Starred Review ALA Booklist (Sun Jul 01 00:00:00 CDT 2018)

Starred Review A small boy on a dark, early morning walk to school notices a cat peeking out of a bright, open doorway. Intrigued, he follows the animal into the lobby of the building, where he finds a child's drawing lying on the floor. Following the cat up a flight of stairs, he enters another door and sees another drawing. The apartment he has entered is filled with framed pictures, books, chandeliers, and children's toys, including balls, a doll, and a teddy bear. As the cat leads him up more flights, the boy finds additional drawings and a delightful surprise waiting for him. This wordless picture book, which incorporates a variety of perspectives, has an old-fashioned feel, its watercolor illustrations leaning toward a sepia palette with a few touches of rich red and warm brown. A mousetrap and the cat have obviously not done their jobs as readers will observe several mouse holes, and two animated mice can be found on almost every page, adding a seek-and-find element to the fun. Kastelic pays tribute to curiosity and mystery and friendship by creating delicately detailed paintings that invite further study and tell a story that needs no words. A truly delightful story and a high-quality purchase.

Starred Review for Kirkus Reviews

A young boy follows a cat through an unfamiliar apartment.The plot of this wordless import from Slovenia is straightforward. Intrigued by a cat he sees slipping into an open door, a boy in a striped shirt enters an apartment building and follows the friendly feline up to the attic. Along the way, he finds a series of drawings and, eventually, discovers a potential friend. The atmospheric illustrations provide a complex counterpoint, with quirky details that reward multiple viewings and offer unexpected glimpses of (possibly) familiar objects for readers of all ages. Created in watercolor and making use primarily of blacks, browns, and reds, the pictures evoke an old-fashioned, Old World setting perfectly. Shadowy rooms and stairwells reveal books, artwork, toys, and creatures both benign and mysterious. Some adults may find the idea of an unsupervised child entering an unknown building disconcerting; others may find the illustrations somewhat creepy. Young viewers will be too busy poring over the intriguing components of each densely designed double-page spread to worry. Of particular interest, most likely, will be the pair of mice that appear throughout. Carrying out their own quixotic quest to crack a walnut, they ultimately put it to humorous use as pictured on the colophon. Young and old alike will enjoy pondering what messages lurk in—and spill from—this captivating journey from street to sky, dark to light, solitude to companionship. (Picture book. 5-8)

Kirkus Reviews (Fri Oct 04 00:00:00 CDT 2024)

A young boy follows a cat through an unfamiliar apartment.The plot of this wordless import from Slovenia is straightforward. Intrigued by a cat he sees slipping into an open door, a boy in a striped shirt enters an apartment building and follows the friendly feline up to the attic. Along the way, he finds a series of drawings and, eventually, discovers a potential friend. The atmospheric illustrations provide a complex counterpoint, with quirky details that reward multiple viewings and offer unexpected glimpses of (possibly) familiar objects for readers of all ages. Created in watercolor and making use primarily of blacks, browns, and reds, the pictures evoke an old-fashioned, Old World setting perfectly. Shadowy rooms and stairwells reveal books, artwork, toys, and creatures both benign and mysterious. Some adults may find the idea of an unsupervised child entering an unknown building disconcerting; others may find the illustrations somewhat creepy. Young viewers will be too busy poring over the intriguing components of each densely designed double-page spread to worry. Of particular interest, most likely, will be the pair of mice that appear throughout. Carrying out their own quixotic quest to crack a walnut, they ultimately put it to humorous use as pictured on the colophon. Young and old alike will enjoy pondering what messages lurk in—and spill from—this captivating journey from street to sky, dark to light, solitude to companionship. (Picture book. 5-8)