  | Full Text Reviews: School Library Journal - 03/01/2018 PreS-Gr 2—A group of mice save a freezing feline, warming the orange cat on a bed of straw and sharing their food. When Marmalade regains her strength, however, she immediately does what cats are known for: terrorizing mice. Smart Mouse gets an idea when she finds an old sleigh bell; the bell will make an alarm! Together the mice create a collar for Marmalade to alert them when she nears. But who could possible put the bell on the cat? Certainly not the mice; not even the local (and vicious) rats. But when four giants ( a human family) arrive at the farm, the smallest one takes an interest in Marmalade and gently places the collar around the cat's neck. This way, the girl will always know her cat friend's whereabouts. Dramatic use of dark and light presents a threatening Marmalade and the large-eyed colony of mild-mannered mice from various perspectives. Soft lines of the digitally created illustrations do little to mitigate the harsh appearance of the devilish cat which softens considerably when seen from a distance with the young girl. McKissack's retelling of this fable from India ends with a different but satisfying twist. VERDICT A worthy addition to home and school libraries by a master storyteller, perfect for storytime or one-on-one sharing.—Maria B. Salvadore, formerly at District of Columbia Public Library - Copyright 2018 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission. Booklist - 03/01/2018 Newbery Honor Book author McKissack’s Marmalade is no sweet and gentle feline. After some very kind and thoughtful mice nurse the sick and hungry cat back to health, he turns on them viciously. At the monthly mouse meeting, Smart Mouse tells the colony of small rodents that they must defend themselves. They find a bell and fashion a collar. But how to attach it around the ferocious feline’s neck? Various plans fail, so they desperately enlist the help of the Rat Pack. But in an oversize double-page spread, the orange cat prevails, fending off the biggest, meanest rats anyone can imagine. Though the cat’s eventually collared when someone new arrives, Old Wise Mouse offers a warning (à la Aesop): “When you use a tiger to get rid of a lion, what will you do with the tiger? (That’s another problem for a different day.)” The deeply toned orange, red, and brown palette created digitally creates a realistic atmosphere for a truly scary piece of folklore about clever little ones coping with a brutal foe. - Copyright 2018 Booklist. Loading...
 |