Review of A Cat Called Crabpot

[Sam Ibeh]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "A Cat Called Crabpot" by Katrina Ferres.]

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5 out of 5 stars

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Before she became “crabpot,” this little cat was playful with a family that loved her. However, on the day she assumed was business as usual, she missed following her family as they left town. This left her sad and feeling abandoned. She would need help from other animals to find another family. Was she successful?

I have read a plethora of children’s books. One of the things that I always look out for is the book’s illustrations. Readers expect to see colorful, eye-catching drawings that get kids glued to the story. However, Katrina Ferres brings something different in A Cat Called Crabpot. The illustrations focus on the characters and their roles in the book. This approach engages kids mentally, as they will try to connect the picture of animals to what they are reading.

There were many characters in the book. It could be a large number for kids to keep track of. However, the author introduces them systematically according to when their roles were needed. Additionally, the character names had adjectival phrases added to them that perfectly described their personality. This way, readers would know what to expect from each character.

It would be normal to see rhymes in children’s books. However, Katrina Ferres opted for alliteration to add uniqueness to the writing. This figure of speech was mainly used in the names and descriptions of the characters. Here are a few examples: Kara the kind koala, Roger the rotten rat, Missie the messy mouse, and so on.

My only complaint was that some words used came off as heavy vocabulary, considering the age bracket that should read the book. For instance, the author used words like gruff, grunt, and preen. These words would be difficult for kids to decipher without external help. However, I would not be taking away any points for this, as it was only a personal observation.

A Cat Called Crabpot is exceptionally edited and deserves a rating of five out of five stars. I recommend it to children of reading age. There are so many lessons for kids to learn in this story.

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A Cat Called Crabpot
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