Perfect for story time, New York Times Book Review editor Pamela Paul's funny and charming story about books, pets, and reading together will enchant readers of all ages.
This spunky, self-assured cat has always loved Rectangle Time when the boy and the man he lives with curl up with their rectangle and read aloud from it. The cat knows how helpful he is during Rectangle Time, of course his presence is vital to the very ritual! But when the rectangle starts to get smaller, the stories start to get quieter, and worst of all, the boy no longer needs the cat's "help," the cat must find a way to reclaim his part in Rectangle Time, even if slightly different from before.
In this fun, funny, and ultimately sweet story about growing up, embracing change, and the ways we all can misread social cues, we see the power of stories to bring everyone together there's always room for everyone at story time.
Industry Reviews
Praise for Rectangle Time:
"Cats magically appear for cuddling when it's readaloud time, and Paul (How to Raise a Reader, for adults) imagines the ritual from a feline's point of view. "Oh, good, it's time! They're bringing out the rectangle," says a self-interested calico as her owners, a light brown-skinned man and his young son, pull a book off the shelf. But what happens when the maturing reader learns to handle "rectangles" on his own? As the boy grows, the cat's brash naivete elicits giggles. "Look at the poor little guy," the cat says of the lone child, silently reading a chapter book: "He's just... staring at the rectangle." Solitary rectangle-handling, the calico discovers, means less cuddling. As the cat pesters the boy, the child's inattention and a swat away creates doubt for the feline ("Eh, no big deal. It wasn't on purpose. I get it") before a final, fuzzy rapprochement ends in an accommodation for all. Placid, doll-like characters created by Cameron (Monet's Cat) underscore the story's comforting moments rather than adding antic expressions or frenetic action. With comedy that goes right over the head of the feline narrator, Paul's clever, self-assured text offers owners (and their cats) some promising rectangle time of their own." --Publishers Weekly
"The story subtly celebrates the pleasures of being read to and of growing toward reading independence. . . . A good option to hand educators needing to teach inference and for lovers of silly cats." --SLJ
"A sweet story about falling in love with reading." --Kirkus
"This readaloud is sure to become a read-along as the listener's own literacy and vocabulary skills increase." --BCCB
"Truly delightful . . . kids will giggle over the familiar feline antics." --Booklist
