Elemenopeo [Hardcover]

Harriet Ziefert (Author), Donald Saaf (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 5 and up

Introducing the charming and lovable Elomenopeo--no ordinary cat. Elomenopeo has a strict daily routine. First he goes outside to play in the garden and to wistfully observe the flying birds, then he curls up for a nap and his favorite dream. But one morning his schedule is completely thrown off. His cat door is closed for repairs, leaving the adventuresome Elomenopeo trapped inside. Bored, he prowls from room to room, until he spots an easel and a box of paints. Suddenly he is struck with an idea, and he dons a smock and begins to paint. Elomenopeo paints his favorite dream, which transcends reality and joins the world of birds. In this whimsical story, illustrated with fresh colorful paintings, an irrepressible little cat soars as high as his dreams. Young children will relate to Elomenopeo's security in his scheduled day, his dismay at being stuck inside, and the way he uses his imagination as a means of escape.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 1-Elemenopeo (L-M-N-O-P-O) is no ordinary house cat. This pet enjoys bagels with lox and cream cheese for breakfast, playing hide-and-seek with the birds (Elemenopeo is dismayed when they fly away and tries to reassure them it is only a game), and being with other feline friends. One day, when the cat can't go outside, it finds an easel and paints a large self-portrait with the addition of wings, then curls up and dreams of flying adventures. This is an innocuous story, illustrated with full-page childlike paintings of the small black-and-white animal and its escapades. There are many livelier cat stories to engage a child's imagination; this one is strictly additional.
Sally R. Dow, Ossining Public Library, NY
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Ages 4^-8. Elemenopeo is the name of a cat--and a perfect name it is. It happily reflects the sensibility of many a preschooler who has thought that "L-M-N-O-P" was one long, glorious word found smack in the middle of the alphabet. And this black-and-white cat bears the name well, as it is a rather unusual cat. Oh, it pursues the typical cat diversions--bird-watching, gamboling with a cat friend, and napping--but this cat has an artistic bent. Feeling a bit constrained because the cat door is closed (apparently for repairs), Elemenopeo decides to paint a picture--a self-portrait of a black-and-white feline with wings: "Portrait of an Artist as a Young Bird." A tired little cat, Elemenopeo then curls up (where else but in the paint box?) to dream of flying. Saaf's own paint pots were filled with splendid colors that he transferred to the pages, and his naive-style pictures perfectly suit Ziefert's whimsical tale. Shelley Townsend-Hudson

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin/Walter Lorraine Books (September 28, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0395904935
• ISBN-13: 978-0395904930
• Product Dimensions: 12.1 x 8.8 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,158,588 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Harriet Ziefert was born in New Jersey. She grew up in North Bergen, New Jersey, where she attended the local schools. She graduated from Smith College, then received a Masters degree in Education from New York University. "About twelve years ago," says Ziefert in a 1995 interview, "I tried to get a job as an editor, but no one would hire me as a trade editor. So I decided to write my own books." Since then, she has written several hundred books, mostly picture books and easy-to-read books. "I write books very quickly," she says, "in about twelve hours. I rewrite them three times over three days, and then they're done." She writes about twenty books a year. Ziefert's picture book A New Coat for Anna is about a girl in a bombed-out European city during the months just after World War II. Anna has outgrown her old coat, and her mother trades her few surviving treasures--a watch, a lamp, a necklace, and a porcelain teapot--in order to obtain wool and have it spun, woven, and finally sewn into a fine red coat for Anna. A Horn Book Magazine reviewer stated, "the simple text, based on a true story, carries the narrative along effectively." The book, which was illustrated by Anita Lobel, was chosen as one of ten books to be read aloud by former First Lady Barbara Bush as part of a program promoting reading. Ziefert was invited to the White House for the occasion. The reason Ziefert began writing easy-to-read books was that she felt "they were getting too hard for kids to read in the first grade." She says that she wrote easy-to-read books with seventy-five or fewer words, even ones with fifty or fewer words, "to see how much of a story" she could produce with that limit. She enjoyed the challenge, and cites her book Sleepy Dog as an example. "Sleepy Dog is the most successful book I've ever done, in terms of number of books sold." She's also been working on a developmental program with publisher Dorling Kindersley, made up of books for babies, toddlers, and preschoolers. Her book Pete's Chicken, which was illustrated by Laura Rader, was reviewed in the New York Times Book Review as "a simple, sweet 'Song of Myself' for children . . . [which] applauds the specialness of every child as it reminds parents of the healing power of just being there for children." Among her other books is a series of easy-to-read books, such as Trip Day and Worm Day, about an inventive science teacher and his rambunctious class of students. Ziefert's book Let's Get a Pet was named an Outstanding Science Trade Book for Children by a joint committee of the National Science Teachers Association and the Children's Book Council. . Ms. Ziefert lives in Maplewood, New Jersey and Lincoln, Massachusetts. She has two adult sons.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Elemenopeo PLEASE!, February 18, 2000

By 

Thea M. Ryan (South Dakota, United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Elemenopeo (Hardcover)

Love this book at our house! We found it at the library and our young daughter had a hard time bringing it back. Thanks to a gift, this book is in our permanent collection now! Elemenopeo is a great book about a sweet cat who is very set in her ways. When her daily routine is interrrupted, she has to get very creative! It's fun for the kids and fun to read out loud!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful Short Story, November 1, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Elemenopeo (Hardcover)

It's a short story about a cat who gets trapped inside for a day and decides to paint a picture. Yes, its simple, but its also magical. The illustrations are original, bright and fun to look at. My three children love it!

I'd ignore the Horn Book review. A pointless story? Only for those who believe simple things are pointless. Some people still find simple things beautiful.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sort of like a Seinfeld episode . . ., December 10, 2003

By 

Cindy (Wisconsin) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Elemenopeo (Hardcover)

Elemenopeo isn't my favorite children's book, but it's in the top twenty. I'm kind of surprised by the lukewarm reviews this book has received. While no one seems to hate this book, it is consistently faulted for being fluffy or boring or bland. While I can't completely disagree with any of those adjectives, I don't see it as a problem. In fact, the gentle simplicity of this story is what I like best about it.

My kids(2-7)love this book - I think because it seems so authentic to them. Elemenopeo is a regular cat and that forms the basis of this story. Cats are usually pretty set in their ways, but they will risk an occasional - very careful - adventure if they're sure it won't put them in an undignified situation or get their fur wet. Cats also feel that they are entitled to their own set of eccentric whims, such as eating bagels and lox for breakfast every morning. Like Seinfeld was a sitcom about nothing, and this cat story is just the same. My older kids know that cats hate adventures, so this 'boring' story about a cat who has a wonderful day doing very little makes sense to them. I wouldn't say that it's necessary to be a cat person in order to enjoy this book, but it helps. Elemenopeo gets a great deal of pleasure from the ordinariness of her day, and anyone can understand that. But I suspect that only people who really like cats will see that there is humor in this story. Even if this book really is boring (don't think sparse . . . think spare!), the wonderful illustrations make up for it. The paintings are vivid and colorful - lots of fun for kids and grownups to look at. BONUS: If you are familiar with modern painting you'll probably notice an uncanny resemblance between the pictures in the book and the art of Marc Chagall. I think that using "Serious Art" to tell such a simple story adds to its charm. -The kids don't get it, but it's fun to have a private joke with the illustrator.

At the very least, this is a great bedtime story. It's calm, involves sleeping and sweet dreams, and does not have any content that even remotely encourages kids to stay awake. My kids always seem pensive after we read this story - I think they're wondering what our cats do when we're not around. If you wish you enjoyed this book as much as I did, you might consider brushing up on your cat psychology. I recommend "Three stories to read to your cat." This will open a window into how cats think.