School Library Journal Review
Gr 2-4-When Mrs. Crump finds a cat on her porch step, she is determined to get rid of it. However, when she rushes out in the rain to buy a pint of cream, she ends up with a "shiny red pet dish" and a "dainty yellow collar with a silver bell." As the woman continually makes excuses for not putting the animal out, expressive language implies the underlying loneliness and hope for companionship she feels. "It would be foolish to turn out a dry cat only to have a wet one on the porch step again-it seemed such a shame to waste a half pint of cream-." But the most telling sign that she really wants him to stay is when she describes him as a "finicky troublesome WET yellow cat with FLEAS" on the "Found" flyer that she hangs. A mix of traditional and art-deco-style artwork and furnishings draws readers in to peruse each page and to marvel at the insides of the classic old-fashioned grocery store. This evenly paced story is great for a read-aloud and discussion and units on descriptive writing.-Wanda Meyers-Hines, Ridgecrest Elementary School, Huntsville, AL (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
This gently and economically-told story about the friendship between a lonely woman and a stray cat will appeal to warmhearted readers, young and old. Mrs. Crump believes that cats are sneaky, finicky, and troublesome. When a wet feline slips into her house like a furry ball of yellow sun, Mrs. Crump tells it plainly, "I have no use for a cat." She intends to send the animal on its way, but "it curl[s] itself around Mrs. Crump's ankles like a soft velvet ribbon and mew[s] hungrily." Roberts's (Cinderella: An Art Deco Love Story) watercolor palette of blue and gray grows brighter as the cat slowly captivates Mrs. Crump, and the artist adeptly depicts the changing expressions on the faces of the characters. When the pinched, lonely Mrs. Crump first feels the cat's touch, she seems startled, if still disapproving, but by the time she goes out to buy cream, navigating a rainy sea of umbrellas, she wears a very slight smile on her face. The late Smith (Mrs. Biddlebox) fills the story with telling details as Mrs. Crump begins making excuses for why she simply can't get rid of the cat. The heroine decides not to post a notice about the "exquisite golden cat" she's found, and advertises instead for "one sneaky finicky troublesome wet yellow cat with fleas," thus ensuring that the story will end ever so happily with the cat in her lap and Mrs. Crump "wondering how [she] ever got along without it." Ages 4-8. (May) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.
Horn Book Review
When getting-on-in-years Mrs. Crump finds a stray cat on her porch, she does everything to convince herself (and her grocer) that she doesn't want to keep it. Readers will enjoy watching her resolve weakening, spirits lifting, and relationship with her grocer changing. The art, featuring a well-dressed Mrs. Crump in various urban scenes, calls to mind New Yorker magazine covers. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
Kirkus Review
Who doesn't know someone who adamantly vows never to let a stray cat in the house? Meet Mrs. Crump, who "opened her front door one rainy day to fetch the paper and discovered an exquisite golden cat shivering on her porch step." The cat won't shoo, slips inside the door and polishes itself in front of the fire. As the cat ingratiates itself paw by paw, Mrs. Crump comes up with one reason after another why not to give the cat the boot, buying cream at the grocer's, bathing it for fleas, buying a collar, etc. Her last resort is a sign in Mr. Henry's store window: "Found. One sneaky, finicky, troublesome, wet yellow cat with fleas." Surprise--no one claims it and you can guess what happens next. Subtle illustrations with a British accent (seamed stocking, spectator shoes) humorously underplay the tale. Kids will see what's coming and giggle as the cat pussyfoots its way into Mrs. Crump's home and heart. (Picture book. 4-8) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
