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138th out of 508 books
—
487 voters
The Cinder-Eyed Cats
by
Eric Rohmann
From the creator of the Caldecott Honor winner Time Flies, here’s a little boy’s journey to a tropical dream world. Magnificent oil paintings and rhyming text bring to life a mysterious island where cinder-eyed cats move like shadows, boats float above the ocean, whales fly across the dawn sky, and a parade of fish dances in the light of a campfire.
Paperback, 40 pages
Published
November 13th 2001
by Dragonfly Books
(first published October 15th 1997)
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I couldn't ignore this book given the fabulous cover art; all those big cats staring at me, imploring me to take them home ;-) But, alas, I didn't end up liking the book all that much. Ultimately, I wavered between three and four stars, but finally leaned toward the fabulous illustrations which really are the main aspect of the story. The words, though sparse, are used well. And I do love books that celebrate imagination. But, overall, the end result here was just a bit too odd for me, I'm afrai...more
I really love this book. Bought it for our school library, to beef up our reading strategy section, and I didn't really know what it was about. I read it recently to our primary students, and I love how this book gets them thinking! They ask all sorts of questions about what's going on in this story, and come up with all sorts of theories. The pictures are breathtaking and the lack of text for the first few pages gets the kids' imaginations juiced up right from the beginning. One my grade twos s...more
I just couldn't get into this. My teen son says he remembers liking it ok, but I don't remember it all.... Anyway, I, like other reviewers, was intrigued by the cover, but not overly thrilled with the, er, experience.
The surrealism and minimal text reminded me of Wiesner's books like Tuesday and Flotsam.
The surrealism and minimal text reminded me of Wiesner's books like Tuesday and Flotsam.
Imaginative, life-like illustrations accompany this fantasy picture book about cinder-eyed cats. Magical deep-sea creatures rise from the waters during moonlit nights. When a young boy visits this magical place, he becomes part of this mystical, magical display.
Used for "Magical Mermaids and Other Sea Creatures" storytime- July, 2010.
Used for "Magical Mermaids and Other Sea Creatures" storytime- July, 2010.
I am not sure exactly what I think about this book. The illustrations are stunning and the imagination that went into this was endless. The thing that didn't seem right was the combination the ocean life and the weird "cinder-eyed cats." What did they have to do with each other? Did I miss something??
This is sparing narrative poem that seemed more focused on telling the story of a series of illustrations than on keeping a strong narrative thread, but it was so richly descriptive that it caught my interest. Go on and read it. It won't take more than a couple of minutes at most.
"..."
I love the creativity of Eric Rohmann. The first few pages don't have any words to them. There is a whole story within a story about the magical land where the boy comes from and where he goes not to mention the cinder cats. Great book.
I love the creativity of Eric Rohmann. The first few pages don't have any words to them. There is a whole story within a story about the magical land where the boy comes from and where he goes not to mention the cinder cats. Great book.
Beautifully illustrated, but I just don't "get" the story. I don't think I would have as a child either. Nothing that really grabbed my son as a child, so it is leaving and hopefully another child will enjoy it more.
In a list of some of my favorite picture books, this is just one of Eric Rohmann's titles that I really love. The detail and depth of the illustrations here are amazing, and I love the sounds the words make when I read them.
This is my absolute favorite book from when I was little. Beautiful illustrations, a calm and magical storyline, and so many memories. I still love this book and read it whenever I can. A wonderful story for all ages!
This is one of my favorite childrens stories, I owned a copy long before I even had kids. The illustrations are beautiful and the few words in the story are full of magic & wonder.
A celebration of imagination, this book is beautiful, a fantastical dream of a little boy, and open to interpretation. We did not know what would happen with each turn of a page.
One of my favorite picture books--even before we had children. Beautiful illustrations transport children to a magical world and allow them to tell their own story.
I absolutely love the illustrations in this book. This book talks about what happens when the sun goes down, and all of the animals that come out at night.
The pictures are gorgeous, the language compelling, though the verse is not a smooth read-aloud for me just yet.
Gorgeous illustrations, but the storyline didn't support them.
Lovely illustrations.
This is a very vivid picture book. I thought the story was a little odd but I enjoyed the illustrations. It has few words but the content of the beautiful illustrations tell a story of their own. It is about a little boy who goes on an adventure in his dreams. It is a great book and I could really see younger kids and older kids alike enjoying its imagery. It would be a good book to use during a book about using picture clues to tell the story.
Oct 24, 2007
Steve
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
kids of all ages
eric rohman is an incredible artist. i'd recommend any of his children's books. this one was the first of his that i read. rohman uses very few words in his books and instead lets his paintings tell the story. in this case it is about a boy who goes to sleep and is whisked away dreamily on a sail boat that flies to distant island where he meets sharks, panthers, whales, and all kinds of other creatures.
I adore this book. I find it absolutely enthralling.
I love the quiet poetry, the calm illustrations, the strange details (flying sail boats? A sand fish (that looks like a cat on the side) that comes to life?) - everything.
Unfortunately, my nieces (5 and 2.5) don't love it quite as much as I do. Maybe they'll grow into it? I suspect they find it somewhat lacking in story.
I love the quiet poetry, the calm illustrations, the strange details (flying sail boats? A sand fish (that looks like a cat on the side) that comes to life?) - everything.
Unfortunately, my nieces (5 and 2.5) don't love it quite as much as I do. Maybe they'll grow into it? I suspect they find it somewhat lacking in story.
No review.
I'm sure you've all already read this one, but as I hadn't, I'll give my review anyway.
As my husband, Matt, would say "Anh!" The cover looks inviting, but this book kind of looks like a Where the Wild Things Are knock-off. I think the wordless storyline is a little half-baked as well.
As my husband, Matt, would say "Anh!" The cover looks inviting, but this book kind of looks like a Where the Wild Things Are knock-off. I think the wordless storyline is a little half-baked as well.
I mostly really liked the illustrations, although I didn't so much enjoy the multiple pages with the many swirling fish. The text I found to actually take away from the viewing experience, as it wasn't needed and was a distraction.
Apr 25, 2008
Jackie "the Librarian"
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
cat lovers of all ages
Beautiful art and a dreamy story of a flying boat bringing a pajama-clad boy to an island with cats, leading to a dance in the sky with fish.
Not much story, but who cares? If you like cats, you will love this book!
Not much story, but who cares? If you like cats, you will love this book!
I love the illustrations in this book, I think that it allows students to build on creativity and dream big for themsleves. I would enjoy reading this book aloud and doing a begining middle and end piece with it.
Fantastic and surreal, a simple story of imagination that feels sort of like a written dream. With excellently illustrated fish!
beautiful picture book, minimal words, dream scape with cats and underwater animals, rhythmic
Love the hidden cat-tails. Rohmann's illustrations are absolutely magical here.
I love the illustrations of the cats- they are mesmerizing
magical and beautiful
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Eric Rohmann won the Caldecott Medal for My Friend Rabbit, and a Caldecott Honor for Time Flies. He is also the author and illustrator of Bone Dog, Clara and Asha, A Kitten Tale, and The Cinder-Eyed Cats, among other books for children. He has illustrated many other books, including Last Song, based on a poem by James Guthrie, and has created book jackets for a number of novels, including His Dark...more
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Nov 22, 2010 12:45pm
Nov 22, 2010 01:09pm