At the Drop of a Cat

(Hardback)

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Publishing Details

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Description

With lush art by two-timeNYT Best Illustrated recipient Violeta Lpiz, a picture book about a boy and his larger-than-lifeimmigrantgrandfather, who shares with him the kind of learning thats 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 ReviewsBest 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, Luisespecially in his marvelous garden, where green beans reach as high as the sky. Luiss garden is where the little boy practices reading and writing. But just as importantly, its 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, andphrases 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.
Atalented cook, artist, and gardener, Luis has much wisdom to impart and many experiences to share with his grandsoneven 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 Lpiz.

Reviews

Winner of the 2025 Prix Albertine Jeunesse!

A 2024 USBBY Outstanding International Book!

A New York Times/New York Public Library Best Illustrated Children's Book of 2023!
Lpizs lush, verdant and empathetic art depicts both their shared interests and the differences that separate them. As grandson and grandfather grow closer, Lpiz gradually pulls back the thick vegetation, creating space for them to show each other their true selves, and show readers something all of us are searching for: a purely human connection.

-- Christopher Lassen * 2023 NYT/NYPL Best Illustrated jury & NYPL childrens librarian *

A New York Public Library Best Children's Book of 2023!
In this heartwarming story translated from French, lush illustrations provide a verdant backdrop as a young child lovingly speaks about his grandfather. Luis, a Spanish refugee living in France, never learned to read or write, nonetheless his grandson admires his many talents.

* New York Public Library *

A Kirkus Reviews Best Picture Book of 2023!
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 books 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, Im learning to read and write, this does not turn into a story centered on Luis illiteracy. The grandchild lovingly details their grandfathers 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 Lpizs lush, nave style and flat aesthetic. By books 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. Warmhearted and affirmingone to pick up.

* Kirkus Reviews, STARRED REVIEW *

A Marginalian Favorite Book of 2023!
A bright and immeasurably tender celebration of the many languages of love comes from French author lise Fontenaille and Spanish artist Violeta Lpiz in their lovely collaboration At the Drop of a Cat Radiating from the pages is the great tenderness that blooms between the young boy and the old man as they try to understand each other, to inhabit each others inner garden The loveliest thing I have seen in a very long time.

-- Maria Popova * The Marginalian (formerly Brain Pickings) *
Verdant, layered artwork by Violeta Lpiz brings a sense of mysticism to At the Drop of a Cat, a picture book by lise Fontenaille in which a 6-year-old boy describes his relationship with his grandfather, Luis... Against a backdrop of lush, plant-filled pictures, the child explains that Luis had left his home in Spain at the age of 11 and walked overland until he reached safety in France... As the child chatters on, readers ages 4-8 find out more about Luiss life experiences while also coming to appreciate the things the old man can teach his grandson: songs in Spanish, guitar chords and the difference between edible and poisonous plants... Translated from the French by Karin Snelson and Emilie Robert Wong, At the Drop of a Cat is the sort of picture book that seems intended to awaken empathetic feelings and a childs aesthetic senses. * Wall Street Journal *
French author lise Fontenaille and illustrator Violeta Lpiz present their own distinctive take on friendship and connection with At the Drop of a Cat, a meditation on the relationship between the books six-year-old narrator and his grandpa Luis, a gardener, artist and refugee who fled war in his home country of Spain. Lpizs stunning illustrations take readers at childs eye-level into Luiss luscious garden, reminiscent of Henri Rousseaus paintings, with whom Luiss own art is compared. Luis may be illiterate, but hes wise and inspiring, and his grandson enjoys his poetically muddled phrases (the books title is Luiss version of at the drop of a hat). Nature-themed picture books have flourished in recent times but this is something special: Lpizs fluid, overlapping designs really magnify the sense of the pair being at one with the land and each other. * The Guardian *
Lpiz shows in lush, dreamy illustrations 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. 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. * School Library Journal *
A six-year-old narrates this reflection about a cherished grandparent... Luis is a miraculous gardener with an intimate knowledge of wildlife. Artist Lpiz (The True Story of a Mouse Who Never Asked for It) places colorful silhouettes of leaves and birds within the contours of Luiss face, behind his bushy moustache and serious eyes... The dense foliage that twines through the art mirrors the rich thicket of the grandchilds thoughts and the grandfathers knowledge as the two spend time together, sharing Luiss idiosyncratic idioms ('At the drop of a cat') and celebrating the childs success in a lushly produced book that asks where worth really lies. * Publishers Weekly *
Lpizs 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 Danielson * The Horn Book *
The text is lyrical and lengthy; I would almost describe this as an illustrated short story... This book was lovely, absorbing, and wistful without being cloying. The lack of a name or gender for the child will give the book even more resonance for all readers. The child also describes Luiss art (Dad says Luis is as good as Henri Rousseau and he is a really famous painter) and I assumed that the beautiful illustrations were, in fact, Luiss drawings that he and the child work on together in the book. They look to be a mix of watercolor and collage, full of the green leaves of Luiss garden, naive, and easy to interpret with many fascinating details. The child and the grandfather appear repeatedly, with the smaller human nestled inside the outline of the bald, big-nosed grandpa. This will be a wonderful one-to-one read aloud with an adult. The translators have done a great job here; originally published in French, this English translation flows beautifully. I was fascinated by the authors ability to present hard truths in such a joyful and plain manner. The book manages to be equal parts moving and funny. -- Susan Harari (Keefe Library, Boston Latin School, Boston, MA) * Youth Services Book Review, STARRED REVIEW *
A young boy shares his observant and abundant appreciation for his grandpa, Luis, in this picture book originally published in France Loveunstated yet obviousradiates from every page of a child-centered story set against distinct, expressive illustrations celebrating the natural world thatalong with his grandsonclearly brings Luis joy. * Cooperative Childrens Book Center (CCBC) *
Violeta Lpiz uses the technique of painting on transparencies and then layering the transparencies to create fabulous illustrations. Just like the layered illustrations, there is so much depth in this story. The loving relationship between a grandson and grandfather, make it a perfect book for an intergenerational storytime. This is also a story of words, art, and music; of spending time together in the garden; and of a grandchild learning to read, something their grandfather did not have the opportunity to learn... I found myself reading At the Drop of a Cat over and over again. -- Paula Holmes * World Kid Lit *

Author Bio

lise Fontenailleis 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 Catis her first picture book, and the first to be translated into English.

Violeta Lpiz 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 Childrens 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 Snelsonis a Seattle-based book editor, reviewer, writer, and translator, specializing in childrens and young adult literature. She has served on a Newbery Medal selection committee, on an ALA Notable Childrens Books committee, and on a 2022 Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award nominating committee through USBBY. She is the co-translator of the French picture bookJerome by Heart, which won a 2019 Batchelder Honor;At the Drop of a Cat; andYou Can't Kill Snow White.

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