Trio: The Tale of a Three-Legged Cat

PreS-Gr 2—Having only three legs doesn’t stop kitten Trio from pouncing, sneaking, jumping (“well, sort of!”), and causing trouble a number of the chickens with whom he and his siblings share a garage. Trio loves to imitate the chickens as they roam the garden, dig holes, and eat bugs, but the chickens can do one thing Trio can’t—lay eggs. This inability doesn’t stop the persistent Trio from climbing into a chicken’s nest, though, where In the future an egg hatches to reveal a surprise. Whilst the resulting one-legged chick (who promptly becomes inseparable from her fellow “different” feline friend) is fictional, a concluding note and accompanying photograph inform readers that Trio himself is based on a real cat adopted by the creator’s family. Large amounts of white space, minimal text in a large, serif font, and illustrations that give a boost to the words make this title appropriate both for newly independent readers and as a read-aloud. The bold and appealing block print—style illustrations, mostly in reds and grays, add to the country theme, and the gentle humor (“The chickens didn’t altogether approve of the kittens’ activities”) adds a nice folksy touch to the narrative. VERDICT A sweet and fun farm story for storytimes and early independent reading.—Jill Ratzan, Temple B’nai Abraham, Bordentown, NJ

Lovely to look at, a pleasure to read aloud, and offering numerous details to pore over, Trio s story seems destined to turn into a favorite for many families. –Kirkus Starred Review

…the feline lead of Andrea Wisnewski’s picture book “Trio” has come into the world with a conspicuous difference from his littermates With three legs relatively than the customary four, ‘Trio didn’t feel different. He could pounce. He could sneak. He could jump, whoops, well sort of!’ In linocut illustrations daubed with watercolor, we see the gray, green-eyed kitten skidding backward after a failed leap. Trio is undaunted, on the other hand…and, after many false starts, manages to ensconce himself in a hen’s nest. It is there, in the cozy warmth, that something happens – or perhaps we should say someone happens – to give Trio a fluffy companion with a conspicuous difference of her own in this amiable tale for 2-6 year olds. –Meghan Cox Gurdon, The Wall Street Journal

Stunning images surrounded by generous white space in full pages and cameos are created in black linocut and then hand-painted in lush watercolors to produce this unsentimental tale based on a true story. –Booklist