Author Name: Eve Bunting
Reviewer's Name: Julia
Publisher: Voyager Books Harcourt, INC.
Date of Publication: 1994
Rating: 1-5 Stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐
A little boy named Daniel, his cat named Jasmine, and his mother Gena have to endure the trauma and danger as their town is raided during the Los Angeles Riots. Everything has gone up in flames while those behind the fires take anything they find beneficial. When Daniel is awaken abruptly, he and his mother must escape their burning home and make it to a shelter. During the chaos, Jasmine goes missing, being a major worry for the little boy, Once they safely made it to the shelter and settled down, a kind- hearted firefighter found not only Jasmine, but another cat belonging to their neighbor Mrs, Kim. Both cats had heated feelings towards each other, yet were found holding paws at the end of a stairwell. Through that experience, they find the meaning of unity not only with themselves but those around them. I personally loved the part when Jasmine is found with another cat that she hates- once she got to know the cat through a shared experience, they became inseparable.
The key theme of the childrens' book is that people become closer when willing to go past
their differences. The plot build the setting consisting of hate between people and the two cats.
However, through in depth character analysis, it can easily be seen how cat's changed body
language around each other after experiencing their hardships together. Even Daniel and his mother
made a friend named Mrs. Kims, who they never would have gotten to know otherwise. The art itself
is fairly abstract yet kid-friendly, portraying a scaring scenario in a way that children could
comprehend. Though abstract, it would have been nice seeing the art in a cleaner fashion. The plot
and story was enjoyable to read and a meaningful lesson for any child. Over all, I give this book a
rating of four out of five stars, and I highly recommend that students indulge themselves in books
such as this at a young age.
No comments:
Post a Comment