  | Full Text Reviews: School Library Journal - 04/01/2014 K-Gr 2—Bella is a calico cat who has lived her whole life in a lighthouse—until the day she slips outside and goes on an adventure. Her journey first takes her to a little sailboat that is just her size, then a gust of wind sends her out to sea. Soon she finds herself riding on the back of a whale, who tells her to head down to the bottom of the ocean to meet his friend Arthur who will help her get home. Arthur is a bespectacled octopus who carries her to dry land on one of his long tentacles. Once on the beach, Bella meets crabs and seagulls, all of whom help her find her way home to her friend in the lighthouse. Mixed-media and digital illustrations create cute and cartoonish sea imagery in muted pastels.—Jennifer Miskec, Longwood University, Farmville, VA - Copyright 2014 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission. Booklist - 06/01/2014 Blue skies and bright sun entice kitty Bella to venture outside her lighthouse for the first time in her life. Though she comes from a long line of feline adventurers on the high seas, Bella has only imagined ocean voyages. As salty sea air tickles her whiskers, the little calico cat hops aboard a tiny sailboat and—“Whoosh!”—she is blown out into the ocean by a gust of wind. “Sploosh!!!” Her small boat is catapulted onto the back of a whale. Knowing she is desperate to get back home, the whale leads her to a bright orange octopus who guides her to dry land. As she wanders along an isolated beach at sunset, she hears a most welcome cry—“Bella!!!”—and she races back to the loving arms of her owner. The artwork in soft blues, sandy yellows, and the deep hues of nighttime is enhanced by the author’s hand lettering in several double-page spreads. In this comfortable tale’s premise, adventurous forays end with a happy homecoming. - Copyright 2014 Booklist. Loading...
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