Alicia Potter

Mrs. Harkness is a fascinating, intrepid character and Melissa Sweet's mixed media illustrations are breathtakingly gorgeous but the story left me disturbed. Mrs. Harkness snatches the baby panda from its habitat. Was it an orphan or taken away from its mother? And then in the timeline, its revealed the panda died after little more than a year in captivity. I understand it was different time and people thought differently about animal welfare but it leaves me troubled and I wonder if young show more readers will be, too. show less

Dagnabbit. I *wish* more cats were scared of birds... I hope the class in Bird Basics is about admiring them from afar.... Other than that, it's a darling story about overcoming one's timidity when faced with a crisis. I do like it.

(impulse on a rainy day in Tulsa)

Miss Hazeltine is your quintessential crazy cat lady. When she opens a home for shy cats, they come in droves. One cat has one problem, one cat has another problem. And in the adorable illustrations, there are cats everywhere-- on shelves, under the carpet, you name it. Miss Hazeltine is not without her own fears: she's afraid of the dark and of mushrooms. Lo and behold, when she leaves the house to get milk for her hoard of cats, she falls, gets hurt, and you know it: she's alone in the show more dark surrounded by mushrooms. The shyest of the shy manages to lead all the other cats and they come to her aid. This would be a great read aloud, and it conveys the theme of being there for someone. show less

this book got off on a rocky start for me. The statement "Women were considered too dainty for exploring." in the very beginning made me a little spicy, however the great efforts that Mrs Harkness went to to prove everyone wrong definitely made up for it. When she packed dried milk for her trip to China in case the panda was a baby my heart melted, I thought what a kind person. After I learned that she gave the baby panda to the zoo I wanted to take my kind thoughts back but after reading show more the author's note I had a change of heart. It reminded me back in the 1930's our way of learning was much much different. They had no other choice but to learn by observing and having the actual thing. Phones, computers, even ways of traveling was not so extensive. So I thank Mrs Harkness for her contribution to zoology and being so adventurous and brave and not listening to those who didn't believe. the Primary source at the end was the cutest touch to leave the reader with. Also the illustrations in this book was amazing!!!! show less