#264 of 1001 · April 21, 2021

Puss in Boots Week is half done, but I’ve got plenty of treats in store! Today’s book comes to us from John Cech and Bernhard Oberdieck. The two complement each other’s styles well, with Oberdieck’s merry, bright-hued illustrations in watercolor, pen, and ink (particularly the cheekily winking cat) enhancing the jocund tone of Cech’s writing voice. The typical denouement, in which the cat eats the ogre-turned-mouse, is softened to the villain’s irreversible confinement in rodent form. A note for folklore enthusiasts: the back matter compiles a far-ranging history of the Puss in Boots tale type, as well as the image of cats in world traditions. This section includes mention of the literary fairy tale “Costantino Fortunato”, believed to be the first published iteration of Puss in Boots (hailing from Giovanni Francesco Straparola’s 1550 collection Le Piacevoli Notti), and more than likely Cech’s own inspiration for replacing the hero’s usual French pseudonym (“The Marquis of Carabas”) with the moniker “Lord Fortunato”. #cat #boots #fairytale #folklore #book #books #childrensbooks #beautifulbook #beautifulbooks #beautifulbookcover #beautifulbookcovers #picturebook #picturebooks #picturebookillustration #picturebookart #classicchildrensbooks #childrensbookillustration #childrensliterature #illustration #kidlit #kidsbooks #bookworm #booklover #booklovers #bibliophile #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #bookstagrammers #instabook #instabooks