Puss in Boots

July 1, 1970
Lewis and Eidrigevicius here take on a more familiar tale than in their Johnny Longnose , and they give it a distinctly adult look. Lewis's translation of the Perrault classic is smooth and accessible, but Eidrigevicius's trademark surreal paintings are uniformly overcast, even murky. Though some of the illustrations are dramatic (e.g., the cat's paw extends into one frame to grab a rabbit) and others wryly amusing (a shirt forms the river that Puss's master swims in), the somber tone seems at odds with the story, in which ingenuity triumphs. This enterprise is aimed at a group far different than that addressed by the Fred Marcellino version--and one of which few children will be members. Ages 5-8.

November 24, 2014
Lush illustrations will draw readers into this gently funny adaptation of Perrault’s story, part of the publisher’s World Classics series, about the youngest of three sons lucking his way into a wife and a castle. Kim pictures the son’s inherited cat as a gray tabby with ornate red boots, shrewd facial expressions, and claws that mean business (when the cat threatens to bite and scratch field workers if they don’t tell the king who they work for, there’s little doubt he’ll make good on the threat). There’s a hint of Bruegel to Kim’s rural landscapes, as well as some understated humor—the supposedly fierce giant who owns the fields and castle the cat steals is first seen reclining lazily on a carpet, smoking a hookah. Simultaneously available: Rapunzel, The Wolf and the Seven Kids, Thumbelina, and The Emperor’s New Clothes. Ages 4–8.

October 31, 1990
Perrault's tale of the cat who makes his master's fortune has never received a more faithful yet remarkably original treatment. Marcellino ( A Rat's Tale ) breaks convention from the start by relegating the book's title and credits to the back cover. The front cover is stunning: the mysterious feline, wearing a white ruffled collar and plumed red hat, stares out with green eyes as compelling and evocative as the story itself. The artist's luxurious and skillfully designed paintings startle in their complexity and beauty. Light and shadow mingle on tiled floors, through goblets, in courtyards. The simplicity of the cobblestoned streets and the peasant scenes are contrasted with the beribboned finery of the court, where the King--in a pink sash and lacy pantaloons--sits on a gilded throne. Like Cyrano do Bergerac, Marcellino's Puss has genuine panache. Sporting only his famed boots, he waits patiently in dappled sunlight for a stray hare or, with apparent nonchalance, entraps the wide-eyed ogre. Whether he is presenting his kill to the dandified King or is coiled like any ordinary cat on a carpet at the Marquis's banquet, he seems both true feline and fairy-tale creation at the same time. From Arthur's clean, clear translation to Marcellino's opulent illustrations, this version of Perrault's classic story is brilliantly conceived and executed. All ages.

September 28, 1998
"Perrault's tale has never received a more faithful yet remarkably original treatment," PW said in a boxed review. "Marcellino's luxurious and skillfully designed paintings startle in their complexity and beauty." All ages.

September 1, 1986
As a character, Puss in Boots is one of the oldest types in literature: the picaresque conman who intercedes with the world on his master's behalf. After persuading the king that his penniless master is a great lord, Puss tricks an ogre into turning himself into a mouse so that he can gobble him up and install his master in the ogre's palace. Following his master's marriage to the king's daughter, Puss, according to Cauley's retelling of Charles Perrault's classic tale, "became a powerful lord, and never hunted mice again, except for fun.'' Cauley tells the story with energy and verve, and her illustrations are delicious. Though acting in a human context, Cauley's Puss is definitely feline: the smile of satisfaction which Puss allows himself after a job well done will be familiar to any cat-lover.