Puss-in-Boots

July 1, 1970
Lewis and Eidrigevicius here take on a more familiar tale than in their Johnny Longnose , and they give it a distinctly adult look. Lewis's translation of the Perrault classic is smooth and accessible, but Eidrigevicius's trademark surreal paintings are uniformly overcast, even murky. Though some of the illustrations are dramatic (e.g., the cat's paw extends into one frame to grab a rabbit) and others wryly amusing (a shirt forms the river that Puss's master swims in), the somber tone seems at odds with the story, in which ingenuity triumphs. This enterprise is aimed at a group far different than that addressed by the Fred Marcellino version--and one of which few children will be members. Ages 5-8.

November 24, 2014
Lush illustrations will draw readers into this gently funny adaptation of Perrault’s story, part of the publisher’s World Classics series, about the youngest of three sons lucking his way into a wife and a castle. Kim pictures the son’s inherited cat as a gray tabby with ornate red boots, shrewd facial expressions, and claws that mean business (when the cat threatens to bite and scratch field workers if they don’t tell the king who they work for, there’s little doubt he’ll make good on the threat). There’s a hint of Bruegel to Kim’s rural landscapes, as well as some understated humor—the supposedly fierce giant who owns the fields and castle the cat steals is first seen reclining lazily on a carpet, smoking a hookah. Simultaneously available: Rapunzel, The Wolf and the Seven Kids, Thumbelina, and The Emperor’s New Clothes. Ages 4–8.