From: Ginny Moore Kruse <gmkruse>
Date: Tue, 22 Oct 2002 20:45:12 -0500

Last week Susan Griffith commented that Joy Harjo's text for the picture book "The Good Luck Cat" (Harcourt Brace, 2000) "...chronicles the lives of a cat with 9+ lives... Subtly woven in are the details of the girl's community and extended family that show us she is Native American. Told in few, perfectly-chosen words, the story is a circle moved along by the cat's misadventures and held together by the girl's affection and care for it..."

I agree!

"The Good Luck Cat" is such a fresh approach to what could have been one more cliched story about a wandering pet. Instead it's a marvelously inventive narrative to which so many children can relate, whether or not their family has a pet. The cultural dimensions are important without being clumsy in execution, and Paul Lee's artwork is a perfect match for Harjo's perfect text.

The class of five and six year olds to whom I've read "The Good Luck Cat" were completely enthralled.

Peace, Ginny




Ginny Moore Kruse gmkruse at education.wisc.edu
Received on Tue 22 Oct 2002 08:45:12 PM CDT