Someday When my Cat Can Talk by Caroline Lazo, illustrated by Kyrsten Brooker

Someday When My Cat Can Talk by Caroline Lazo, illustrated by Kyrsten Brooker

Reading level: Ages 4-8
Hardcover: 32 pages
Publisher: Schwartz & Wade (April 22, 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 037583754X
ISBN-13: 978-0375837548

In this charming new picture book, a little girl imagines what her cat does when he wanders off at night, and she imagines what he'd tell her about his adventures if he could talk. So what does this cat do? He goes on a European Adventure of course! In verse, the girl chronicles her cat's adventures in England, France, Italy, Spain, Austria, Greece, and Holland.

Here's what she has to say about his trip to Spain:

"He'll talk about events in Spain--
like bullfights every spring.
And he'll praise himself for stopping one
by jumping in the ring.

He'll relive the Spanish soccer games
when he played just like a pro
and all the senoritas yelled,
Que Magnifico! "

In the book, a valiant-looking cat is standing in the middle of a bull ring, holding his arms out while a perplexed matador and bull look down on him. On the other side, the cat is dressed in a soccer uniform while ladies cheer him on in the stands.


Kyrsten Brooker's rich and whimsical illustrations give the book an "old-world" feel and take readers back to another place and time. Take a look at the illustration depicting the cat's trip to England.

"He'll recall the fog on England's coast,
where seagulls wander free.
And he'll tell me if it's really true
that British cats drink tea."

Caroline Lazo's words just roll off your tongue and will captivate children who are hearing the book read aloud to them.

In the back of the book, readers can learn more about each country the cat visits, and the end papers depict a map of his adventure.

A book that celebrates imagination and teaches kids a little about geography and other countries, this book makes an excellent choice for plain-old read aloud fun!


*Image courtesy of Random House Children's Books



What other bloggers are saying:
A Patchwork of Books: "This new book, written by Caroline Lazo and illustrated by Kyrsten Brooker, is adorable and a lot of fun to read out loud, not to mention educational. An excellent combination, in my picture book-loving opinion!" (Read more...)

January Magazine: "Someday When My Cat Can Talk is a lovely book, sure to delight young children, as well as collectors of this type of work." (Read more...)


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