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Children's Fiction Cats

Alya and the Three Cats

text by Amina Hachimi Alaoui

illustrated by Maya Fidawi

translated by John Conn

Publisher
Chouette Publishing, Inc.
Initial publish date
Jun 2020
Category
Cats, New Baby
Recommended Age
3 to 18
Recommended Grade
p to 12
  • Hardback

    ISBN
    9782898022364
    Publish Date
    Jun 2020
    List Price
    $19.95

Classroom Resources

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Description

The arrival of a new baby seen by three adorable cats Maryam and Sami have three cats: Pasha the black angora cat—proud as a pasha really!—Minouche the grey tabby cat found in the street and Amir the playful Siamese. One day Maryam’s belly starts to get bigger and something starts to stir in it. Maryam disappears for a few days and comes back home with something that screams and demands a lot of attention. Their three cats are very confused. What’s going on?
"A delightful addition to the new-baby shelf." -Kirkus Reviews

About the authors

Contributor Notes

National of Morocco

Editorial Reviews

FROM KIRKUS REVIEWS : Cats Minouche, Pasha, and Amir share a home with Myriam and Sami, who are expecting a new baby.

 

Black Pasha looks serious and “regal”; gray tiger Minouche is shy, possibly because she was rescued from the streets; and Siamese Amir is interested in everything. They play and lounge around all day in the rooms and around the courtyard of the traditional Arab house where they live. Middle Eastern design is ambient around them, in furniture, decorations, and the family’s clothes. Slowly, the cats’ favorite place to snuggle, Myriam’s belly, starts to expand. One day, it even moves! After their guardians disappear for a few days and come back with a pretty basket, the three cats are super curious. What could be inside? In one particularly comical spread, a curious Amir stands on the head of a grumpy-looking Minouche, trying to peer through the keyhole into the room where Myriam has taken the basket. When the door is finally opened, a close-up painting of the pets looking dubiously at two pudgy feet clearly communicates how they are feeling about the newcomer. Grandma reassures them: “Say hello to Alya.…Myriam will take care of you and the baby too. To love is to share.” The cats remain nervous but eventually grow “calm and confident again,” and even find new pastimes that include the baby in their “life full of love and tenderness.” A delightful addition to the new-baby shelf.