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 show more 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. show less

Breathtakingly complex and colorful paintings draws us into this young boy's wild adventures to an island where mysterious and inquisitive cats show him the wonders that can occur at night. This book is written in rhyme which assists in the whimsical attitude in the swirling sea creatures traversing the skies. While Inspiring curiosity and creativity, we also find comfort in companionship found through our imaginations.

I adore this book. I find it absolutely enthralling.

I love the quiet poetry, the calm illustrations, the strange details (flying sail boats? A sand fish (that looks like a cat on the side) that comes to life?) - everything.

Unfortunately, my nieces (5 and 2.5) don't love it quite as much as I do. Maybe they'll grow into it? I suspect they find it somewhat lacking in story.

Lovely illustrations accompany a beautiful story of a young boy who flies above the water in a sail boat, landing on a faraway land where at twilight magical events occur. The sand does not contain castles, rather, there is a large image of a fish that comes awake as images of five cinder eyed cats romp in the sand with the fish in the twilight moon.

Thousands of fish are called from the deep and spin round and round as the sand and wind accompany them in their dance of color round the fire in the darkest time of night. And, at the first break of dawn, the fish return to the depths of the sea as the boy hops back into his flying sail boat and the land and sea sleep until they are awakened another night.

This is sparing narrative poem that seemed more focused on telling the story of a series of illustrations than on keeping a strong narrative thread, but it was so richly descriptive that it caught my interest. Go on and read it. It won't take more than a couple of minutes at most.

At night a boy sails through the sky to an island where wild cats play with swirling fish from the ocean. Beautiful illustrations and playful, dreamy mood.

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.