Teacher Cat on Horn Book's Back-to-school Silliness list

"The kittens almost steal the show in Claudia Rueda’s humorous ink and colored-pencil illustrations. "

Horn Book

Praise for Teacher Cat

Underwood and Rueda maintain the droll narration and spare visual humor of the previous books ... There’s plenty to giggle over. —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“In a clean-up worthy of The Cat in the Hat, the kittens pitch in to save the day. . . . Cat’s droll expressions and signs are highlights . . . [and] readers may get a kick out of imagining what adventures they might have with their own substitute teachers.” —Kirkus

“Whether new to this series or a seasoned fan, this amusing read-aloud has much to offer the younger back-to-school crowd.” —School Library Journal

Underwood’s clever use of page-turns and comedic timing…deliver a droll story about the joys and challenges of teaching.” —The Horn Book

The Horn Book verdict on Valentine Cat

Review of Here Comes Valentine Cat

FEBRUARY 8, 2016 BY SHOSHANA FLAX 

Here Comes Valentine Cat
by Deborah Underwood; 
illus. by Claudia Rueda
Preschool   Dial   88 pp.
12/16   978-0-525-42915-9   $16.99   g

Valentine’s Day has its haters, and Cat (Here Comes the Easter Cat, rev. 3/14, and sequels) is one of them. Cat can’t think of anyone to grace with a Valentine, and new neighbor Dog doesn’t seem a likely candidate, what with all the bones he annoyingly keeps lobbing over the fence. Using this series’ trademark format — offstage narrator addresses nonverbal Cat, who responds with humorous placards and body language — the book shows Cat’s escalating plans against Dog (starting, but not ending, with a few not-so-sweet Valentines), and then shows that Dog may not deserve such poor treatment. Rueda’s ink and colored-pencil illustrations, surrounded by white space, once again convey lots of information via Cat’s facial expressions and other simple cues. Young listeners should enjoy the simply delivered misunderstandings, as well as the opportunities to yell emphatically at the main character (“You can’t send Dog to the moon!”).

From the January/February 2016 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.

The Horn Book review for the Tooth Fairy Cat

 Cat is back 
and craftier than ever

Cat, who wanted to steal the Easter Bunny’s spotlight (Here Comes the Easter Cat, rev. 3/14) and bypass the naughty list by impersonating Santa (Here Comes Santa Cat, rev. 11/14), is back and craftier than ever. Now he wants to meet the Tooth Fairy, but she’s already taken his tooth under cover of night. His attempt to lure her back with a comb’s tooth fails, but she sends him his own fairy costume and a note assuring him, “if you help me with a few deliveries, maybe we can meet.” Cat, in cahoots with a new mouse assistant assigned by the Tooth Fairy, manages to collect teeth from several challenging locations, and learns in a surprise twist that fairies can be tricky, too. Underwood crafts yet another original plot within the format established by the previous two books. As before, Rueda’s ink and colored-pencil illustrations allow Underwood’s characters (none of whom actually speak) to communicate clearly with the offstage narrator through actions, facial expressions, and the occasional placard, while white space creates a sense that the narrator’s opinionated voice echoes within the pages. The lost-tooth canon, smaller than the Christmas canon and maybe even the Easter-bunny canon, has plenty of space for this welcome addition. shoshana flax

Santa Cat is part of the Horn Book annual selection of new holiday books