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Reviewed by: Emily McFarlane, Elementary School Librarian Title: The Truth About Max Author: Alice and Martin Provensen Publisher: Enchanted Lion Books
Year: 2023 Good for Grades: PK-2 Genre/Type of Book: Biographical Picture Book
Content Warnings, or things that other School Librarians should be aware of: Implied animal death (Max's squirrel tails) Recommended for a school library: It is cute and silly, and would add to your Provensen collection. I appreciate its old-fashioned style, but I am ambivalent to recommend it. Reason(s) for choosing the book: I thought it was a donation from someone's old collection and loved the cover art. It looks like an old book from childhood! If you were tasked by the publisher with writing a short quote for the back cover of this book, what would it be: Max is one interesting cat!
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Review:
Max was the only kitten in his litter but was enough trouble for ten kittens. He has big yellow eyes, sharp teeth and claws, long whiskers, and a very important tail. When he grows tired of teasing the barnyard animals, he goes out to live his real life under the moon. Who knows what Max does then? Not you or I!
This book was extremely simple, but cute and sweet. It is told from the perspective of a doting family member recounting the traits of Max with an adorable afterward featuring lots of family photos. The words and illustrations are in the signature Provensen style, which is charming and folksy. the backgrounds are plain, allowing the focal point, usually Max, to pop off the page in larger-than-life style.
While the story itself may not have much going on, it is fun to look at the family photos and read about the memories of Max. This would be a great book to use in a unit about pets, writing about important traits, or even biographical writing for a thing that cannot tell us about itself (a cat, a building, etc. A great imagination activity!) This could also be a fun jumping-off point for talking about observing people, places, or animals. The narrator talks about the other animals' reactions to Max and how Max acts when he is going off on his own. Students could put these skills to good use during science, reading, or writing units that require them to really notice what is going on around them.
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For more information about this book, see the Publishers Website