Review - Alya and the Three Cats

Alya and the Three Cats
by Amina Hachimi Alaoui
illustrated by Maya Fidawi
Date: 2020
Publisher: CrackBoom! Books
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 32
Format: e-book
Source: NetGalley

The arrival of a new baby seen by three adorable cats

Maryam and Sami have three cats: Pasha the black angora cat―proud as a pasha really!―Minouche the grey tabby cat found in the street and Amir the playful Siamese. One day Maryam’s belly starts to get bigger and something starts to stir in it. Maryam disappears for a few days and comes back home with something that screams and demands a lot of attention. Their three cats are very confused. What’s going on?

(synopsis from Goodreads)

This is a strange picture book that suffers from a weak translation and a confusing title.

Do you have cats who are upset about the impending arrival of a human baby? If so, then this is the book for you. Get it and read it to your cats.

In all seriousness, I get that this is supposed to be for older siblings, but it reads more like something for the cats rather than something about them. As for the translation, there are a few areas that could use some work. At one point, it's stated that the cats are treated like princes... so you'd assume they're all male. Nope. Minouche is female. (The word "royalty" probably would've worked better there.) Pasha is described as looking "like a real pasha". I'm sorry, but that's not an English word, and I have no idea what it means! Also, the title is pretty misleading. Alya is the baby, and she barely even makes an appearance. It would've made more sense to call the book Myriam and the Three Cats since Myriam is the one the cats have all bonded with and whose growing belly is freaking the cats out.

The pictures are cute, I guess. The book obviously takes places somewhere other than North America (North Africa or the Middle East would be my guess), and this is reflected in the illustrations. It's always nice to see different cultures reflected in the pictures.

Overall, though, I found this one really underwhelming. But cat lovers might enjoy it more than I did.

Thank you to NetGalley and CrackBoom! Books for providing a digital ARC.

Premise: 3/5
Meter: n/a
Writing: 3/5
Illustrations: 3/5
Originality: 3/5

Enjoyment: 3/5

Overall: 3 out of 5

Review - My Brother and Me

My Brother and Me
by Taghreed Najjar
illustrated by Maya Fidawi
Date: 2019
Publisher: Chouette Publishing
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 40
Format: e-book
Source: NetGalley

A brotherly love story

Aloush is the youngest in the family. He is not sure whether this is a good thing or a bad thing. His big brother Ramez is his idol. Every day, Ramez drives Aloush to school on his way to work. He takes him to basketball practice, allows him to hang around when his friends come over to watch a football game and always has time to drop him off at the mall to see a movie with his friend.

But suddenly, Ramez doesn’t have time for Aloush anymore. He has fallen in love and is about to get engaged! Aloush is upset and tries to get rid of this threat by carrying out a series of pranks. Will Aloush succeed in getting his brother back?

(synopsis from Goodreads)

This is actually a rather cute story about a little brother who feels like he's getting pushed aside by his brother's new fiancee.

Ramez is a lot older than Aloush, so of course Aloush thinks he's pretty cool. The brothers spend quite a bit of time together, and Ramez lets Aloush tag along when he plays basketball or watches sports. But then Ramez starts to become more distant, and Aloush can't seem to get his attention anymore. Why? Because Ramez is engaged to a woman named Deema.

Frustrated, Aloush embarks on a plan to drive Deema away. But everything he tries backfires with the kind and patient Deema, who seems to understand what the kid is trying to do. Eventually, Aloush realizes she's not so bad, and Ramez even ends up with a sort of a rival for Deema's affections!

The names, food, and traditions make it clear that this isn't a Western picture book. (The author lives in Jordan, so that's where I'm assuming this story takes place.) It's nice to see some different cultures represented in children's books; I'm glad a Canadian publisher decided to publish this English translation so that more kids can enjoy this simple but sweet little picture book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Chouette Publishing for providing a digital ARC.

Premise: 4/5
Meter: n/a
Writing: 3/5
Illustrations: 4/5
Originality: 4/5

Enjoyment: 4/5

Overall: 3.83 out of 5