I have a pair of cats who have a very unusual fondness for foods that are decidedly uncatlike. When they think I am not looking, they try to swipe raw mushrooms, peas, pieces of apple, and I have even caught Suma with a piece of linguine in her mouth.
Today's picture book is about a cat who is lucky enough to have someone who likes to cook meals for him, but who does not realize how lucky he is.
Pino and the Signora’s Pasta
Today's picture book is about a cat who is lucky enough to have someone who likes to cook meals for him, but who does not realize how lucky he is.
Pino and the Signora’s Pasta
Janet Pedersen
Picture Book
For ages 5 to 7
Candlewick Press, 2005, 076362396-2
Every day the Signora comes and feeds Pino and the other homeless cats of Rome . All the cats are delighted to see Signora, who makes a delectable pasta sauce that is “spiced to perfection.” All the cats except for Pino that is. Pino is tired of eating pasta. He wants “a tasty chop” or a “delicious fish.”
Determined to get something to eat that will appeal to his taste buds, Pino goes out to find a “better meal.” He soon comes to an outdoor cafĂ©, where he samples a delectable fish, until a waiter tells Pino to “Shooo, cat! Shooo!” Poor Pino slinks away. Next Pino finds a pizzeria, but he is not welcome there either. Where will Pino be able to find a meal that will please his stomach and his heart?
In this clever picture book, we meet a cat who does not realize that what he seeks is under his nose the whole time. Sometimes we have to take a journey to better understand that what we really want is something that we already have.
With a lyrical text and amusing illustrations, this is a story that both entertains and enlightens.