Ginger

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

Ginger is a very contented cat until his owner brings home a naughty black kitten and Ginger's blissful world is turned upside down So Ginger decides to leave home. His owner brings him back, and soon she finds Ginger and the kitten both in a cardboard box happy together

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Publishers Weekly Review

A new kitten arrives in Ginger by Charlotte Voake, but reigning feline "Ginger didn't want a new friend, especially one like this." Cat lovers and families with new babies will savor this story of how the two learn to live with each other and have fun. (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

School Library Journal Review

PreS-K‘Anyone who has ever tried to introduce a kitten into an established cat household will appreciate this tale. Ginger is content with his comfortable basket and delicious meals made by his young owner‘until a kitten arrives. Although the girl hopes they will be friends, Ginger is so unhappy with the invasion of a cavorting kitten that he decides to leave home for the rainy garden. A minimum of background detail allows the art to focus on the relationships, and the expressive watercolor-and-ink illustrations successfully capture both the body language of Ginger's outraged emotions and the mischievous antics of the outsider. The oversized type is well placed for dramatic effect and the resolution befits the perverse nature of cats. The theme of having one's perfect world disrupted by a newcomer has numerous picture-book variations; nevertheless, this latest offering has enough charm to make it a worthwhile purchase.‘Caroline Ward, Nassau Library System, Uniondale, NY (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Booklist Review

Ages 4^-7. The feline Ginger gets his nose out of joint (and rightly so) when the little girl he lives with brings home a feisty kitten. No longer is Ginger able to eat his own food, have an uninterrupted moment to primp, or take a nap in his favorite basket. What finally happens is so thoroughly catlike that it's easy to believe the story grew out of an incident that happened to Voake's own pets. The uncluttered watercolor and pen-and-ink illustrations, set on plain backgrounds, have an unstudied look that heightens the comedy of the situation. It is especially funny to see the cats finally cozied up in a small cardboard box: "cats love cardboard boxes (however small they are)." --Stephanie Zvirin

Horn Book Review

Expressive, playful watercolors depict the indignation Ginger, a yellow tabby, feels when a new kitten joins the household. The simple text, set in a very large, reader-friendly typeface, describes Ginger's reactions as the kitten eats his food, pounces on him unexpectedly, and invades his basket. From HORN BOOK 1997, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Kirkus Book Review

A flawless tale of two cats, well-suited to story hours, to be read and reread. Ginger is introduced as the most contented of pets, his owner making him ``delicious meals'' and his days spent in the splendor of his beautiful basket. Then: ``What's this? A kitten!'' The girl who owns Ginger has procured a ``new friend'' for him. Ginger's eyes widen at the little rat-tailed creature that invades his life, all pointy edges and awkward energy. When the kitten climbs into Ginger's beloved basket, the illustration shows how the older cat draws back, ears down and subdued horror in his expression. Voake (Mr. Davies and the Baby, 1996, etc.) seems to sketch out each scene with glee, and the large pages exaggerate the comic effects. Ginger runs away, and the girl goes in search of him; she brings him in from the cold and the rain, accepts that the two cats won't be friends, and treats Ginger with tenderness. A well-timed surprise finds the cats cozy at last, because Ginger--for all his unsocial tendencies--cannot resist the cardboard box into which the kitten is placed. This is a simple tale, paced to perfection, while its parallels to the arrival of a new baby in a household give it a practical dimension. (Picture book. 3-7)