Puss in Boots: The Adventures of That Most Enterprising Feline

Oh, what's a poor miller's son to do? Bequeathed nothing but a cat when his father dies, Jacques is baffled. "'The cat?' said Jacques. 'Father's left me the cat?' He was a fine cat, but not much use when it came to earning a living." Of course, this is before Jacques realizes that what he has is a "most enterprising" cat that will bring him fame, fortune, and a princess.

Philip Pullman, Carnegie Medal-winning author of many remarkable children's books, including I Was a Rat!, Count Karlstein, and the His Dark Materials trilogy, turns his pen to a fairy tale retelling with great comic success. Puss has a dry, sneaky wit, which balances nicely with Jacques's trusting nature and the Ogre's mean-spirited, spoiled-kid manner. Ian Beck's big, funny, crosshatch ink and watercolor illustrations tell their own story, with wry asides from the characters in cartoon bubbles over their heads. This is a laugh-out-loud classic that loses absolutely nothing--perhaps even gains a little--in the retelling. (Ages 5 to 9) --Emilie Coulter