Boris and the Snoozebox

by Leigh Hodgkinson

All Boris wants is a long catnap in his new cardboard box with no trouble whatsoever. But suddenly--STAMP, STAMP, scribble, scribble--the box is taped up and zoomed off to doorsteps all over the earth and beyond. . . . Every time Boris drifts off to sleep, someone opens the box and wakes him up. Beady eyes peek inside and loud voices shout, "This is NOT what I ordered! I DON'T want this cat!" (They want a prickly plant . . . giant teapot . . . or remote-controlled space butterfly.) This quirky cat tale proves there's no place like a loving home—especially if that home happens to have a plumpish pillow perfect for snooooooozing!

Genres: Picture Books, Cats, Childrens, Animals, Fiction, Pets

32 pages, Hardcover

First published August 1, 2007

About the author

Leigh is the author and illustrator of Goldilocks and Just the One Bear and illustrator of the Magical Mix-Ups series.

Leigh is an award-winning animator and worked as art director on the BAFTA-award winning animated series, Charlie and Lola.

She is also an award-winning children’s book author and illustrator, who is absolutely passionate about writing, making things up and daydreaming. Among her many brilliant picture books is Don’t Dip Your Chips in Your Drink, Kate, written by Caryl Hart, which won Highly Commended in the 2010 Sheffield Children’s Book Award, Picture Book Category.

Leigh lives and works in Surrey and is married with a baby daughter.

Reviews

[Marisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Torn between liking this book and being irritated that it is a complete Lauren Child rip off. Boris is a stray cat who is looking for a cozy place to sleep. He jumps in a box, only to be shipped off to a lady waiting anxiously for her biggest tea pot in the world to FINALLY arrive. She doesn't want a cat, she wants a teapot, so she packs Boris back in the box and sends him away. This happens over and over, and everywhere he ends up, Boris hears the same thing..."I don't WANT this cat!" That's heartbreaking, right? So it's extra gratifying when Boris ends up on the doorstep of Grandma Flapjack, who has ALWAYS wanted a cat. And Boris finds he's always wanted a Grandma Flapjack. He just didn't know her name. That's pretty much the whole story. You don't have to read the book now, unless you want to see shameless Lauren Child copy-cat artwork.

[Skye Kilaen · Rating 5 out of 5]

What I love about Leigh Hodgkinson: Her sweet, sly, and quirky sense of humor. Her mad typography skills. Her ability to use just enough words to tell a story. In this case, the story of Boris the cat. He's soooo sleepy, and finds the perfect place for a nap… until the box gets shipped around the world to all kinds of folks who do NOT want a cat. Will Boris ever find that perfect snoozing spot? (Spoiler: yes, because children's picture book.)

The art is collage and cartoons, wildly eccentric and lots of fun. It's one of our favorite children's books about cats, and possibly one of my personal faves of all children's picture books.

The second Boris book, Boris and the Wrong Shadow, is almost as good. High bar to clear and all that.

[Mercedes · Rating 2 out of 5]

The artwork was almost too busy.

[Jess Peck · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book about a cat who sadly does not have a bed ... in fact, this cat does not even have a home. Whilst all this grouchy cat wants to do if have a big dozy catnap, he ends up finding what he thought could provide him with the comfort he needed to do just that. So as he fell asleep and began to dream about giant big fish he was actually on a new adventure. However, when he turned up at lady snoothlethrope she did not want him and neither did mister marshmellow and this went on and on... until eventually, he arrived at Grandma Flapjacks where he was taken in with open arms and finally he got the rest he deserved. This book was an enjoyable read with variations in the font style which I think would encourage children to read for pleasure as well as encouraging them to perform and retell the story in a number of ways. However, with this being said I sometimes felt as though a lot was going on in each page and I think this could be distracting to less able readers.

[Felicia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love finding new books for read aloud. This book is filled with fun illustrations, and a cute story about a cat no one seems to want.

Our after story discussion ranged from why cats like to sleep in boxes, to why someone would want the world's largest teapot.

[Pam · Rating 2 out of 5]

Boris the cat wants a quiet place to rest. He climbs into a cardboard box that is shipped all over the world and beyond. Finally, he finds a home where he gets to rest and be taken care of.

[Lucy Acheson-Gray · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too much going on!!

[☼Pam Might Read Too Much ☼]

The artwork in "Boris and the Snoozebox" is absolutely delightful. It's mixed media and is just the sort of thing that I think would stimulate anyone to trying to do something of their own in a similar vein. In style, it reminds me of Lauren Child of "Charlie and Lola" fame. And truly the book has that much visual appeal. Really a lot of fun!

Where's it's lacking though is in the plot department. There is a story -- Boris the cat doesn't have a home and he very much wants a comfy place to sleep, but unfortunately he chooses a box for his nap. The box gets shipped around the world and ends up in some surprising places. But unfortunately none of the openers of the box want a cat. That is, until he arrives at Grandma Flapjacks -- but unfortunately there's no real moral or anything to learn from the story. Which leaves me liking the book, very much on account of the fun artwork, but not loving it.

Talking Points:::
o Definitely LibraryFind here. The artwork is fun and the format is amusing.

o Elementary School-aged Kids will be entertained. It's a fun book to share. HOWEVER, while I do recommend it as LibraryFind, I can't recommend it for purchase because it's got no 'meat'.

o The busy font motif might be too much for very young children. This is one of those books where the font changes frequently, and where information is put in varying places.

**Above Average**
**No Reading-Level found**

Pam T~
mom and reviewer at BooksForKids-reviews.com

[Caroline · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a FUN book!

Boris is a stray cat who doesn't have a home, and more importantly, doesn't have a super comfy pillow to snooze on. He finds the next best thing, an empty box. But alas, his box is shipped to multiple recipients who don't want him! How devastating to be so unwanted. All Boris wants is to be left alone to nap.

This is a cute story and though the illustrations aren't really as bright and vibrant as I usually like, what I did love was how the text was laid out. This isn't a book with the story written in a few sentences on the page, the text is laid out across each page as a part of the book.

My 4-year-old daughter had me read this book at bedtime two nights in a row, so clearly it's a winner in her book too.

[Krista the Krazy Kataloguer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Boris needs a quiet place to sleep, and he thinks he's found it when he jumps into a box. However, next thing he knows the box is sealed shut and he's being shipped all over the country. I don't know if kids will realize how far-fetched this story is--Boris doesn't attempt to claw his way out of the box, and doesn't seem to want food or drink even though it must take days and days for him to reach each destination. I would have suspended disbelief until he ended up on another planet--that episode could and should have been left out, I think. I did enjoy the illustrations, which strongly reminded me of Lauren Childs. Not the best cat story I've ever read, but Boris is cute.

[Ariel Cummins · Rating 2 out of 5]

I know people love the illustrations in this book, but there was just too much going on for me to enjoy it!

Boris doesn't have a home, so when he sees a box full of fluffy stuffing, he can't help but curl up and go to sleep. Of course, the box gets shipped to all kinds of wrong places, but don't fear! Boris ends up exactly where he belongs.

The illustrations are collage, which I usually do love! But there are simply too many textures and shapes and characters and lines on every page. This book was just a little too chaotic for me to enjoy.

This would probably work for a lap sit with a kid who liked having a lot on every page to look at and explore!

[RachelAnne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ages 4-8 Boris doesn’t have a bed—he doesn’t have a home, for that matter. So, when he discovers an inviting brown cardboard box, he decides to hop in for a snooze. Much to his surprise, the box is then taped shut and shipped to a woman who’s very upset that Boris is not what she had ordered. Poor Boris doesn’t even get a chance to run away before the box is taped shut and sent to another unhappy recipient…and another…and another. Finally, he arrives on Grandma Flapjack’s doorstep and finds a loving home. As any cat would, he decides to take a nap.

[Molly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Boris is a stray cat, who sometimes wishes for a home, and sometimes just wants a place to nap. He finds a comfy old box, and is just starting to drift off...when he is picked up and shipped out. He is sent back and forth, even to outer space, but no one wants him. Until he winds up on Grandma Flapjack's doorstep. The mixed media illustrations are quite fun, but this one (because of the erratic text placement) is best for older preschoolers.

[Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this book. The writing and illustration style are very reminiscent of Lauren Child's style. Luckily, they also live up to her standards. The art is a lovely comibination of patterns and textures, and incorporates textiles in the collages. The text size and font contributes to the book's vitality. Grandma Flapjack's yarn and knitting needle bun is a perfect thing! The story is a grand adventure from the cat's point of view. Highly enjoyable!

[Laura Z · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very cute book about a homeless cat who is accidentally taped in a box and mailed many places before he ends up finding a home with a person who just happens to be wanting a cat! I loved the bright and busy mixed media illustrations! I couldn't quite figure out why each person kept forwarding the cat to a new place instead of returning the cat to the previous place (heehee--but who cares!). Toddlers won't notice...

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

The illustrations in this book are great! With a name like Boris, how can one not fall in love with this cat? Boris does not have an owner. He falls asleep in his snoozebox. The box is shipped and delivered to many destinations where people do not welcome him; until finally he is delievered to Grandma Flapjack! Grandma Flapjack always wanted a cat, and Boris always wanted a Grandma Flapjack. It was a purrrfect match!!!

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A vibrant, entertaining story of a cat's attempt to find a loving home--with a comfy pillow for snoozing. The detailed, energetic illustrations bring added humor to the story. Kids in preschool through third grade will want lots of time with this book in order to pore over the pages, which are arranged in collage fashion and feature little notes, arrows, and doodles.

[Suzanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I saw the adorable cover art and I had really high hopes for this book. However, the inside was disappointing. Besides being way to busy, the illustrations were just a cross between Lauren Child and Laura Ljungkvist (one page looked like it was torn from Follow the Line). Cute but hardly original.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Boris is a cat that is just looking for a place to take a good nap. Instead, the box that he finds to snooze in is shipped all over the place constantly interrupting his catnap. Poor Boris...

The colorful collage illustrations are what attracted me to this series. The story is also silly enough to make it a very enjoyable read with my niece.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really cute picture book. It follows a stray cat who finds a cardboard box to sleep in when he unexpectedly gets mailed around to various people. I loved the illustrations. I normally don't like mixed media, but it really worked in this book. There were so many little details to look at.

[Tara · Rating 5 out of 5]

The illustrations leap off of the page. The text is ALL over the place, and while that might make storytime tough, the potential for fun is too great to ignore. A great book for a storytime about kitties or about creative uses for boxes (like Not a Box.

[E. Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

An adorable tale of a homeless kitty who thinks he's found a place to sleep...but winds up traveling through the mail. Hodgkinson's illustrations are ingenuitive and brightly colored, making Boris' adventures all the more delightful.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

B. (age 9) says, "I liked the plots of this book and that it was about a cat. I also liked the people's names."

I thought it was a cute book. The collage-style illustrations were quirky and fun and the plot was silly and the ending sweet. A feel good story.

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book which will be a lot of fun to read to my 2nd graders. The story is fast paced with fun, silly language. The illustrations are creative and also use real media and a lot of different textures.

[Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute story. Neat pictures.

[Chantel]

From 2009 Caldecott contender list.

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oh man, this book cracked me up. I loved the illustrations. Boris is a fantastic cat. And I don't say that about many cats.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet ending. Love how the text flows in the page. Love how there are realistic elements (scanned?) incorporated into the pictures.

[Beck · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved the artwork in this cute tale of a homeless siamese kitty.

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Boris the cat has no home and he's ok with that or so he thinks until he falls into the life of the right one. Really enjoyable. Great read aloud.