Like Likes Like [Hardcover]

Chris Raschka (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 15, 1999 | Age Level: 4 and up | Grade Level: P and up

With his extraordinary ear for the heart's language, the author/artist captures the feeling of one cat yearning to find another -- and succeeding. The story is as simple as that. As grand as that. And the pictures, whose changing colors mark emotion as clearly as any words, move the action along at a rhythmic, almost musical clip. At the opening a white kitty is "Unlike the rest. Unlucky, alone." He takes lonesome comfort in "rows and rows of roses," then, stalwart, sets out on his own. "He sees seas, flowers and fliers, a breeze, trees, high wide skies, grass and moss, round mounds, heaps of stones...." But not his heart's desire. Finally, as luck would have it, he finds her as the title promises -- his like across a tawny page: another kitty, waiting. One look, one hug, and all the world is golden.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Have you ever felt alone in the world while everybody else prances around "two by two, / he and she, / curly and / straight, fancy / and plain, / different and same"? The little white kitten in Chris Raschka's heartwarming picture book Like Likes Like sure has. "Unlike the rest. / Unlucky, alone," the kitten is left to his own devices. He romps in rows of roses and sleeps in grass and moss until... "Look! In luck." He sees a sweet brown kitten. "Like likes like," and off they bound. "Not alone now, / two together, / in rows and rows / of roses." Raschka, creator of Mysterious Thelonious and the wondrous Caldecott Honor Book Yo! Yes?, has a knack for communicating emotion--and life!--with pure color and spare, meaningful strokes. Kids will adore this simple tale of love, and along with the wee kitten, they'll perk up their ears and go from downcast to joyous in a few turns of the page. (Click to see a sample spread. Text and illustrations ©1999 by Chris Raschka. Reproduced with permission of DK Publishing, Inc.) --Karin Snelson

From Publishers Weekly

This pert and pithy picture book has strong visual echoes of Raschka's Yo! Yes? down to the bright yellow dust jacket. But if the thematic territory of loneliness and friendship is familiar, the development and spirit here are fresh. As a solo white cat watches the animal world pair off ("Two by two,/ he and she,/ curly and/ straight, fancy/ and plain/ ...go"), he droops in dejection, eyes closed, head and ears down, with only the departing animals' tails in his view ("Unlike the rest. Unlucky, alone"). But then he sets off to see what the wide world has to offer. Raschka's characteristically lean text is a marvel of lyrical vigor, charting the feline's travels with a playful and poetic assortment of rhymes, homonyms, alliteration and imagery?from "rows and rows of roses" to "flowers and fliers" in a spread with butterflies whose wings seem to be composed of the petals of the blossoms they hover above. Raschka amplifies the hero's moods in his use of background color: dull brown and stark white when the cat is feeling forlorn, contrasted with the more resonant yellows, blues, oranges and greens of his journey and a climactic heartwarming blast of pink when he finally finds a soulmate. Raschka's newest offering is an eminently satisfying tale of love (or in this case, like) sought and found. Ages 2-5.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: DK CHILDREN; 1st edition (March 15, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0789425645
• ISBN-13: 978-0789425645
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 8.6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,697,272 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A book to share with your partner, May 2, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Like Likes Like (Hardcover)

My husband bought me this book for my birthday, and its sweet story moved us both to tears. I don't know what children would think of this story, but it is a wonderful tale to share with the love of your life. It is about a lonely kitty who finds another kitty to share adventures with. Very sweet and touching for anyone who is part of a loving primary relationship.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Toddler Postmodern, July 21, 2008

By 

Sarah Welty (Cleveland, OH) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Like Likes Like (Hardcover)

This is my two-year old son's favorite book and his first foray into literary criticism.

I find it interesting that almost all reviews have interpreted this book as a diversity manifesto for children. A more sophisticated reading or a "toddler" reading would glean a deeper meaning from the line "different and same" that transcends the elementary and culturally tempting reading of the book as an "accept all races" book. Children tend not to see color and look over this quite easily. I have to point out that the very title, "Like Likes Like," should urge adults to do the same and read the story as a tabula rasa in which all people, or cats, are "like." No where in the attributes of fancy, plain, curly, straight is color a factor. The story is a simple love story- no matter who you are or what you are, there is a love for you out there and you will find each other, regardless of being same or different. My son empathizes with the sad lonely cat and explodes into smiles and laughter when he reaches "like likes like." He goes so far as to kiss the picture of the hugging cats and yell "Love!"

On a more technical note, my son adores the alliteration, internal rhyme, and wordplay. In true Beckettian nature, the starkness of the text alllows the white space to speak loudly and re-enforce the emotions of the story line. Perhaps, the removal of unnecesary words and descriptives form a more concrete world than a flourishy Seussian work. This is the first book he has attempted to read himself. He somehow locates this book every time we go to the library and all other books go unread while it is in our hands. He sits by himself, turning the pages, saying "sees seas" and "round mounds."

Thank you, Chris Raschka, for such a simple yet sophiscated children's book. I can't believe that my son is teaching himself to read at his young age. My son loves both the story and the contruction of your text. This is one book I DO enjoy being asked to ready endlessly.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars likes it, July 21, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Like Likes Like (Hardcover)

My 12 month old daughter loves this book. She always brings this book to me thoughout the day so that I can read it to her. It is such a fun book to read and I enjoy it as much as she does (which is good because she makes me read it to her at least 3 times a day). I disagree with the idea that there is a lack of diversity and that diversity is portrayed as a bad thing in this book. At the beginning of the book when the cat is seeing pairs of animals going by the author says "Two by two, curly and straight, fancy and plain, different and same go." That to me starts the book on a note that the important thing is to have a friend that you get along with no matter if s/he is different or same. I think that the book isn't saying to be friends with people (or animals) that are similar to you, but that life can be more fun when you have friend. And yes, the book doesn't have a traditional storyline, but that is what makes it fun. It's different and I think that exposing kids to things that don't follow basic prescribed methods is a good thing.