Cat's Egg - Tapa dura

"Warm and sweetly told tale introducing multiple concepts of birth, nurturing, friendships and the Christian tradition of celebrating Easter...Wonderful [addition] to any book collection."--Jaya Bhattacharji Rose - Confessions of an Avid Bibliophile

"Sometimes amusing drawings in a book just make you feel good. This is the case in Cat's Egg by Aparna Karthikeyan and Christine Kastl ($13.95. Karadi Tales Company. www.karaditales.com). This is a funny story about a cat who by chance has a obtained an golden egg which she is determine to sit on and hatch out a kitten. Soon bored with the task the cat seeks others to sit the egg: a dog, a crow, a cuckoo, turtle-but they all turn her down. Cat takes the egg back to her friend the dog who sniffs and pokes and it peels at it until turns into a chocolate mess that "small humans eat," the dog says. This is an Easter Egg. It would never have hatched into a kitten. Dog says no to eating this egg because cats and dogs get very sick eating chocolate--a point well made. Karadi Tales is an Indian publishing company who brings us stories with an interesting twist from the other side of the world."

"The artwork has an exotic feel and draws the reader into the story with color and expression. A cute story with an important message for pet health...This is a good choice to share with children at Easter and to teach them that chocolate is dangerous for pets to eat."--Youth Services Book Review

Kastl's illustrations are playful and soft, giving the pages an uncluttered feel. The spatial creativity on display allows readers to see the story from the animals' perspectives...Karthikeyan's wry text develops its feline and canine characters well.--Kirkus Reviews

Uniquely original and an altogether a fun read, "Cat's Egg" is an especially recommended addition to family, daycare center, preschool, elementary school, and community library picture book collections."

"Kastl's artwork offers a playfully skewed sense of scale, as though from the perspectives of the animals. ... readers will enjoy knowing better than Cat that kittens don't come from eggs."--Publisher's Weekly

"As soon as I read the blurb, I had to find out what happened next. Somehow the storyline itself was even funnier and more amusing than my already-high expectations. The plot twists only grew better over time, especially once Cat realized that her attempts to hatch a kitten weren't going as well as she'd hoped they would. While it was written for preschoolers, there were several humorous moments that appealed to me as an adult reader, and it all started with the thought of a kitten growing in an egg...Cat's Egg was a creative, heartwarming tale that I'd recommend to readers of all ages."--Long and Short Reviews

How long does it take to hatch a kitten? Cat isn’t sure, but she would rather be snacking or napping. Join her as she looks around for a babysitter for her mysterious golden egg. She seeks help from her baffled friend Dog, a crow, a koel, and a turtle, for as we all know, it takes a village to raise an egg. Aparna Karthikeyan’s delightfully humorous prose is complemented by Christine Kastl’s art that has an almost three-dimensional quality to it. Together, they take you on a feline adventure quite unlike any other.