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CM . . . .
Volume V Number 20 . . . . June 4, 1999
Sparrow, a cat of dubious heritage, colour and stripes (a calico), latches on to Henrietta on the
way home one day. Her boyfriend, Len, convinces her to enter Sparrow in the Miss Meow
Pageant because of the super prizes available. Training Sparrow for the competition is tough, but
finally he is ready. Henrietta and Len are nervous as the contest begins and are mortified when an
audience member laughs at Sparrow's colour and large size. Sparrow rises to the occasion and
shows off his beautiful coat, then lies down on the runway and gives birth to a kitten. Sparrow
turns out to be a female, and she wins the contest. The cats, plus Henrietta and Len, all go off to
Europe and get lots of free kitty-goodies.
The conversational tone of the writing, with the to-and-fro between Henrietta and Len, is
interesting and fun. Set in the West Indian community, the story even includes a Rasta and his cat.
The contemporary humour will appeal to children.
The illustrations are done in deep colours, with strong black outlines around each object or
character. The stylized drawings are interesting. The typeface is atypical for a picture book, and
there are cute symbols and cat faces throughout the book.
Recommended.
Harriet Zaidman is a teacher-librarian in Winnipeg, MB.
To comment on this title or this review, send mail to cm@umanitoba.ca.
Copyright © the Manitoba Library Association.
Reproduction for personal use is permitted only if this copyright notice
is maintained. Any other reproduction is prohibited without
permission.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS FOR THIS ISSUE - JUNE 4,
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Everyone's heard stories about having pets that they thought were one sex and which turned out
to be the other. That's the premise behind this tale in which a tomcat wins a beauty contest.
Writing and illustrating in a fun style, Keens-Douglas and Lafrance have combined to create an
enjoyable story that will have young children laughing.