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Summary
Summary
Eula is the only square cat in town. Everything that normal cats do is hard for her -- she can't get her square paw into mouseholes, she can't wear her favorite circle skirt, and all of her friends are round! Eula is sad until her two best friends show her just how well a square cat can fit into this round world.
Author Notes
Elizabeth Schoonmaker received her Master of Arts degree from the University at Albany and has exhibited her work in Chicago and New York. She lives in upstate New York with her husband, John. Together they garden, bike, ski, build elephant sculptures and keep bees. Elizabeth has two daughters, Mackenzie and Sayward.
Reviews (5)
School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 1-Playing off the square peg in the round hole theme, this title gently packs a powerful message about self-acceptance and friendship. Eula, a square cat, laments the difficulties she faces in a world of round cats. When she tips over, it's difficult to get up. Living in a city surrounded by square buildings renders her invisible. Circle skirts or outfits with stripes are a "fashion don't" on a square cat, and trying to "make it work" is not an option. Her round feline friends, Patsy and Maude, try to help sad Eula get her "purr" back. After a makeover including round hoop earrings, a beehive hat, rouge painted on her cheeks, and a doughnut party, Eula falls again, and....you get the picture. Her friends put themselves into square boxes and show her the possibilities and upside of living the square-cat life. Ink and bright watercolor illustrations using basic shapes with simple and engaging facial expressions steal the show. Schoonmaker uses the shapes of these clever cats' mouths, eyes, and eyebrows to communicate their emotions. Eula changes from skeptical, to happy, to confident. The support of loving friends and her experience figuring out how to "make it work" for herself are the catalysts. Plentiful white space is used to help the colorful blue, orange, and yellow cats pop off the page. This delightful book with its spare and simple text is perfect for storytime or sharing one-on-one.-Anne Beier, Clifton Public Library, NJ (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
Eula is square in the literal sense-she's drawn as a box with cat features. Her round, bubbly friends Patsy and Maude work hard to help Eula feel better about her shape. They try thinking round thoughts, but singing "Oooooooooooo..." while skipping in circles and eating doughnuts only emphasizes Eula's essential squareness. Next they dress as squares themselves, wearing boxes, tipping over when Eula does (Eula's always tipping over), and dressing Eula in flattering clothing (a checkerboard sweater and pillbox hat). Schoonmaker, in her debut, readily grasps the comic interplay of words and pictures. "Eula was invisible in a city" is accompanied by a drawing of Eula sitting in front of (and blending in with) a group of skyscrapers; "And her favorite circle skirt didn't quite fit right" shows Eula with the same aggrieved expression awash in swirling red fabric. The focus is on physical appearance, with an emphasis on clothing and accessories that's most likely to appeal to the fashion conscious, yet Eula's feelings of difference make a ready metaphor for other ways in which readers might feel like the odd person out. Ages 4-8. (Jan.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Horn Book Review
Eula, a square cat, wants to be round. Her friends try to help by giving her hoop earrings and a beehive hat. When those don't work, they don square boxes to demonstrate Eula's assets ("square cats are easy to stack"). The text tries too hard to be quirky and offbeat, but Schoonmaker's geometric illustrations help soft-pedal the celebrate-your-individuality message. (c) Copyright 2011. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
Eula is a square cat that wants to be round. After all, it's hard to be a quadratic shapeone can't wear stripes, circle skirts don't fit and when one falls over it's nearly impossible to get up. Patsy and Maude, two oval cats, attempt to help their boxy friend with a makeover, but nothing can disguise the self-conscious, four-sided cat. With a change of perspective, the three learn the beauty of being square, and Eula finds contentment. Schoonmaker's illustrations, done in pale, pastel watercolors with penwork to define shapes, are simple and consistent. They offer a hint of the Southwest: Eula is almost adobe in color, there are primitive shapes and patterns and the stylization of the animals evokes the aesthetic of Native Americans of the region. The artwork is extremely flat and unfortunately lacks dimension or excitement, but it is friendly and accessible. The author's real strength is in how she juxtaposes the earnestness of the characters with the silliness of the situation. An easygoing entre to learning about diverse viewpoints and experiences among peers.(Picture book. 4-6)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Square-shaped feline Eula bemoans the disadvantages of her shape: when she tips over, she can't get up; her circle skirt doesn't fit properly; and wearing stripes is disastrous. Roundish friends Patsy and Maude do their best to encircle her with loops, presenting her with hoop earrings, rouge cheek circles, doughnuts, and a beehive hat. Failing to alter Eula's shape (or attitude), the friends slip into boxes themselves in an attempt to uncover four-sided advantages Eula has missed. Schoonmaker's debut picture book, rendered in pencil and bright watercolors, highlights appealing orange-kitten Eula presented against mostly white backgrounds. Young listeners and cat lovers alike will laugh at the absurdity of cats in neatly stacked boxes, not to mention Eula in square-dance attire. Kids may enjoy searching for the squares and circles within the art, but Patsy and Maude's empathy with Eula in light of her difficulties is what makes the story memorable. Pair with Lydia Monks' The Cat Barked? (1999) for another look at the importance of self-acceptance.--Weisman, Kay Copyright 2010 Booklist
