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Title: Elemenopeo by Harriet Ziefert, David Saaf, Donald Saaf, Donald Saff ISBN: 0-395-90493-5 Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Co Pub. Date: 28 September, 1998 Format: Hardcover Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $15.00

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Average Customer Rating: 4.8 (5 reviews)

Rating: 5
Summary: I hate cats but I LOVE this book
Comment: If you still love a book when you've read it upwards of 200 times it's a great investment. My daughter is two and loves animals. I'm forty (plus) and an artist (and not a cat fan). We're both intrigued by this wonderful, and wonderfully illustrated, story of a resourceful cat who, thwarted in his daily birdchasing activities decides to become an artist instead. I particularly appreciate his (lack of) humility in assessing his work: "Then I step back to take a look at my picture. Wow! It's good. I like it. I'm an artist!"
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Rating: 5
Summary: Sort of like a Seinfeld episode . . .
Comment: Elemenopeo isn't my favorite children's book, but it's in the top twenty. I'm kind of surprised by the lukewarm reviews this book has received. While no one seems to hate this book, it is consistently faulted for being fluffy or boring or bland. While I can't completely disagree with any of those adjectives, I don't see it as a problem. In fact, the gentle simplicity of this story is what I like best about it.

My kids(2-7)love this book - I think because it seems so authentic to them. Elemenopeo is a regular cat and that forms the basis of this story. Cats are usually pretty set in their ways, but they will risk an occasional - very careful - adventure if they're sure it won't put them in an undignified situation or get their fur wet. Cats also feel that they are entitled to their own set of eccentric whims, such as eating bagels and lox for breakfast every morning. Like Seinfeld was a sitcom about nothing, and this cat story is just the same. My older kids know that cats hate adventures, so this 'boring' story about a cat who has a wonderful day doing very little makes sense to them. I wouldn't say that it's necessary to be a cat person in order to enjoy this book, but it helps. Elemenopeo gets a great deal of pleasure from the ordinariness of her day, and anyone can understand that. But I suspect that only people who really like cats will see that there is humor in this story. Even if this book really is boring (don't think sparse . . . think spare!), the wonderful illustrations make up for it. The paintings are vivid and colorful - lots of fun for kids and grownups to look at. BONUS: If you are familiar with modern painting you'll probably notice an uncanny resemblance between the pictures in the book and the art of Marc Chagall. I think that using "Serious Art" to tell such a simple story adds to its charm. -The kids don't get it, but it's fun to have a private joke with the illustrator.

At the very least, this is a great bedtime story. It's calm, involves sleeping and sweet dreams, and does not have any content that even remotely encourages kids to stay awake. My kids always seem pensive after we read this story - I think they're wondering what our cats do when we're not around. If you wish you enjoyed this book as much as I did, you might consider brushing up on your cat psychology. I recommend "Three stories to read to your cat." This will open a window into how cats think.

Rating: 5
Summary: Wonderful Short Story
Comment: It's a short story about a cat who gets trapped inside for a day and decides to paint a picture. Yes, its simple, but its also magical. The illustrations are original, bright and fun to look at. My three children love it!

I'd ignore the Horn Book review. A pointless story? Only for those who believe simple things are pointless. Some people still find simple things beautiful.