Five Creatures

When my daughter was 2 and 3, she didn't really "get" this book. But now that she's 4 we read it all the time; she likes pointing out to me which characters any given line of text is talking about (like, "I think the mommy is allergic to milk" or "I think the cats can open the cupboards."). She gets really engaged and we end up talking about all kinds of subjects when we read it, so I'm a big fan!

A charming, gentle book about a family... a family of 5; 3 humans and 2 cats. We don't have cats but the concept of pets being integrated in the family structure, emotionally and physically, is realistic and warm. I give it as a gift to families with pets. My 3 children and I enjoy figuring out which of the 5 members of the family likes milk, sleeps on beds, licks rather than kisses. The chalk drawings carry a diamond-theme in the center of the page throughout the book that is clever and effectively ties the pages togther. A lovely book.

I agree with other reviewers: the people who gave this book such bad reviews just aren't one the right wavelength. It's a good book, but maybe it isn't for everyone. The catagorization game may not dramatically "drive" this book as effectively as a smiley, cutesy, Maisy-like animal, but for the right children, at the right stage of development, this is a great book. The first page makes a distinction between between people and cats, and now my 21-month old knows what a "human" is. That makes this book a winner as far as I'm concerned.

The most notable aspect of this charming picture book is the picture design, with old- world appeal vying with playful humor to create a perfect background for the whimsical text. Five family members are presented, with three humans and two cats sharing certain qualities and just as often showing their differences. The text is presented as part of the page design and draws the reader into the illustrations. One who sings loud late at night And one who sings in the morning. The illustration on the left shows the male cat (with grey hair) yowling on the windowsill and the male human (with grey hair) singing into the mirror as he shaves. The story is told from the viewpoint of the one child in the story, one of three with orange hair.

I can't believe that so far this book has only received 2-star customer reviews--perhaps these folks just don't get the charm of this book and are unusually critical. In fact, this title has received glowing reviews from many publications, including three *starred* reviews: Horn Book, School Library Journal, and Booklist. I plan to add it to my library collection.