Calista Brill

When a hungry cat spares the life of the snake he has caught, he is granted three wishes. No believer in such things, the feline nevertheless wishes for some fish to eat, a house of his own, and some company. Imagine his surprise when these wishes are granted one by one, and when the girl who shows up in response to his third wish, has been led there by her own three wishes...

The third picture-book I have read from author Calista Brill, following upon her Little Wing Learns to Fly and show more Tugboat Bill and the River Rescue, but the first I have picked up from illustrator Kenard Pak, Cat Wishes is an absolute delight. The story is billed as a fairy-tale in the dust-jacket blurb, but I liked how the granting of the cat's wishes could be put down to natural causes, in addition to magical ones. The artwork is beautiful, and I found the feline star here utterly charming. I will definitely seek out more of Pak's work! Recommended to young cat lovers and to fairy-tale fans. show less

Nora’s a likable young heroine, she has her flawed moments like we all do and there’s a solid, relatable arc here as her family moves and she has to adjust to new people and new surroundings, with some friendships blossoming along the way and some work to do on her horse jumping technique.

There’s a sprinkling of serious subject matter in this one, some racist moments at Nora’s new school as well as some bullying, that stuff isn’t magically resolved as it never is in real life show more either, but it’s handled pretty well here including a good talk between Nora and her dad and Nora stepping up for someone else, as I said, she’s a likable heroine.

Sticklers for realism might have some issues with the horse competition, but it plays out in a sweet way and overall this graphic novel is an entertaining read with adorable illustrations. show less

Nora is sad about leaving her friends, her school, and most of all, her barn when her family moves to a rural area. Nora and her horse Hay Fever's new barn is called Creaky Acres; Susan, the owner/trainer, comes highly recommended by Nora's old trainer, but she doesn't believe in horse shows, and the place is falling apart. Nora comes in with an attitude and gets off on the wrong foot with the other riders and Susan's son Hank, who fixes things around the barn. But she figures out a way to show more make repairs, and she helps them all prepare for an event together. At the event, Nora gets to see her trainer and friends from her old barn, and integrate her two worlds.

"I miss it. I miss knowing how everything works. Everything's so weird here. I feel like I'm always doing something wrong. Either I am, or everyone else is. Ugh, this place. I miss...I miss having friends. I miss my friends. I miss them so much." (Nora to Hay Fever; Hank overhears, p. 133) show less

At some point, late in the summer of 2018, I suddenly became seized by the desire to have a cat-themed outreach storytime. Probably in December (I'm not discussing holidays, the use or lack thereof, so don't bring it up). Naturally, I then put on hold all the new cat picture books I could find.

In this sweet story, a hungry little striped cat, with a cute overhanging tooth, wishes they had something to eat. When he catches a wiggly gray snake, he lets him go for the promise of three wishes, show more although he doesn't believe in wishes. But first he finds a fish, then a home, and finally, a friend. A special friend who also got three wishes from a wiggly gray snake in the woods...

Kenard Pak's misty watercolors, with splashes of color, are an excellent match for Brill's gentle, wistful prose. Cat wanders through a misty world and readers can practically feel the chilly, dripping rain, the soft glow of the sun, and the spooky dark of a lonely house.

Cat is essentially a cat, one who doesn't believe in magic and accepts things as they come, but he's also lonely for a lap to curl up on and pleased to find a home at the end of the story.

Verdict: A sweet and mildly funny story, a good addition to a cat storytime with lovely pictures and gentle, lyrical prose. Recommended.

ISBN: 9780544610552; Published July 2018 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt; Borrowed from another library in my consortium show less