Cat Wishes

by Calista Brill, Kenard Pak

Overview

In this playfully subversive fairytale, perfect for fans of Jon Klassen, the ever-skeptical Cat learns that wishes can come true—just not always in the ways we expect. At turns sly and sweet, this clever story about friendship will leave no doubt that true magic lies in our connections with others, not just the wishes we make. 

There's no such thing as a wish. 
 
Or is there? 
 
In this playful fairy tale, ever-skeptical Cat learns that wishes can come true—and not always in the ways we expect. After all, true magic lies in our connections with others, not just in the wishes we make.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780544610552
Publisher:	HMH Books
Publication date:	07/24/2018
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	283,596
Product dimensions:	8.50(w) x 10.10(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	4 - 7 Years

About the Author

Originally from Detroit, Michigan, Calista Brill is a writer and editor based in New York City. Visit her on Twitter at @calistabrill. 

Ken Pak grew up in Maryland. He worked at Dreamworks Animation and Walt Disney Feature Animation. Visit PandaGun.com and @kenardpak on Twitter and Instagram. 

Editorial Reviews

★ 05/21/2018
While wandering through soft, sepia-toned woods, a gray-and-white-striped cat surprises a snake. “Spare my life,” the snake pleads. “I’ll grant you what you wish.” Cat is skeptical: “No such thing as a wish,” he declares. Yet the next three things Cat wishes for—something to eat, shelter from the rain, a friend—mysteriously appear, and the cat’s sideways glances signal that his doubts may be shifting. The friend who arrives turns out to have had a trio of wishes granted herself; some kind of mysterious intervention has brought the two together. Illustrations by Pak (Goodbye Autumn, Hello Winter) recall the work of Jon Klassen with their emphasis on contours rather than on mass or volume, creating a world with shifting veils of translucent color. Brill (Tugboat Bill and the River Rescue) writes with crisp economy, using sound and sense words effectively (“Shuff, shuff, shuff came a footstep”). Her story fulfills its characters’ deepest yearning with quiet magic—one that readers might find for themselves, she hints, if they believed there were such things as wishes. Ages 4–7. (July)

Publishers Weekly

"Illustrations by Pak recall the work of Jon Klassen with their emphasis on contours rather than on mass or volume, creating a world with shifting veils of translucent color."--Publishers Weekly, STARRED review

"A gentle, feel-good feline fantasy."--Kirkus

"Best enjoyed as a quiet lapsit with a purring pet pal nearby."--The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
 

From the Publisher

06/01/2018
PreS-Gr 2—Although hungry Cat doesn't believe in wishes, the feline releases Snake after it promises, "I'll grant you what you wish." Cat remains skeptical even after its wish for a fish delivers several. "No such thing as a wish," Cat repeats just as a wish for a house in which to shelter from the rain produces a fine little house with a "toasty fireplace." Curled asleep before that fire, the tabby suddenly awakens and, alone and frightened in the dark house, wishes for a friend. In walks a little girl who has also met Snake and been granted three similar wishes. Cat and girl, now nestled cozily together, become the answer to one another's third wish—a friend. Pak's watercolor and digital media illustrations are executed in a predominately brown and gray palette, making his spare use of color all the more striking. From eyes lowered and paw raised to wipe off the remains of a fish dinner, to ears sticking straight out, body stretched across a spread as it catches a whiff of a blazing hearth, striped Cat's every expression belies the repeated conviction it expresses right to the end when, purring contentedly in Girl's lap, it maintains, "No such thing as a wish." VERDICT Readers will enjoy knowing what Cat refuses to admit: wishes do come true. Pair this tongue-in-cheek offering with other fairy tales for an engaging storytime.—Marianne Saccardi, Children's Literature Consultant, Cambridge, MA

School Library Journal

2018-04-16
A skeptical cat who disavows wishes finds himself pleasantly surprised.Hungry and alone in a "windy wood," Cat wishes for something to eat. When he catches a snake, the snake makes a bargain. If Cat spares his life, the snake will grant Cat's wish. Cat replies, "No such thing as a wish," but he releases the snake anyway. Wiggling away, the snake promises Cat three wishes. Still hungry and unconvinced, Cat wishes for a Fish—and his wish is granted. As it starts to rain, Cat's wet and still unconvinced, but he wishes for a house. Soon Cat's curled up before the fireplace in "his very own house." Waking up alone in the dark house, Cat still pooh-poohs wishing, but nevertheless, he wishes for a friend—with unexpected results. The spare text relies on clever placement of onomatopoeic words such as "rustle," "pad," "splash," "burp," "plop," "sniff," and "shuff," to effectively convey Cat's sensory world. Soft-edged illustrations in pale watercolor washes and digital media visually portray Cat's environment, emphasizing his solitary condition as he stalks, crouches, coils, pounces, pads, and runs on "whisper feet" across the atmospheric double-page spreads. His expressive face and body tell their own story.A gentle, feel-good feline fantasy. (Picture book. 4-7)

Kirkus Reviews

Read More