Oscar and the Mooncats

January 1, 2008
PreS-Gr 2-Oscar the cat loves his boy, his home, and his food (both the "stinky" and the "crunchy" kinds), but he also loves to leap. One night, feeling wild, he leaps from a tree, to the top of the garage, and finally up to the moon. There he encounters mooncats that play with him and distract him from the faraway calls of his owner. When Oscar grows hungry, they invite him to drink the thick cream left by the cow that jumps over the moon. Before he can taste it, though, the cow appears and stops him, explaining that if he drinks it, he will change into a mooncat. Alarmed, Oscar leaps onto her back, returning to Earth and his boy. The mixed-media illustrations, done in acrylics, plasticine, collage, and computer graphics, are the star of this space voyage, portraying the lunar landscape in eerie, whimsical detail. The meandering text may not hold the attention of the youngest listeners, but the charming story will probably please most cat lovers, and the message of homecoming is a reassuring one. A fun, offbeat addition to bedtime story collections."Rachael Vilmar, Eastern Shore Regional Library, GA"

Copyright 2008 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 15, 2007
Oscar, a tiger-stripedcat, has a comfortable life in a cozy house with his boy and his toys, but he loves to jump up to high places. One evening Oscar springsinto the mightiest leap of his life, landing on the moon, where hefinds two playful mooncats.He is about to become a mooncat himself when the cow who jumps over the moon comes along and helpsOscar return to earth, where his boy is calling him. Mixed-media illustrations created with plasticine, acrylics, and computer graphics beautifully depict scenes ranging from gray, barren moonscapes to richly detailedviews of Oscars house on earth. The 3-D effect of the pictures and the unusual perspectives Ceccoli uses may not appeal toeveryone, but they are perfectly in keeping with the surreal nature of the story.Some little ones may recognizeelements of Kevin Henkes Kittens First Full Moon and Maurice Sendaks Where the Wild Things Are (1963), but the appealing illustrations are in aleague of their own andare sure todraw children intoOscars out-of-this-world adventure.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2007, American Library Association.)