The Broken Cat - Hardcover

Perkins, Lynne Rae

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0060292636 ISBN 13: 9780060292638

Publisher: Greenwillow Books, 2002

Synopsis

There are times when hearing a familiar story -- even a story about how your mother fell and broke her arm when she was a little girl -- can be comforting. And so it was for Andy, and for his cat, Frank. Because the important thing is that injuries heal. When they have healed, they become stories -- and sometimes a story with a happy ending is exactly what is needed. If you are looking for the perfect book about love and families and intergenerational support (to say nothing of cats), look no further.

About this title

About the Author:

Lynne Rae Perkins was awarded the Newbery Medal for Criss Cross. She is the author of four other novels—All Alone in the Universe, As Easy as Falling Off the Face of the Earth, Nuts to You, and Secret Sisters of the Salty Sea. Lynne Rae Perkins has also written and illustrated several acclaimed picture books, including Frank and Lucky Get Schooled; The Broken Cat; Snow Music: Pictures from Our Vacation; and The Cardboard Piano. The author lives with her family in northern Michigan. www.lynnerae.com

Lynne Rae Perkins was awarded the Newbery Medal for Criss Cross. She is the author of four other novels—All Alone in the Universe, As Easy as Falling Off the Face of the Earth, Nuts to You, and Secret Sisters of the Salty Sea. Lynne Rae Perkins has also written and illustrated several acclaimed picture books, including Frank and Lucky Get Schooled; The Broken Cat; Snow Music: Pictures from Our Vacation; and The Cardboard Piano. The author lives with her family in northern Michigan. www.lynnerae.com

From Publishers Weekly:

In this quirky, effective slice-of-life memoir, Perkins (Home Lovely) shows a family reassuring a child by recalling a previous crisis that turned out all right. Andy's cat, Frank, hasn't moved or eaten since Andy let him out after breakfast, the previous morning. Andy sits with his family in the veterinarian's waiting room and a question reveals his concern about his pet: "Mom,... can you tell me about that time... you fell and broke your arm?" His mother, grandmother and aunt remember the accident, interrupting and adding forgotten details. Perkins's pen, ink and watercolor figures wear '60s plaid dresses and cat's-eye glasses; they play out the action in a series of vignettes. Comic-book highlights such as thought balloons and alternating viewpoints of the same scene counter Andy's sober concern for his cat and the pain of his mother's broken arm. After they conclude their reminiscence, the vet calls for Frank, dresses his head wound and sends him home. "Did your arm hurt the whole time it was broken?" Andy asks. A split-scene sequence then follows Andy's mother (in girlhood) and Frank healing together. "No," she reassures him, "Pretty soon... I didn't think about it at all." Her youthful counterpart stands on her head as Frank, in a corresponding panel, sniffs gently at Andy's hand. Like Andy, young readers may well return to this tale when they need reassurance. Ages 5-up.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Greenwillow Books
• Publication date: 2002
• ISBN 10: 0060292636
• ISBN 13: 9780060292638
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 32
• Illustrator: Perkins Lynne Rae