Caterina and the perfect party by Erin Eitter Kono

I have a favorite picture book from childhood, Fuzzy Rabbit by Rosemary Billam with illustrations by Vanessa Julian-Ottie. When I saw the cover of Caterina, I knew I would have to have it, because something about the art strongly reminded me of Fuzzy Rabbit. Turns out, it's an adorable story all on its own as well.

Caterina, "a little brown bird with great big colorful thoughts" is planning a party. She has lists and decorations and details galore, because everything must be perfect! The invitations have been sent, the decorations are up, the food is ready...and disaster strikes in the form of a big storm. Will Caterina's soggy party be a total failure, or will her most important list save the day?

I loved that Caterina's list-making wasn't seen as a bad thing, and although she did learn to like surprises changing her character wasn't the point of the story.

Most of all, I loved the illustrations. I went back and looked at the author's previous books, most of which are out of print, and I think she must be using a new technique for this book because none of the covers of her previous books look similar in style to this one. The art is mixed media so there are drawings and painting, but also collage. I adored the bright colors and friendly details of each page and the cut-paper weather. The silhouette page, showing thick lines and textures on the animals as they march through the rainy evening and the mud was fascinating.

Verdict: Adorable, you must buy it. There aren't too many party books out there and this one has illustrations that will catch the eye of both children and parents and the text is fun and well-written as well. Highly recommended.

ISBN: 9780803739024; Published July 2013 by Dial/Penguin; Purchased for the library