Updated: Sep 28, 2022
Inside Cat is just that: an inside cat. But while the cat's life is bound by the walls of an unusual house, it's far from dull. As the cat wanders, wonders, stares, and snacks, roaming from room to room and place to place, both cat and reader discover worlds and sensations beyond what's right in front of them. And just when Inside Cat is sure it knows everything, another surprise awaits!
Max's Boat Pick:
INSIDE CAT
By Brendan Wenzel
Publisher: Chronicle Books (October 12, 2021)
RT: I love that Inside Cat sees "fluffy rats" (squirrels) and "roaring flies" (helicopters). Do you have any other favorite books that play with perspective?
BW: "I was saddened to hear that Steve Jenkins passed away recently. I never had the chance to meet him but I really love his work. One of my favorites of his was Actual Size, which showcases animals or at least parts of them, at scale with beautiful illustrations. It’s an incredible book that really has a way of making its way off the page and into the room. It also makes the reader consider their relationship to others and the world around them. That’s for sure one of my favorites that plays with perspective.
You've mentioned that Quentin Blake was an inspiration behind your illustrations for Inside Cat. What are some of your favorite Quentin Blake titles?
"It's really hard to pick just one. There are a few illustrations from The Witches and The Twits that are burned in my memory, but at the end of the day I probably have to go with The BFG. There is something about that book and those images that bring up a ton of joy."
Who are some other illustrators you admire?
"This is always such a tough question because there are so many people out there with work that I adore. In regards to folks I grew up with I’d say the Provensens, Quentin Blake, Maurice Sendak, Syd Hoff, Leo Lionni, Lois Ehlert, Jerry Pinkney, Shel Silverstein.
People currently making work who I'm a huge fan of include Carson Ellis, Christian Robinson, Peter Sis, Oge Mora, Audrey Helen Weber, Lane Smith, Jon Klassen, Sophie Blackall, Sergio Ruzzier and Raul the Third. I also love the work of James Ransome, Ted Lewin, and Rudy Gutierrez, but I should probably disclose they were my teachers at Pratt. I know I’m leaving a least fifty illustrators I love off this list and it’s an awful feeling."
I love your light, deft touch with words. Who are some writers you admire?
"Thank you and great question! As far as picture book authors go, Mac Barnett is the first name that pops into my head. I love all his work, especially The Important Thing about Margaret Wise Brown which is a stunning book. Cynthia Rylant is another author who really speaks to me, but I’m admittedly a bit biased as I spent a year illustrating her book LIFE, and spent countless hours with her beautiful words."
If you have children, what did you love reading to them at age three? At age five? "I don't have children but one of my favorite books to read with my friends' kids is Our Animal Friends At Maple Hill Farm, by Alice and Martin Provensen, which was one of my favorite books when I was a kid."
What contemporary picture books do you think will be the new classics of the future?
Oof. These are really tough questions. We Are Water Protectors, by Carole Lindstrom and Michaela Goade, Du Iz Tak? by Carson Ellis, and pretty much anything by Jon Klassen.
What would be on your list of 100 best picture books of all time?
"I’m gonna go with a very safe but honest answer here - Where the Wild Things Are. It’s just a perfect book. I’ve opened it a thousand times and it never loses its magic. In the Night Kitchen is also great. I’ll get back to you on the other 98."
Mina and her father live in a hollowed-out tree stump on the edge of a pond on the edge of a forest. Nothing ever bothers Mina, until one day, her father brings home a suspicious surprise from the woods. Should Mina trust her father—or listen to her own instincts?
MINA
By Matthew Forsythe
Publisher: Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books (February 15, 2022)
Can you tell me the origin story behind Mina? MF: "Yes, I was working on an animated film called Robin Robin - about cats and mice and birds. When I finished working on the film, I was excited to write my own cat story. For me, Mina is about how sometimes children have to take care of their parents. The book also asks the question, who do we invite into our worlds? How do we decide who to let in and who to keep out?"
For those who love Mina, can you recommend one or two other titles you think they might also enjoy, and why?
"I was really inspired by the world of Japanese picture book artist Kazuo Iwamura. His work is huge in Japan and it’s surprising how hard to find it is over here in North America."
Mina delivers that rare picture book element: suspense. Are there other suspenseful picture books you love?
"Well, I’m flattered that you say that because I love suspense and my favourite genre of films are French thrillers. I love the early work of Ozon or Clouzot. In terms of all ages books, I think Roald Dahl always delivers the kind of humour and drama that I love."
If you have children, do you remember what you loved reading to your kids at age three? At age five?
"I don’t have kids. But if I did, I would probably try to read them Akiko Miyakoshi. There’s something so distilled and simple and quiet about her books that is rare to find in today’s noisy world."
What new picture books coming out in 2022 are you most looking forward to reading?
"I’m excited to see Dapo Adeola’s new book, Hey You!, which is a book about black joy. It’s finally being released in North America - after great success across the pond. Dapo is not only a close friend but he is one of those rare artists who is actually changing the way the industry works. Also: anything by Cátia Chien (The Longest Letsgoboy) or Kyo Maclear (The Big Bath House), both of whom, I have always followed closely."
Updated: Feb 10, 2022
Crocodile hungry. What can crocodile eat? Canned ham? Too hard to open. Beef jerky? Gets stuck in teeth. Eggs? Bite shell, get toothache. Crocodile must find food. But where? Though crocodile is surrounded by food, he doesn't know it.
Pick by Daniel Miyares, Hope at Sea:
CROCODILE HUNGRY
Written by Eija Sumner
Illustrated by John Martz
Publisher: Tundra Books (February 15, 2022)
Can you tell me how Crocodile Hungry came about?
ES: "My family was at the Oregon Zoo and my then-toddler asked my husband, 'what do crocodiles eat?' The flamingo pond was conveniently the next feature at the zoo. The two of them spent the next few months yelling, 'Crocodiles Eat Flamingos!' followed by all the laughter and imaginative play of a little toy crocodile that would eat all the other toys in our house. The two of them being silly was the beginning of a crocodile character who didn’t know what he could eat in his natural habitat, and who was so surprised to learn that he could maybe possibly eat flamingos."
For those who love Crocodile Hungry, can you recommend a few other picture books that you think they might also enjoy? "For more books about being eaten or eating other characters, I love I Just Ate My Friend by Heidi McKinnon, and I Want My Hat Back by Jon Klassen, along with Lucy Ruth Cummins’ A Hungry Lion or a Dwindling Assortment of Animals.
The Wolf, the Duck, and the Mouse by Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen, because it’s so hilarious and plays with some of those predator-food-chain dangers and fears in unexpected ways. It’s so fun and brilliant.
John Martz included so many hilarious details in Crocodile Hungry, and I think fans of his illustrations would love any picture book by Tomi Ungerer."
Are there any other picture books you love where the reader is in on the joke? "Goodnight, Gorilla by Peggy Rathmann is a classic. Life on Mars by Jon Agee. Sam and Dave Dig a Hole by Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen."
What did you love reading to your children at age 3? At age 5? "Blue Hat, Green Hat by Sandra Boynton is hilarious and brilliant. Oops! There was a time when one of my kids would count, '1, 2, 3, PEEEEE!' instead of to '4' because we read Time to Pee by Mo Willems so often. The Fox Went Out on a Chilly Night by Peter Spier is a house favorite that my youngest at 10 still asks me to sing-read to her. It’s a beautifully illustrated folk song about a fox that sneaks into a New England town and steals a duck and a goose and then takes them home to eat with his fox family. They have a wonderful dinner, and the little foxes chew on the bones and everything— it’s a bedtime staple at my house."
What would be on your list of 100 best picture books of all time? "Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughters by John Steptoe. I had a paperback Reading Rainbow edition as a kid, and I loved it. Owl Moon by Jane Yolen and John Schoenherr. Animals Brag About Their Bottoms by Maki Saito, translated by Brian Bergstrom, is hilarious, informative, and celebratory. It is so much fun. How Tom Beat Captain Najork and His Hired Sportsmen by Russell Hoban and Quentin Blake is so silly and perfect. More fooling around! Little Witch Hazel by Phoebe Wahl is such a beautiful and wonderful book and feels like something that will be around for decades if not longer."
Do you have a favorite library/bookstore? "I love the Fort Vancouver Regional Library District in SW Washington because that’s where I rediscovered my love for children’s literature. It’s where I worked when I began writing, and I had such a great crew of supportive, funny, and smart co-workers that taught me so much about books and sharing them with kids.
BookPeople of Moscow (Idaho) is my local indie and I remember going there as a kid and I feel really lucky that it’s still a place I can go as an adult. It’s lovely.
What picture books coming out in 2022 are you most looking forward to reading? "I am really excited about A Spoonful of Frogs by Casey Lyall and Vera Brosgol, I feel like it has everything in it that I love. It is going to delight so many readers. Blue by Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond and Daniel Minter looks absolutely gorgeous, and I can’t wait to read it. I’m a self-professed art nerd and I love this type of informational book. Mama and Mommy and Me in the Middle by Nina LaCour and Kaylani Juanita is so sweet and beautiful. Nina is such a thoughtful and incredible writer, and I hope this is the first of many picture books from her."