Friday, October 23, 2015

My Pet Human by Yasmine Surovec

This was adorable without being saccharine and I declare Surovec the new illustrator of cute cats for kids.

A nameless cat is perfectly happy with his life. He has friends, he has places he can get food, he has his independence. He doesn't need humans. After all, he could only put up with a very special human and he's sure such a human doesn't exist. But then someone moves into the new house....and she has TUNA. The cat simply must have some. He's just staying for the tuna. And the boxes. And the back rubs. And....maybe he doesn't need to leave just yet?

The book is heavily illustrated with black and white pictures and they are all simply perfect. The cat is a deliciously round and cozy cat and the animals and people have definite personalities, even with the simple lines of the art. The layout is a mix of illustrations, speech bubbles, and small chunks of text, perfect for beginning chapter readers and fans of graphic novels.

The humor in this book is much more subtle than, say, Bad Kitty, but it has a charm all its own. It's funny, kooky, and sweet and has a hopeful theme about finding family and friendship in unexpected places. I also appreciated the depiction of a single family home and the different but happy families of the cat's various animal friends.

Verdict: Although it stands on its own, you will also want to recommend this one to fans of Chi's Sweet Home, Bad Kitty, and Miss Annie. Beginning chapter readers will embrace it and cat fans will adore it. Highly recommended.

ISBN: 9781626720732; Published 2015 by Roaring Brook; Borrowed from another library in my consortium

2 comments:

Ms. Yingling said...

Have you seen Diva and Flea? So stinking cute. This one does well with my struggling readers, but I imagine 2 nd graders would adore it.

Jennifer said...

Just read it! I'm still thinking about it - a little too cute for my taste perhaps...