True Story. Marty Chan. Illustrated by Lorna Bennett. Edmonton, AB: Ink Jockey Inc., 2009. 32 pp., pbk., $9.95. ISBN 978-0-9810449-0-3. Preschool-Kindergarten / Ages 3-6. Review by Valerie Nielsen. *** /4

excerpt:

Dad, it wasn't me

I didn't mess up my bedroom.

It was Max.

Don't let his bright eyes fool you

My cat is a troublemaker.

Max messed up my room

True story.

Dreadful messes, horrible smells, ear-splitting noises......who on earth could be responsible for such chaos? Certainly not the small protagonist of True Story whose breathless tales of the exploits of Buddy and Max (two black and white household felines) provide sure proof of his innocence! According to the jacket of this little soft-covered book, the charming but irrepressibly naughty cats are modelled on (and named after) the author's own pets. Marty Chan is an Edmonton playwright, TV story editor, and young adult author. He will be remembered for his weekly CBC radio series, "Dim Sum Diaries," which was based on his experience growing up as the only Chinese kid in a small prairie town. He has published three mystery novels, The Mystery of the Frozen Brains, The Mystery of the Graffiti Ghoul and The Mystery of the Mad Science Teacher for the 9 to 12-year-old age group.

     Lorna Bennett's illustrations of Marty Chan's charming little blame-shifting story about a small boy and his two black and white “scapecats” are nothing short of hilarious. Each of her 14 brightly coloured double-spread paintings contains enough visual jokes to elicit chuckles and even belly-laughs from readers and listeners of all ages.

     True Story is a perfect read-aloud for active little people in the 3 to 5 age range. It is guaranteed to lead to discussions involving cats and noises and messes and all manner of things that happen accidentally on purpose!

Recommended.

A retired teacher-librarian, Valerie Nielsen lives in Winnipeg, MB.

NEXT REVIEW |TABLE OF CONTENTS FOR THIS ISSUE - May 15, 2009.