Calabash Cat
PreSchool-Grade 3-Similar in mood and style to Rumford's Traveling Man (Houghton, 2001), this creative offering is geared to a younger audience. Calabash Cat sets out to discover where the world ends. Each time he thinks that he has found his destination, another animal happens along and takes him farther. Riding a camel, a horse, a tiger, and then a whale, he passes through a desert, grasslands, a jungle, and an ocean. Finally, while perched on an eagle's back, he discovers a world without end. Filled with repetition, the enchanting narrative reads like a folktale. The engaging illustrations are deceptively simple. The animals, drawn with heavy black lines and intricate geometric shapes, are made to look like designs burned into a calabash, an art form that is practiced in Chad. A thick line runs through the spreads like a path, changing color with each of the habitats, and all of the hues are brought together at the end to make a rainbow, a striking effect. Even the type setting helps tell the story. Whenever the cat thinks his journey is over, the text is right justified, making a visual stop, and when he continues on, it is centered. A translation in Arabic script appears with each illustration, and an author's note explains the inspiration for this tale. A wonderful choice for reading aloud, offering much fodder for thought and discussion.Donna Cardon, Provo City Library, UTCopyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.