The Cinder-Eyed Cats

A young boy embarks upon a magical night-time journey in this gorgeous picture-book from Eric Rohmann, whose Time Flies was a Caldecott Honor Book in 1995. Borne away by a floating sailing ship, the boy comes to a faraway island where he creates a fantastic flying-fish sand-sculpture, encounters five tawny tigers, and is drawn into an enchanted dance - through the air? through the sea? perhaps through both, or neither? - with these cinder-eyed cats, and with all the denizens of the deep...

One of those image-rich picture-books that relies as much upon the artwork, as upon the text (minimal text, in this case), to create a gently surreal world, The Cinder-Eyed Cats has a kind of magnetic quality that draws the reader in. I can see why a fellow reviewer found the cover image compelling, as it certainly is that! Happily, the interior illustrations are just as mesmerizing. I don't know that there is much "story" here, but the reader willing to go with the flow will be rewarded with beautiful vistas, and a delightfully dream-like journey that is entirely appropriate in a bedtime book. ( )

A good book about a boy with an imagination sailing into the sky and landing on an island. He is visited by cats and an ocean full of fish and other creatures. ( )

The Cinder-Eyed Cats is an exciting adventure of a boy who enters a dream world where his wildest fantasies come to life. ( )

this book is about a dream land created by a boy. he is visiting with five tiger like creatures and the sea life begins to come out of the water and inhabit the dry world. this illustrations are breathtaking in this lovely imaginative tale.

The pictures are gorgeous, and I liked the story, but I think it was too quiet for my tiger-loving kindergartner. ( )