At the drop of a cat / written by Élise Fontenaille ; illustrations by Violeta Lópiz ; translated from French by Karin Snelson & Emilie Robert Wong.

Title :

At the drop of a cat

Author:

Fontenaille, Élise, 1960-

Format:

Books

Summary:

A six-year-old boy loves nothing more than spending time with Luis, his immigrant grandfather, who teaches the boy about birds, plants, and the natural world.

Language:

English

Audience:

Ages 3-12. Enchanted Lion Books.

ISBN - ISSN:

9781592703821

1592703828

Physical Description:

1 volume (unpaged) : color illustrations ; 30 cm

General Note:

Translated from the French.

"First published in France as Les poings sur les îles by Éditions du Rouergue."

Subject:

Grandfathers -- Juvenile fiction.

Immigrants -- Juvenile fiction.

Birds -- Juvenile fiction.

Plants -- Juvenile fiction.

Picture books for children.

Grandfathers -- Fiction.

Immigrants -- Fiction.

Birds -- Fiction.

Plants -- Fiction.

France -- Juvenile fiction.

First Title value, for Searching:

At the drop of a cat / written by Élise Fontenaille ; illustrations by Violeta Lópiz ; translated from French by Karin Snelson & Emilie Robert Wong.

Holds: Copies:

Available:*

Library	Audience	Home Location	Material Type	Shelf Number	Status
Searching... Central	Kid/Juvenile	Picture books	New juvenile books	E FONTE	Searching... Unknown
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Searching... Walter	Kid/Juvenile	Picture books	New juvenile books	E FONTE	Searching... Unknown

With lush art by two-time NYT Best Illustrated recipient Violeta Lópiz, a picture book about a boy and his larger-than-life immigrant grandfather, who shares with him the kind of learning that's not taught in classrooms.
★ A New York Times /New York Public Library Best Illustrated Children's Book of 2023! ★ A NYPL Best Children's Book of 2023! ★ A Kirkus Reviews Best Picture Book of 2023! ★ A Marginalian Favorite Book of 2023! ★ A 2024 USBBY Outstanding International Book!
At six years old, the child-narrator of this picture book loves nothing more than spending time with his grandpa, Luis--especially in his marvelous garden, where green beans reach as high as the sky. Luis's garden is where the little boy practices reading and writing. But just as importantly, it's also where he learns wonderful things from Luis, like the names of all the birds in the trees and new expressions that are so much fun to say. Luis's playful vocabulary is as vibrant and full of life as his garden, and phrases that are particular to his way of talking, like "at the drop of a cat" (which means right away), are soon adapted into the little boy's lexicon, too.
A talented cook, artist, and gardener, Luis has much wisdom to impart and many experiences to share with his grandson--even though, as a war refugee, he never went to school himself and never learned to read and write. A loving testament to the intergenerational transmission of knowledge and the breathtaking beauty of the natural world, illustrated with evocative, multilayered art by Violeta Lópiz.

Author Notes

Élise Fontenaille is a French author and former journalist who lives and works in Haute-Loire, France. She writes for children and adults across a variety of genres and formats, including picture books, novels, science fiction, historical fiction, literary fiction, and crime fiction, and has received numerous French literary awards. At the Drop of a Cat is her first picture book, and the first to be translated into English.

Violeta Lópiz is a Spanish illustrator currently living in Peru. She has illustrated numerous books, including The True Story of a Mouse Who Never Asked for It (a New York Times Best Children's Book of 2021) and The Forest (a New York Times Best Illustrated Book of 2018). El Cultural, the supplement of El Mundo , considers her one of the top ten names of contemporary Spanish illustration.
Karin Snelson is a Seattle-based book editor, reviewer, writer, and translator, specializing in children's and young adult literature. She has served on a Newbery Medal selection committee, on an ALA Notable Children's Books committee, and on a 2022 Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award nominating committee through USBBY. She is the co-translator of the French picture book Jerome by Heart , which won a 2019 Batchelder Honor; At the Drop of a Cat ; and You Can't Kill Snow White .

Growing up in a French, Chinese American family, Emilie Robert Wong attended school in the French national education system before studying Comparative Literature and Neuroscience at Harvard College. She is an associate editor with Enchanted Lion.

Reviews (4)

School Library Journal Review

K-Gr 3--Fleeing from war-torn Spain at age 11, Luis had no chance to learn to read or write, but he tenderly imparts his nature literacy to his beloved six-year-old grandson. The garden is exuberant with sky-high beans, ripening cherries, and edible wildflowers. Lópiz shows in lush, dreamy illustrations in muted colors the magic of the world Luis shares with the boy. A wonder-filled landscape of flowers, birds, aromatic meals, and cranky cats, it is also a world far beyond what can be taught in a classroom. Showing love and admiration across generations, this sweet title can be a guide for the appreciation of the natural world and the quiet love of family. VERDICT This lovely purchase is a gentle yet effective work; its story and rich, complex illustrations highlight the joy of sharing the natural world that exists between a boy and his beloved grandfather.--Eva Elisabeth VonAncken

Publisher's Weekly Review

A six-year-old portrayed with paper-white skin narrates this reflection about a cherished grandparent. "Every Wednesday, and on Sundays, too," grandfather Luis cares for the child, who loves to draw and is learning to read and write. Luis is a miraculous gardener ("His green beans climb all the way to the sky," writes Fontenaille) with an intimate knowledge of wildlife. Artist Lópiz (The True Story of a Mouse Who Never Asked for It) places colorful silhouettes of leaves and birds within the contours of Luis's face, behind his bushy moustache and serious eyes. Slowly, the grandchild reveals more about Luis: he escaped a war at the age of 11 by walking from Spain to France; he "never learned how to read or write, not even his name"; and he's an incredible artist, covering his walls with images of flora and fauna. The dense foliage that twines through the art mirrors the rich thicket of the grandchild's thoughts and the grandfather's knowledge as the two spend time together, sharing Luis's idiosyncratic idioms ("At the drop of a cat") and celebrating the child's success in a lushly produced book that asks where worth really lies. Ages 6--up. (Sept.)

Horn Book Review

Fontenaille and Lopiz bring readers a deeply affectionate intergenerational story of a six-year-old child and Grandpa Luis. The child admires Luis, a talented gardener who fled war in Spain as a youth and never attended school or learned to read or write. "Dad told me Luis didn't have a chance to be a kid." The grandchild's first-person narration lovingly describes Luis's tattoo-covered arms, his artwork that covers the walls ("Dad says Luis is as good as Henri Rousseau"), his cooking, his guitar-playing, and the idiosyncratic way he speaks: "He says I am 'the apple of his pie,' which means he really likes me." Lopiz's beautifully composed, exquisitely controlled illustrations burst with color, capturing impressions and moments with graceful lines and evocative, layered patterns and textures. There is a particularity to the story and characters that makes this book most memorable and spellbinding. Julie DanielsonJanuary/February 2023 p.60 (c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Kirkus Review

A French child expresses love for a Spanish grandfather in this French import. A dark-haired, pale-skinned 6-year-old adores spending time with their grandfather, whom they call Luis. The sensitively written text reveals Luis' struggles without presenting him as lesser. The young narrator loves how Luis mixes up idioms, the source of the book's title. Because Luis fled Spain as a child during "a terrible war" and had to work to support himself in France, he never went to school or learned to read and write. Although early on the narrator informs us, "I'm learning to read and write," this does not turn into a story centered on Luis' illiteracy. Instead, the grandchild lovingly details their grandfather's appreciation for birds, cats, and the natural world as well as his many skills, like gardening, cooking, playing guitar, and painting. "Dad says Luis is as good as Henri Rousseau," the text reads, which provides insight into the artistic inspiration behind Lópiz's lush, naïve style and flat aesthetic. By book's end, the narrator can read well, and Luis celebrates this accomplishment with a gift that reinforces their special bond and brings this stunning and tender tale to a satisfying conclusion. (This book was reviewed digitally.) Warmhearted and affirming--one to pick up. (Picture book. 4-8) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.