Puss in Boots

John Cech and Bernhard Oberdieck, who created the critically acclaimed Classic Fairy Collection’s version of The Princess and the Pea, have teamed up once again to present a clever and enchanting retelling of one of the oldest fairy tales of all.

When a poor miller dies, he has nothing to leave his son but a cat—but, fortunately, it’s a very smart cat. With just a pair of boots, a feathered hat, and a cloth bag, the wily Puss changes his master’s luck, transforming him from a peasant into a prince.

John Cech and Bernhard Oberdieck, who created the critically acclaimed Classic Fairy Collection’s version of The Princess and the Pea, have teamed up once again to present a clever and enchanting retelling of one of the oldest fairy tales of all.

School Library Journal

PreS-Gr 3—Cech's retelling lacks the elements of resourcefulness and quick-wittedness that have made this story so popular for generations. The Puss in traditional versions craftily lures a rabbit into a sack or partridges into snares before presenting them to the king. Here Puss simply steals the food. In the traditional versions, Puss cons an ogre into transforming himself into a mouse, leaps upon him, and eats him. In this telling, the mouse-ogre remains alive in the walls of his own castle, living on cheese that Puss leaves him. The traditional Puss is a tricky braggart. Cech's Puss is namby-pamby, and the stiffly postured figures in Oberdieck's watercolor illustrations fail to invigorate the prose.—Miriam Lang Budin, Chappaqua Public Library, NY

John Cech writes plays, poetry, and fiction for both children and adults, and is a Professor of English at the University of Florida in Gainesville. He is also the Director of the Center for Children’s Literature and Culture and has served as a judge for The New York Times Best Illustrated Books of the Year, as well as the Boston Globe/Horn Book Awards; was President of the Children’s Literature Association; and won the Chandler Award of Merit for his work in Children’s Literature.