Elise Fontenaille

At the Drop of a Cat Elise Fontenaille

With lush art by NYT Best Illustrated recipient Violeta Lópiz,
a picture book about a boy and his larger-than-life immigrant grandfather, who
shares with him the kind of learning that's not found in books.



At
six years old, the child-narrator of this picture book loves nothing more than
spending time with his grandpa, Luis--especially in his marvelous garden, where
green beans reach as high as the sky. Luis's garden is where the little boy practices
reading and writing. But just as importantly, it's also where he learns wonderful
things from Luis, like the names of all the birds in the trees and new expressions that are so much fun to say. Luis's playful vocabulary is as vibrant and full of life as his garden, and phrases that are particular to his way of talking, like "at the drop of a cat" (which means right away), are soon adapted into the little boy's lexicon, too.

A talented cook, artist, and gardener, Luis has much wisdom to
impart and many experiences to share with his grandson--even though, as a war
refugee, he never went to school himself and never learned to read and write. A
loving testament to the intergenerational transmission of knowledge and the breathtaking
beauty of the natural world, illustrated with evocative, multilayered art by
Violeta Lópiz.