I was so excited when
Erin from RaisingMom.ca contacted me to do a blog collaboration, because I think her blog and her backstory are so awesome. If you haven't checked her out, do it... right after you read this review!
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ABOUT THE BOOK
Spot, the Cat
Released: March 2016
Ages: 3 – 8
RaisingMom.ca Rating: ***Starred Review*** 5 out of 5
Stars!
From the Publisher:
“Simple and stunning images tell the
story of a cat named Spot as he weaves his way in and out of a city in this
wordless picture book from award-winning author-illustrator Henry Cole.
Through this gorgeous visual narrative,
Henry Cole shows us a day in the life of a cat named Spot. Spot sneaks away
from home by way of an open window to go on a wordless journey through the
city. Follow Spot as he weaves through busy city streets, visits a farmers
market, wanders into a park full of kite-flyers, and beyond. But while Spot is
out on his adventure, his beloved boy owner is looking for him—seeming to just miss
him every time. When all seems almost lost, Spot’s story reminds us that
there’s always a way back home.
With stunningly detailed black-and-white
illustrations, readers will love following Spot on his adventure—along the way
finding characters and objects that appear, disappear, and reappear—and
cheering for the sweet reunion at the end.”
Description:
I was exceedingly grateful that the author gave Spot a distinctive
beauty mark on his flank to distinguish him from the many other potential
lookalikes that were placed on each page to throw us off the scent of the
wandering cat. The great loss that the cat's (Spot) young owner feels
when Spot goes for a wander is effectively depicted as the young boy searches
the town for the beloved cat and puts up "lost" posters.
The delight on the boy's face is palpable at the end of a fruitless
afternoon of searching when Spot creeps back and wants in the window. We
celebrate the reunion with him. Searching for Spot on the delightfully
detailed two-page spreads depicting village in this wordless picture book is
entrancing. Each spread is like a whole word unto itself. There are
street scenes, the riverside, a park, the front of a grand museum, a train
station, etc. Point of view and perspective are explored and played with.
The whole book is a grand adventure from start to finish. There are
so many details that you can revisit each page a thousand times and notice
something that you have not seen before, making this a wonderful story to
return to again and again.
My Experience:
My three year old found this book to be magical. She loved finding
Spot on each page, but also discovering the many other animals that looked like
Spot who were placed there to be distractions and decoys. She didn't
notice until our fourth reading that there were no words, which I found to be
fascinating. She even declared that there did not need to be any. I
agree completely. Every two-page spread is its own world. We spent
45 minutes on one spread alone (the train station) just looking at and
commenting on all the different people. We talked about where each may
have been coming from or going to and making up stories about them. What
a wonderful time of using our imaginations! We have returned to this book over
and over and over, and though she delights in finding Spot in each scene and
loves the reunion of owner and pet, my daughter also just loves looking at all
the people and their activities in this town. It is a wonderful way to
discuss the jobs and activities of people in a city/town/village. Certain
scenes reminded me of the outside of and steps of The Metropolitan Museum,
Grand Central Station and Central Park in NYC and bridges and riverbanks in
France, etc. The farmers market could exist in any town, as could the
street scenes. It is wonderful! I cannot recommend this book highly
enough!
Likes:
•
incredibly detailed and beautiful pen and ink
illustrations
•
fun for parents and children to explore together
•
illustrations are so detailed that each time you look
at the book there is something new to discover and discuss
•
wordless book allows you to create your own story and
side stories
Dislikes:
•
none!
Why/How Use it with kids:
•
read other spot the "xxx" books like
"Where's Waldo" and "Find Curious George", etc. to practice
looking for details. There are many such books at many levels for
different ages and abilities.
•
have your child create their own "spot the
xxx" book. This would greatly work on artistic and design details.
•
practice pen and ink drawings (black and white)
•
learning about and discussing life in
towns/villages/cities from the detailed drawings
•
use your imagination to create stories about what some
of the people in the town are doing (careers, life in a city, etc.)
About the Author/Illustrator:
Henry
Cole has written and illustrated more than fifty books for children,
including Big Bug, And Tango Makes Three, Oink?,
and Little Bo in France. A former elementary school teacher, he now
writes and paints full time.
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About Erin:
Wife. Adoptive mom to toddler twins and a 3 yo. Career
as a Teacher-Librarian temporarily on pause. Reads tons of books to the kids.
Longs for two minutes alone in the bathroom. Lives for sloppy kisses. Figuring
out life on the fly with laughs, friends, and grace!
I am a “mature” mom – jumped into this in my very late
30s and am now starting to explore my 40s ;-). My hubby is 7 years older, and
we joke that our poor kids will have to keep explaining the two old grey-haired
fogies at their graduations to all their classmates. Ah well, just think how
wise we’ll be by then!
Book Reviews: As a Teacher-Librarian and
AVID reader, one of my main filters for
understanding the world is through
books (in all formats). At this stage, I use a lot of books to help my
kids explore and understand the world, too. I want to share what I’ve
learned with you. As a former Senior Education Specialist, I have led resource
review and selection for a major urban school board, was seconded to a
provincial Department of Education as a Manager for Literacy, Numeracy &
School Libraries, and have my Master’s degree in Information Literacy and Adult
Education. I’ve been a teacher for 18 years, a Teacher-Librarian for 14
years and am passionate about sharing my knowledge. I am a Director on the
board of and do professional reviews for a children’s book review journal: Resource Links.
Join me on the journey as I explore being a “mature” mom to multiples,
toddlers, and adopted children through the lens of children’s books. I’m
learning a lot – the tables are turned on this teacher!
