Blumpoe the Grumpoe Meets Arnold the Cat

Blumpoe the Grumpoe Meets Arnold the Cat

A grumpy old man and a shy young cat form an unlikely friendship at a Minnesota inn which provides its guests with a cat for the night. Grade 1-3 --Much like a younger version of James Steveson's Worst Person in the World, Horace P. Blumpoe elevates grumpiness to an art form, dashing off a letter to the manufacturer when there aren't enough chunks in his chunky peanut butter, complaining vociferously when his newspaper doesn't land in the exact center of his porch, facing the world with a ferocious scowl. When his car breaks down in a small Minnesota town, he takes a room at the Anderson House Hotel (a real place); along with a bachelor farmer from Lake Wobegon and other guests, he is invited to borrow one of the hotel's 19 cats for the night. Naturally he rejects the offer out of hand, but Arnold shyly appears on his bed anyway, casually ignoring his outrage; by morning he has put a smile on Blimpoe's face. Schneider's zany cartoon illustrations recall Stevenson's too, although both line and color are applied in a more controlled, detailed fashion; simple, clear scenes in a variety of sizes and shapes are bordered by small blocks of text and plenty of white space. Although less-practiced readers may be challenged by the vocabulary, this engaging, well-told story is worth their trouble. --John Peters, New York Public Library Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.