Silver Medal, 2011 Moonbeam Children's Book Awards, Picture Book (Ages 4-8)
When a young girl moves into a new home, she slowly wins the affection of a shy Maine coon cat, as he meets the girl's kitten, chases dragonflies, and explores the neighborhood. Beautiful illustrations by Jeannie Brett enhance the gentle rhyming verses by Sandy Ferguson Fuller to make this a delightful book for children, cat lovers, and anyone who has felt the warmth of making a new friend.
My Cat, Coon Cat is also available as a story walk.
My Cat Coon Cat (PB)
Written by Sandy Ferguson Fuller
Binding: Softcover
Pages: 32
Genre: Children's Picture Book | Fiction
Ages: 4-9
ISBN: 978-1-944762-13-1
Publication Date: Softcover 2017
Dimensions: 8.0 x 9.75 x 0.13
Shipping Weight: 0.32 lbs.
Sandy Ferguson Fuller has indulged her entire professional life in the fun world of children's books, originally inspired as a student of Maurice Sendak at Yale. Her work requires wearing many hats, including picture book author, illustrator, literary agent, bookseller and publishing consultant. Her agency, Alp Arts Co., represents such well-known authors as John Denver, Carmela LaVigna Coyle, Dylan Pritchett, Robert Baldwin, Pattie Schnetzler, and Anthony D. Fredericks. When she's not creating or selling books, she can often be found looking for loons on her favorite Maine lake, or hiking up and skiing down her native Colorado mountains. Her own books include Moon Loon, Out In The Night, Hannah And The Perfect Picture Pony, and The BLUES Go Birding series. She's also the proud mom of adult kids Scott and Kimberly, golden retriever Riva Girl, and once upon a time, a coon cat named Tiger!
Jeannie Brett is a children's book illustrator and author. The illustrator of My Cat, Coon Cat, she is the author and illustrator of Wild About Bears. She has illustrated four children's books for Sleeping Bear Press: L is for Lobster, A Maine Alphabet; Fishing for Numbers, A Maine Numbers Book; M is for Mayflower, A Massachusetts Alphabet; and One if by Land, A Massachusetts Numbers Book. She has also written and illustrated Little Maine and illustrated Little New York and Little Pennsylvania, state-themed board books of rhyming riddles. Brett has lived in Maine for more than three decades. She attended the School of the Boston Museum of Fine Arts and the Minneapolis College of Art and Design. Brett enjoys spending her free time with her family and pets. She also enjoys visiting schoolchildren to share her love of nature, animals, art, and books!
"Brett's large-scale art ... showcases the Maine spring in full bloom and offers close-up images of cats that feline lovers will savor."
– Publishers Weekly"Sandy Fuller's fifth book is a charming story told in rhyming verse about a little girl and a Maine coon cat becoming friends. With her gentle verses and illustrated by Jeannie Brett (who has done several other Maine books), this is a quiet, peaceful story, perfect for bedtime reading."
–Bill Bushnell, The Kennebec Journal"The artwork is expressive yet simple. Highly detailed from the little girl's eyelashes to the patterns on the cat fur... gorgeous to look at. The story is simple, sweet, with a gentle rhyme."
– Amy Henry, The Black Sheep Dances"The book is full of delightfully detailed watercolors that are painted with a bright, eye-catching color palette. the beautifully captured nature scenes (birch trees, bright purple flowers, tree blossoms) and the lovely depictions of inside a home (rugs, toys, wallpaper) are engaging and invite the readers to linger over each page... the simple, lyrical verse that flows from page to page will make you smile. It is an easy-to-follow, heartwarming storyline that will win the hearts of parents and children alike."
– The Old Schoolhouse Magazine"The new book is a wonderful children's book written in rhyming verse by Sandy Ferguson Fuller. It tells the story of a flip flop-wearing young girl slowly befriending an elusive Maine coon cat. This book features Brett's beautiful lifelike illustrations of nature."
– Amy Johnson, York Weekly"If you have children or grandchildren, you'll want to check out My Cat, Coon Cat ... It's a sweet tale (tail?) about a young girl, her little kitten, and a big Maine Coon cat who welcomes them to a new home. Set in Maine, the illustrations immediately brought the sights, sounds, and smells of a Maine summer to my mind. I could almost smell the pine trees and hear the crickets. This is a book for an early reader, and also a book to sit down and read together. ... Even the youngest child will enjoy the story, the illustrations, and the rhyme."
– Maine Coon Cat Nation“The illustrations are full of color and character, capturing with equal charm the bucolic background and the winsome feline…The intimate nature of the quiet communication between the girl and the feline lends itself best to sharing one-on-one, although the spreads would show up well in a group setting. Any reader who has ever known the love of a cat will find much to relate to in this cozy book.” —School Library Journal
