BlueInk Review Phillips' picture book features a spirited girl who learns a lesson about good treatment of a pet. When four year-old Emily finds herself at loose ends, a diversion presents itself in the form of Oscar, the family cat. A broken thermometer had recently prompted Emily's father to tell her about mercury, also known as quicksilver. Emily decides that Quicksilver would be a more suitable name for Oscar given his ability to "get through the tiniest spaces" Emily decides to "make Quicksilver pretty" by covering his fur with Vaseline and clipping his whiskers. Serious talks with both parents alert Emily to the consequences of her actions, but in a humorous final twist, it appears that Quicksilver may not be ready to forgive. Quicksilver conveys its lesson gently, making it suitable for children who have outgrown more didactic books. Illustrations are pleasant and sometime funny especially the depiction of the cat's first glance in the mirror at his own reflection. This book features a biracial couple. (Emily's mother is white and her father is black.) Such families are still fairly rare in the world of picture books, so this might be a valuable addition to libraries. Author's Current Residence Ontario, Canada

Quicksilver

By Azelin Phillips

AuthorHouse

Copyright © 2010 Azelin Phillips
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4490-4522-7

Chapter One

"I'm boooored," Emily said as she pushed her toy box into the corner of her bedroom. She had been playing with her dolls all morning. She had changed their clothes several times, brushed their hair and even had a tea party.

Oscar arched his back and purred as he came into Emily's room through the small opening of the door.

"Oscar you are like quicksilver. You get through the tiniest spaces."

Emily grabbed the big fluffy tail of the white Persian cat and pulled it gently. The cat didn't like having his tail tugged. He meowed and ran into the closet.

"Get out here, you silly-billy cat," Emily said as she threw open the closet door.

The cat not wanting to have his tail pulled again, jumped on top of a box in the corner of the closet.

"Come out you silly cat or I'm coming in to get you." Oscar jumped down from his perch in the closet and ran under Emily's bed.

"I know where you are, Oscar. I know you are under the bed. You can't fool me."

Emily lifted the corner of the comforter and peeped under the bed. Oscar looked at her and quickly moved to the opposite end.

"Daddy says it's too late to give you a new name but I'm going to call you Quicksilver. You are as quick as quicksilver, Oscar. Do you remember that day when you jumped on the table and knocked the thermometer off and it broke? Actually, you wouldn't remember because Daddy says cats don't remember too many things and they are not as smart as people. Anyway, the little silver ball that was inside the thermometer rolled around on the floor so fast that Daddy couldn't catch it. That's when Daddy told me it's called mercury but some people call it quicksilver because it's quick and it's silver. So actually I could call you Mercury because it means the same thing but Quicksilver is a much lovelier name."

Oscar laid flat on his belly, licked his front paws and purred loudly while Emily explained the meaning of his new name.

"Come out Quicksilver. Come out this minute."

Just them Emily's mom came into the room. "Hi, Honey, what are you looking for under the bed?"

"I'm trying to get Quicksilver to come on out."

"Who?"

"Quicksilver. I am calling Oscar by his new name. His new name is Quicksilver. Daddy says mercury is the same as quicksilver but I don't think Oscar would like to be called Mercury. Do you, Mommy?"

"Probably not, Honey," Emily's mom said as she knelt down on the floor beside her. She stroked Emily's hair gently and smiled.

"Quicksilver is a lovely name, Honey, but I don't think Oscar is going to respond to that name. He's been Oscar for too many years."

"He will," Emily said. "I'll make him. He can't be my friend if he doesn't listen to me."

"I don't know how you are going to do that, Honey. Oscar has a mind of his own, and besides you shouldn't expect a friend to always listen to you in order to remain your friend."

"Okay, but if he doesn't listen when I call him Quicksilver he will not get his dinner. That will make him listen. Won't it, Mommy?"

"I don't think that will work, Emily. You can't starve him. He needs to eat, and besides that would be too harsh a punishment."

"But how can I get him to listen to me, Mommy? Do you think I can give him a time-out?"

"You can try, but I don't think it will work either. I have an idea, though. When he sits on your lap and you pet him, you can say "You are a beautiful cat, Quicksilver. Perhaps if you say it often he might listen. When I go shopping tomorrow I'll buy a treat for Quicksilver and you can let him have it only if he comes when you call him by his new name."

Emily threw her arms around her mom's neck and said, "I love you, Mommy. You are the best-ideas Mommy ever."

After lunch Emily sat on the couch in the family room and Oscar jumped up and sat down beside her.

Emily put him on her lap and stroked his head. "You are a beautiful cat, Quicksilver. Your fur is so soft, my darling Quicksilver."

Oscar curled up on Emily's lap and purred contentedly.

"I'm going to make your fur shiny and pretty, Quicksilver."

Emily carried Oscar into the bathroom and returned carrying a jar of Vaseline in one hand. She sat down again and rubbed some of the Vaseline on Oscar's head. "See how pretty you look, Quicksilver? Your fur is silvery and smooth. I bet you'll look even prettier if I do your whole body."

Emily took out blob after blob of Vaseline and rubbed it over Oscar's entire body. Oscar got up lazily and walked to the other end of the couch. Emily said, "Stay right where you are. I'll be right back."

Emily went to the kitchen and returned with a pair of scissors. "Sit down Quicksilver and let me clip your whiskers. They are much too long."

Oscar fidgeted and Emily scolded him. "You sit still or this is going to hurt."

Oscar sat on the armrest of the couch and Emily clipped his whiskers so short there was nothing remaining of them.

"See how pretty you look now? I'll get a mirror so you can see for yourself. You are such a darling, Quicksilver. You are so adorable. You are the prettiest cat in the whole world."

Emily's mom came into the room to check on her. She took one glance at the pitiful-looking Oscar and didn't know if she should laugh or cry. She knew that with care she could probably get most of the Vaseline out of Oscar's fur but only time could correct the problem with Oscar's whiskers.

"Emily, Honey, what have you done?"

"I made Quicksilver pretty, Mommy."

"But Quicksilver was already pretty, Honey."

"Well, I made him prettier."

"Quicksilver will not be able to find his way around in the dark without his whiskers. Cats use their whiskers to help them get around in the dark."

"Why don't they use their eyes? Can cats really see with their whiskers, Mommy?"

"No, Honey, they don't actually see with their whiskers. Their whiskers are sensors to let them know if a space is large enough for their body to go through."

Emily's mom spent the rest of the afternoon trying to get the Vaseline out of Oscar's fur. Oscar didn't like the vigorous rubbing and brushing but he was beginning to look a little better.

When Emily's dad came home from work, Emily's mom told him the news that Oscar had a new name. Then she called Emily to come and tell her dad what she did to Oscar.

Emily told her dad how she made Quicksilver pretty with Vaseline, that she clipped his whiskers and what mommy said about cats needing their whiskers to find their way in the dark.

Emily's dad smiled and said, "Sweetheart, have you been tormenting that cat again?"

"No, Daddy, I didn't torment Quicksilver. I just wanted to make him pretty."

He reached down and picked up Emily and carried her into the family room and sat in his comfy chair with her on his lap.

"Emily, Sweetheart, do you understand Mommy's explanation about what you did to Quicksilver?"

"Yes, Daddy, and I understand that I should not use scissors without supervision."

"And what else?"

"I should not put Vaseline on Quicksilver's fur again."

"And what else?"

"Friends shouldn't have to do whatever I want them to do in order to remain my friends."

"Good girl. So where is Quicksilver now?" Emily's dad asked.

Just then Quicksilver walked into the room.

Emily jumped down from her dad's lap and picked up Quicksilver and carried him over to her dad.

"Look, Daddy. See how pretty Quicksilver looks? Actually, he was prettier before Mommy made him less shiny. Isn't he just a darling?"

Emily's dad tried hard to hide his amusement as he looked at the bewildered Quicksilver.

"Don't you think Quicksilver is a much better name, Daddy?"

Quicksilver slid out of Emily's arms and disappeared under a chair.

"See, Daddy. He's just like quicksilver."

(Continues...)

Excerpted from Quicksilverby Azelin Phillips Copyright © 2010 by Azelin Phillips. Excerpted by permission.
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