  | Full Text Reviews: School Library Journal - 06/01/2017 PreS-Gr 2—Marigold is not your average orange cat. Not only is he very clean but he's also extremely well organized. Unlike most people, Marigold loves Mondays. Mondays are for baking. When Marigold bakes, he can't have any visitors or distractions. Instead, he spends time sorting through his recipes to find the best one before getting down to work. Everything begins according to plan. Marigold adds egg whites…easy. He pours in a cup of milk…peasy. He adds the juice of a lemon…squeezy. Then, he sprinkles in a pinch of…finch? That's when things start to go bad. As soon as Marigold thinks he has ushered one bird out, others show up ready to help. Soon, the cat has a messy kitchen, plenty of birds, and no cake. As a frustrated Marigold heads out for a calming walk, the birds decide to take matters into their own hands. This book contains the perfect recipe for fun. The birds are added in cumulative order (one finch, two pigeons, three loons) and equipped with aprons and chef hats. The avian characters are revealed in rhyme ("a smidgen…of pigeons, three tablespoons…of loons"), which makes the story even more amusing to read aloud. The watercolor illustrations are impeccable. The detailed scenery doesn't take away from the main characters. Marigold's expressions are well depicted as he goes from mild-mannered cat to puff-tailed wild animal, and children will enjoy his solution to the problem. VERDICT This humorous book would be ideal for a storytime reading.—Barbara Spiri, Southborough Library, MA - Copyright 2017 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission. Booklist - 06/01/2017 Marigold, a ginger cat, likes to keep things orderly, especially Mondays, when he spends all day baking and no one is allowed to come over. The meticulous kitty carefully prepares his recipes, ingredients, and tools, but just as he’s getting started, a finch flies through his kitchen window. Marigold’s a touch flustered but carries on. That is, until two pigeons appear, followed shortly by three loons. It’s too much for the cat, who zips around the kitchen in a “feline frenzy,” chasing after the birds and wreaking havoc on his cake batter. Malbrough’s watercolor illustrations are full of charmingly zany details, from dapper Marigold’s polka-dot bow tie to the chocolate splatters after the birds take over the cake making, and the creatures’ over-the-top facial expressions amp up the comedy. Playful rhymes and surprising page turns make this a great pick for a group storytime, and the comical ending, in which Marigold learns to let go of some of his nitpicking, will be a valuable one for kiddos. - Copyright 2017 Booklist. Loading...
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