Catbook
Written by Zoe Burke
Illustrated by B. Kliban
Pomegranate Books   1/01/2016
978-0-7649-7371-0
24 pages    All Ages

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“B. Kliban’s high-spirited cats play piano, eat ice cream, and dance the hula on the pages of this board book, purrfectly accompanied by Zoe Burke’s rhyming text. Bright colors, fun patterns, and silly rhymes introduce a new generation of kids to Kliban’s fun-loving and crazy Cat.” [PRESS RELEASE]

Review
B. Kliban (1935-1990) was an American artist best known for his absurd sense of humor and his love of cats. Inspired by his own cats and their crazy antics, Kliban created his beloved Cat series of cartoons. These oft-silly cats, all black and white striped beauties with bright, bulging eyes, partake in such activities as swinging—with a trail of flowers flowing from its haloed head—roller-skating, belting out a jazz tune on the piano, and chasing a mouse on a pair of skies. Young children and their parents will love these colorful cats and their cat-antics, all of which are activities one or the other could perform. It is easy to see why Kliban’s cats were a hit. The cats are fun loving, active, and humorous; traits we all want for our kids and ourselves.
Burke sets her rhymes to the artwork of many well-known artists, bringing these artists to a new generation and back to those who once loved seeing these pieces. Including the recently reviewed books based on Charley Harper’s art (Counting the Birds, Book of Colors, Animal Alphabet) Burke’s rhyming text bring artists and their work to life for young children. Her text also make reading these books to children fun and easy, as the words roll off your tongue, making young children laugh.
B. Kliban’s colorful cartoon cats are truly hilarious. Ten cats, identical except for their positioning and the number on their race card, vie for position as they race along the top of a spread. If you have never seen a cat wearing tennis shoes—red tennis shoes—now is your chance. Even the cat understands its wearing of these shoes is absurd by the rolling of its eyes.
Catbook is a versatile board book allowing young children to identify activities, explain the cat’s actions, make up stories (involving a child’s imagination and creativity), and counting not only the cats but often the items on each spread. Kids will love these goofy-faced, active, and humorous cats once loved by their parents and grandparents. Kliban added splashes of color, creating an assortment of loveable cats even dog lovers can enjoy.

CATBOOK. Text copyright © 2016 by Zoe Burke. Illustrations copyright © 2016 by B. Kliban. Reproduced by permission of the publisher, Pomegranate, Portland OR.

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Reprinted with permission from CATBOOK © 2016 by Zoe Burke, Pomegranate Books, Illustrations © 2016 by B. Kliban.

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Copyright © 2016 by Sue Morris/Kid Lit Reviews. All Rights Reserved

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Catbook
Written by Zoe Burke
Illustrated by B. Kliban
Pomegranate Books 1/01/2016
9780764973710