A Gray Cat Wanders

★ “…impish creaturely verse from late creator Kuskin (The Philharmonic Gets Dressed) consistently delights in this musing compendium, drawn primarily from the poet’s unpublished manuscripts… Across poems that work in both rhyme and open forms, and employ alliteration and other sonorous devices, the speaker frequently takes the perspective of someone marveling at the world’s unexpected joys and simple pleasures… Marcus’s afterword astutely highlights Kuskin as “a master of the droll understatement and sly observation,” precisely pinpointing what makes this an entertaining and stimulating work.“—Publishers Weekly, starred review

“Wry, keenly observed, and often short, Kuskin’s verse invites readers to ponder alongside her, as the longtime New Yorker thinks ‘gray thoughts / wandering through / a great gray city made of tall gray stone.’ … children will likely enjoy spotting the gray cat’s appearances. These newly published offerings from a beloved children’s poet are not to be missed.“—Kirkus Reviews

“The poems include expressive free verse and naturally worded rhyming verse and range from the appreciative (to birds: ‘What I love about you / are your wings / blurring and rising, / lifting you in and out / of cloud / and sky blue sky’) to the playful (‘I do not want a python / to be my-thon. / I will not buy a boa / at the stoah’). Hall’s atmospheric illustrations in muted colors place the roving feline in varied settings, sometimes front and center and sometimes providing spot-the-cat fun.“—The Horn Book

“Playful, melodic, and creature-focused, the poems in this delightful collection skip through observations of, and by, ordinary animals, from the illustrations’ ubiquitous gray cat to the diminutive harvest mouse and tweeting birds––though distant creatures, including ostriches and hippopotamuses, do not escape their attention either … Some entries wax philosophical; others fiddle with rhymes; all are entertaining. The accompanying watercolor illustrations are soft and impressionistic—additional opportunities to muse on the wonders of the animal kingdom.“—Foreword Reviews

“Drawn from the archives of a poet who died in 2009, the untitled selections—all but two previously unpublished—mix reflective observations with humorous wordplay… Children who prefer reading poems to themselves or hearing them read aloud will be equally pleased and likely to look up more of Kuskin’s work.”—Booklist

Karla Kuskin (1932-2009) was a prolific American author, poet, illustrator, and reviewer of children’s literature. Her titles include The Philharmonic Gets Dressed, Roar and More, and James and the Rain.

Marcellus Hall is a NYC-based illustrator. His work has appeared in The New Yorker, The Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic, and Time, as well as in American Illustration, the Society of Illustrators, and Communication Arts annuals. He has also illustrated children’s books; these titles include City I Love, The Cow Loves Cookies, and What’s New? The Zoo!

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