Copy Cat

by Ali Pye, Ali Pye (Illustrator)

Overview

Bella loves Anna. In fact, Bella loves Anna so much that she wants to be just like her and copies every single thing she does. Finally Anna decides she's had enough of Bella being such a copycat! What is Bella going to do? With an adorable troupe of colorful kittens and vibrant illustrations, this author-illustrator debut from rising star Ali Pye is a lighthearted look at playground friendships and finding your own way.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780763699352
Publisher:	Candlewick Press
Publication date:	05/22/2018
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	9.30(w) x 11.60(h) x 0.60(d)
Age Range:	3 - 7 Years

About the Author

Ali Pye has wanted to be an illustrator since she was little, when she drew stories and stuck the pages together to make her own books. But it took her a few years and a stint as a copyeditor before she started drawing professionally in 2010. She is the illustrator of Mouse’s First Night at Moonlight School by Simon Puttock as well as other stories. This is the first book that she’s both written and illustrated. She lives in London.

Editorial Reviews

Catty characters learn to play nice...Throughout, Pye's digital illustrations add to the playful tone of the book, with bold colors and shapes defining the big-eyed cats and giving a retro feel to the flat visual aesthetic. A fine feline friendship tale for storytime.
—Kirkus Reviews

Illustrations add to the book’s charm, and young readers will be able to follow the text and will notice the ABC order of the three cats’ names. Acting out the story as a read aloud might be fun, as would encouraging students to write in additional characters of their own that adhere to the ABC theme.
—School Library Connection

This simple story teaches children about friendship and weathering disagreements.
—World Magazine

From the Publisher

04/01/2018
PreS-K—Playful cats explore a common social dynamic of childhood. Bella wants to do everything that Anna does—hula hooping, playing ballerina, and even being a pirate. When Anna decides to play princess, of course Bella wants to follow suit—but there is only one crown. Anna is not nice and does not want to share with Bella and tells her to stop copying. With sad eyes and droopy ears, Bella walks off to be by herself. She decides to jump rope, at first struggling but, after much practice, jumping so fast she doesn't notice that Chloe is watching. The two felines practice jumping rope together. Meanwhile, Anna realizes it is no fun to play by herself and goes to find Bella. In the end, all three spirited cats wind up playing ballerina-pirate-princess together. The simple text and bright, expressive digital artwork keep the tone light and the message positive. VERDICT This is a fine addition for young listeners learning to navigate playground politics and forge friendships. Best shared one-on-one with an adult.—Erin Olsen, The Brearley School, NY

School Library Journal

2018-03-18
Catty characters learn to play nice.Two anthropomorphic cats, Bella and Anna, play together, with the former looking up to the latter and copying her every move. It's all fun and games until they play princesses and there's only one crown. Anna selfishly seizes it, yelling at Bella: "Stop copying me! I'm the princess. And it's my crown!" Poor Bella is bereft when Anna flounces off, but she quickly recovers when she finds a jump-rope. Then a new cat, Chloe, comes along, and Bella says "Just copy me!" to invite her to learn how to skip rope, too. Bella's generosity and friendliness later extend to the crowned Anna, who soon tires of playing princess by herself and joins them in jumping rope. "Just copy us!" Bella and Chloe say, and the three cats jump rope together. When Chloe has the bright idea to tie their separate ropes together, the feline friends' play becomes truly collaborative, setting the stage for engagement in many different activities on ensuing spreads. A concluding introduction of a new friend, daredevil Dotty on a skateboard, suggests that there's much more fun in store for all. Throughout, Pye's digital illustrations add to the playful tone of the book, with bold colors and shapes defining the big-eyed cats and giving a retro feel to the flat visual aesthetic. A fine feline friendship tale for storytime. (Picture book. 3-6)

Kirkus Reviews