAT with a new tale about the fabulously sweet and charming duo.

When Chicken starts his own housekeeping business, he hires Cat to help him out. It's tough going at first. No matter how hard Cat tries, he is clumsy and keeps making mistakes, which causes Chicken to be upset and Cat very sad. Finally Cat listens to his inner-species calling when he bravely catches a mouse thief. The two friends make amends and decide to start a brand-new business called Chicken and Cat's Housekeeping and Mousecatching Services. This story about friendship and listening to one's heart is perfect for friends new or old.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 2—Chicken and Cat return in this wordless graphic picture book that continues to explore their friendship and adventures. Cat longs for a pet but has no money to buy one, so Chicken invites him to be part of his housekeeping business. The problem is that his pal has no skills and, after a series of cleaning disasters, the hapless feline is banished to the front stoop. There he witnesses a purse snatching, captures the mouse villain, and is celebrated as a hero. With his reward money, Cat buys a pet turtle and Chicken expands his business into a "mousecatching" service. Varon's quirky ink and Photoshop illustrations show the endearing big-eyed duo from multiple perspectives through spreads as well as smaller panels. Readers will love following the tale that Varon so clearly illustrates.—Marge Loch-Wouters, La Crosse Public Library, WI
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

As in Chicken and Cat (2006), Varon’s story is wordless, relying on visual cues to carry the narrative. The two cooperative critters run a housekeeping service where Cat fouls up the cleaning, but saves the day by catching a purse-snatching mouse. Varon’s bright, clean artwork is easy to dive into, and the wordless interactions are amplified by facial expressions and body language. While each page is essentially an enlarged comic panel, there are also a few multipanel pages that will help introduce kids to the conventions of graphic storytelling in a picture-book package. Preschool-Grade 2. --Ian Chipman

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Hardcover: 48 pages
• Publisher: Scholastic Press (March 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0439634083
• ISBN-13: 978-0439634083
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 8.2 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #954,523 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Sara Varon is a printmaker, comic book artist, and illustrator currently living in Brooklyn, NY. She is also an avid runner, recreational boxer, baker, movie watcher, and a compulsive dog petter. Visit her online at www.chickenopolis.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Amusing., April 18, 2011

By 

Robert P. Beveridge "xterminal" (Lakewood, OH) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Chicken And Cat Clean Up (Hardcover)

Sara Varon, Chicken and Cat Clean Up (Scholastic, 2009)

Every time I bring this book to mind again (I read it a week and a half ago and have been letting it rattle around in my head ever since), I can't get past comparing it to the movie Sunshine Cleaning, which couches so many of the same themes in a decidedly more adult (and more destructive) milieu. Because of this, you probably already have a handle on the (wordless) story: chicken and cat go into the cleaning business together, but cat is clumsy and keeps messing things up, so their employer sends him outside (so as not to cause any more damage), and he ends up finding something he's good at doing while pondering his future in the cleaning business. Very nicely done, very cute, and I wish I'd jotted down on the spreadsheet that it was a sequel so I could've read the first book first. No matter, though; because it's wordless, could be a hit with just about any age, from pre-readers who will be enchanted by Varon's color schemes to those who find themselves too old for kids' books but are just starting to discover graphic novels and manga. *** 1/2

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Rutgers University Project on Economics and Children, August 26, 2009

By 

Yana V. Rodgers "econkids.rutgers.edu" (New Brunswick, NJ) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Chicken And Cat Clean Up (Hardcover)

Chicken operates a housekeeping business in Brooklyn, NY. Demand for his service is strong, so he asks his good friend Cat to help. Unfortunately, Cat errs on the lazy and clumsy side, so mistakes happen. Is this partnership doomed to fail, or does Cat have some redeeming qualities that could contribute to the enterprise? With its wordless format and expressive illustrations, this dynamic book serves as a useful vehicle for enticing children to create their own story and talk about what it takes to run a successful business.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A fun story of cooperation and shared goals, July 22, 2009

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Chicken And Cat Clean Up (Hardcover)

Sara Varon's CHICKEN AND CAT CLEAN UP tells of two best friends. When Chicken opens his own housekeeping business, Cat comes to mind as the perfect partner - but he's clumsy and is making lots of mistakes. How can Chicken and Cat be in business and still be friends? A fun story of cooperation and shared goals evolves.