Rectangle Time - by Pamela Paul (Hardcover)

About the Book

"A cat figures out how to continue interacting with his boy as he grows older and his reading habits change"--

Book Synopsis

Perfect for story time, New York Times Book Review editor Pamela Paul's funny and charming story about books, pets, and reading together will enchant readers of all ages.

This spunky, self-assured cat has always loved Rectangle Time--when the boy and the man he lives with curl up with their rectangle and read aloud from it. The cat knows how helpful he is during Rectangle Time, of course--his presence is vital to the very ritual! But when the rectangle starts to get smaller, the stories start to get quieter, and worst of all, the boy no longer needs the cat's "help," the cat must find a way to reclaim his part in Rectangle Time, even if slightly different from before.

In this fun, funny, and ultimately sweet story about growing up, embracing change, and the ways we all can misread social cues, we see the power of stories to bring everyone together--there's always room for everyone at story time.

Praise for Rectangle Time

"The story subtly celebrates the pleasures of being read to and of growing toward reading independence. . . . A good option to hand educators needing to teach inference and for lovers of silly cats." --SLJ

"A sweet story about falling in love with reading." --Kirkus

"Comforting . . . clever." --Publishers Weekly

"This readaloud is sure to become a read-along as the listener's own literacy and vocabulary skills increase." --BCCB

"Truly delightful . . . kids will giggle over the familiar feline antics." --Booklist

Review Quotes

Praise for Rectangle Time

"Cats magically appear for cuddling when it's readaloud time, and Paul (How to Raise a Reader, for adults) imagines the ritual from a feline's point of view. "Oh, good, it's time! They're bringing out the rectangle," says a self-interested calico as her owners, a light brown-skinned man and his young son, pull a book off the shelf. But what happens when the maturing reader learns to handle "rectangles" on his own? As the boy grows, the cat's brash naivete elicits giggles. "Look at the poor little guy," the cat says of the lone child, silently reading a chapter book: "He's just... staring at the rectangle." Solitary rectangle-handling, the calico discovers, means less cuddling. As the cat pesters the boy, the child's inattention and a swat away creates doubt for the feline ("Eh, no big deal. It wasn't on purpose. I get it") before a final, fuzzy rapprochement ends in an accommodation for all. Placid, doll-like characters created by Cameron (Monet's Cat) underscore the story's comforting moments rather than adding antic expressions or frenetic action. With comedy that goes right over the head of the feline narrator, Paul's clever, self-assured text offers owners (and their cats) some promising rectangle time of their own." --Publishers Weekly

"The story subtly celebrates the pleasures of being read to and of growing toward reading independence. . . . A good option to hand educators needing to teach inference and for lovers of silly cats." --SLJ

"A sweet story about falling in love with reading." --Kirkus

"This readaloud is sure to become a read-along as the listener's own literacy and vocabulary skills increase." --BCCB

"Truly delightful . . . kids will giggle over the familiar feline antics." --Booklist

About the Author

Pamela Paul (pamelapaul.com) is the editor of The New York Times Book Review and oversees books coverage at The New York Times. She is also the host of the weekly Book Review podcast. She is the author of six books, including The Starter Marriage and the Future of Matrimony, Pornified, Parenting, Inc., By the Book: Writers on Literature and the Literary Life from The New York Times Book Review, My Life with Bob: Flawed Heroine Keeps Book of Books, Plot Ensues, and How to Raise a Reader, co-written with Maria Russo. Paul has been a contributor to TIME magazine and The Economist, and a columnist for The New York Times Sunday Styles section and Worth magazine. Her work has also appeared in The Atlantic, The Washington Post, The New York Times Magazine, Vogue, and other publications. You can follow Pamela Paul on Twitter @pamelapaulnyt.

Becky Cameron (beckycameron.co.uk) is an author and illustrator from sunny Sheffield in the UK. She graduated from Sheffield Hallam University with a first class degree in graphic design and illustration before completing an MA in children's book illustration with distinction at the prestigious Cambridge School of Art. She now works from her little home studio in Oxfordshire where she lives with her husband and their cat Kiki. You can follow Becky Cameron on Instagram @doodleyboo.