Puss in Boots

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Summary: From Copley News Service
Review: "A perfect first collection of fairy tales, these light-hearted little books are packed with wit, tradition and marvelous stories and illustrations. Best of all, they're affordably priced and are, surprise!, hardcover and beautiful enough for any nursery or bookshelf. The stories are simply written so youngsters won't be overwhelmed."

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Summary: From Parade
Review: "A pretty little series...with bright colorful illustrations--all very artistically done."

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Summary: A Pleasing Puss for All Ages
Review: I regularly visit school classrooms and read aloud to children from Kindergarten through eighth grade. Finding books that appeal to more than one grade level is a challenge.

I have found that the pictures in this version of 'Puss' appeal immensely to kindergartners through third graders. (Fourth and Fifth grade children also like it, but are often embarassed to say so in a classroom setting!). Children who often have a hard time sitting still for a story have sat transfixed as I read this book, holding the pictures in front of them all the time and giving them lots of opportunities to check out the wonderful use of light and color. The illustrator uses a lot of wonderful yellow that is very appealing to young children and seems to draw them into the book. I love reading this book out loud both to see children's reaction and also because I love the detail and color in the pictures.

Reading this book aloud has also sparked some beautiful art work from young children.

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Summary: Puss In Boots As A Folktale
Review: In the story of Puss In Boots, a miller dies and leaves one of his sons nothing but the cat. This cat turns out to be quite clever and earns the favor of the King for his master. The cat also obtains land and a castle for his master and gives him the title of the Marquis of Carabas. The King becomes so impressed by the Marquis that he offers his daughter's hand in marriage, and the simple miller's son becomes a prince. The use of clever illustration makes this book an effective piece of folk lore. "Narrative Expectations: The Folklore Connection" discusses the basic pattern of a folktale. The article states that every folktale begins with the main character of the story being no different from or more special than any other character. Then, out of nowhere, the character is boosted into a "supernatural world" and all of a sudden he is moved up to higher society and viewed as a hero (67). This resembles the plot pattern of Puss In Boots, with the Marquis being the average character who becomes a hero. This jump to a higher level of society out of luck is strangely enough realistic in the twenty-first century. With things like inheritance, lotteries, and the stock market, a person of today could easily go from the poor miller's son to a "prince." However, this is not a common occurrence. The article also states that folklore "functions in part as an informal system for learning the daily logic and worldview of the people around us (71)." The author chooses not to use human characters to represent Master Slyboots and the rich ogre. He could have done this easily with illustration by making Master Slyboots a servant boy and the ogre a Marquis. Instead, he uses an informal style, placing animal characters in the book. This represents a higher level: Using animals in contrast to humans in order to show the differences in people as a whole.

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Summary: gorgeous illustrations
Review: Perrault's story needs no recommendation, but Marcellino's big, rich illustrations are particularly wonderful. Puss is marvellously animated and full of character. My 2-year-old daughter loves it, and doubtless will for years.

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Summary: Is honesty always rewarded ?
Review: Puss in Boots is a wonderful story. This book is so beautiful that is like a precious work of art. A great read aloud with exceptional illustrations. Children and adults adore it. Presenting this tale to children takes great thought though. Try to avoid the dishonesty, terrorism, and thievery and focus on resourcefulness, first impressions, and survival. Fred Marcellino is one of the top illustrators of our time. Wish he had a website!

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Summary: Beautiful, rich book
Review: The artwork and the large font are beautiful. And I like the translation. It's rich enough to introduce some new vocabulary, without being so thick it can't be understood.

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Summary: Beautiful, rich book
Review: The artwork and the large font are beautiful. And I like the translation. It's rich enough to introduce some new vocabulary, without being so thick it can't be understood.

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Summary: Just Okay
Review: The recent Shrek 2 movie ignited my interest in this old fable. Its French origin made it particularly dear to me. A great story about how a farm cat made his owner an impressive marquis that would eventually dazzle the king into giving his daughter to him in marriage

Marcellino provides painted art work that is not bad but not nearly as nice as the cover

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Summary: A beautifully illustrated edition of this famous tale.
Review: This new translation of the "fairy" story first presented by Charles Perrault (1628-1703) in his Tales of Mother Goose in 1697 was illustrated by Fred Marcellino and translated by Malcolm Arthur. It was a 1991 Caldecott Honor book (that is, a runner-up to the Medal winner) for best illustrations in a book for children. The youngest son of a recently deceased miller receives a cat as his inheritance. He feels that he will soon die of starvation (after he has eaten the cat) since he has no other possessions. But, the cat convinces him to get him boots. The cat proceeds to find a fortune and a position for his young master.