Genre
Picture books for children
Tone
Amusing
Illustration
Detailed
Subject
Cats
Chalk
Change
Friendship
Self-confidence
Self-confidence in children
Character
Anthropomorphic

I found this book enormously appealing, in the ugly-adorable illustrations, and the sheer personality evinced by Ethel the cat. I didn't really feel like there was a strong story, or a message as such, but I did really enjoy the art. ( )

Through Ethel's story young kids will pick up hints about acceptance, confidence in being different and that change might not be the end of the world. Sometimes all you need is a friend to help you through and to see that everything will work out in the end. The only thing I didn't appreciate in this book was the inclusion of the word fat to describe Ethel - especially the first sentence in the book. I know she's a cat but it's a word that I would rather not have my daughter incorporate into her growing vocabulary.

I purchased this book for my daughter based solely on the fact that it included cats and it sounded like a cute story. It is definitely that and my daughter LOVES cats. I hit the gold mine of a photo op with our own cat who decided to roll in our chalk drawings - it was too perfect to pass up. Our 'sis is also old and has the cranky old lady meow to go with it even though she's definitely not cranky. The illustrations are beyond cute and I literally cannot get over Ethel's feet and that tail!

Would I purchase this as a gift or for my child? YES - I highly recommend this charmingly cute story - especially if you or your child loves cats. Being a cat lady, this was one of the first books I purchased for my daughter. ( )

nice, steady tale about an old cat who rolls on the blue sidewalk (sidewalk chalk) and turns blue. ( )

Ethel the cat was old, fat, black, white and very set in her ways. She did the same thing every day and she was good at it. Until, the day she turned blue.
The author uses beautiful watercolor illustrations and simple to text to paint a picture about not being afraid of change. This title is recommended as a read aloud and can be used in many different themes such as, cats, colors, dealing with change. The author introduces new vocabulary to help build word recognition and narrative skills. Children will fall in love with this lovable cat and want to read the story over again as they talk about how change can be scary at first. ( )