{"id":4867,"date":"2019-04-28T00:01:25","date_gmt":"2019-04-28T06:01:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blaine.org\/sevenimpossiblethings\/?p=4867"},"modified":"2019-04-27T18:41:17","modified_gmt":"2019-04-28T00:41:17","slug":"7-imps-7-kicks-636-featuring-caroline-magerl","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/blaine.org\/sevenimpossiblethings\/?p=4867","title":{"rendered":"7-Imp\u2019s 7 Kicks #636: Featuring Caroline Magerl"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/a>
\n

“Maya placed a new can of fish in her pocket and set out to find Cat’s home.
Cat followed politely behind.”<\/em>
(Click to enlarge spread)<\/center>
\n
 

\nThere are a lot \u2014 truly, a LOT \u2014 of picture books in the world about lost animals finding a new home, often with the protagonist of the story, ready and waiting for a new furry friend. That’s what we have (sort of) in Caroline Magerl’s<\/a><\/strong> newest picture book, Maya and the Lost Cat<\/a><\/strong><\/em> (Candlewick) \u2014 originally published in Australia in 2018 and on shelves here in the U.S. in early May. This one stands out for the strong writing and Magerl’s distinctive watercolor illustrations. <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

This is the story of a girl who spots a lost cat on a roof. Cat is “as wet as a seal, as gray as a puddle” and “rumbling a rumbly purr.” The girl, named Maya, grabs a feather boa to lure the cat down from the roof, as well as a pom-pom attached to pink shoelaces. The cat doesn’t budge \u2014 not until Maya sets out sardines in a small, open can, which Magerl likens to a boat with a “tiny tin sail.” Cat eventually follows Maya (now wearing her feather boa, as pictured above in my favorite spread from the book) as she attempts to find Cat’s home, which turns out to a be a houseboat. Maya knows she will miss Cat, but a surprise awaits her, thanks to the “sly and gentle” creature she guided home. <\/p>\n

Magerl’s writing is spare, precise, and evocative. (“Maya watched [Cat], floating above a thousand lit windows.”) And she knows when to let the art do the heavy lifting with the narrative. No wasted words here. She has a keen sense of composition, and there is an energy to her relaxed lines and dappled watercolors. Let’s let the art speak for itself. Here are a couple more spreads. …
\n
 

\n<\/a>
\n

“‘Have you lost a cat?’
‘Probably not.'”<\/em>
(Click to enlarge spread)<\/center>
\n
 

\n<\/a>
\n
“Cat sprang circus-lion style as Fritz and Irma, beaming and calling,
threw their arms into the air.”<\/em>
(Click to enlarge spread)<\/center>
\n
 
<\/p>\n

MAYA AND THE LOST CAT. Copyright \u00a9 2018 by Caroline Magerl. Illustrations reproduced by permission of the publisher, Candlewick Press, Somerville, MA on behalf of Walker Books, Australia.<\/em><\/p>\n

Note for any new readers: 7-Imp\u2019s 7 Kicks is a weekly meeting ground for taking some time to reflect on Seven(ish) Exceptionally Fabulous, Beautiful, Interesting, Hilarious, or Otherwise Positive Noteworthy Things from the past week, whether book-related or not, that happened to you. New kickers are always welcome.<\/p>\n

* * * Jules’ Kicks * * *<\/strong><\/font>
<\/center><\/p>\n

1)<\/strong><\/font> My oldest daughter’s original chimera plush doll! (She hand-sewed a chimera<\/a><\/strong> for a state-wide Latin convention she attended.) <\/p>\n

2)<\/strong><\/font> Colin, the energy vampire, in What We Do in the Shadows<\/a><\/strong><\/em> (which is a very funny television adaptation of the very funny 2014 film<\/a><\/strong>):
\n
 

\n