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Summary
Summary
An adorable kitty helps a young girl understand the nature of friendship in this sweetly uplifting picture book.
Ella and Maddy are best friends. But one day Maddy says she is moving away, and she asks Ella to look after her cat, Marmalade. Both Ella and Marmalade cry and cry when Maddy leaves. Ella tries to do fun things--like pick apples, stomp through puddles, and ice skate on the pond--but somehow nothing is fun without her friend Maddy. Then one morning Ella finds Marmalade curled up by her feet, and as they spend more and more time together, a unique friendship begins to grow.
A Year with Marmalade is a charming book about about losing friends and making new ones. Set against a beautiful backdrop of the turning seasons, this story of transition reminds us that change, while constant, is not always a bad thing.
Author Notes
Alison Reynolds has written more than forty books. When she was young, she was lucky enough to live next door to her two best friends. She also had a fluffy black cat named Charlotte. Alison lives in Melbourne, Australia.
Heath McKenzie is a bestselling illustrator from Melbourne, Australia, who owned a cat when he was very young. Now he has a small dog that behaves an awful lot like a cat and even fancies fish for dinner.
Reviews (5)
School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 1-Ella and Maddy are best friends. When Maddy's family has to go away for a year, she asks Ella to take care of her cat until they return. Ella tries, but all through the fall days, Marmalade is shy and doesn't join Ella as she plays in the leaves, picks apples, and stomps through puddles. Winter comes, and one day Ella wakes up with warm feet: Marmalade is sitting on them. From then on, they enjoy the seasons together: cuddling by the fire, planting flowers in the spring, going to the beach in the summer, until, suddenly, it is fall again and Maddy comes home. Together all three joyfully scrunch the leaves and stomp in the puddles, and Ella's dad builds a special cat flap in the fence between their two houses-big enough for Marmalade (and Ella and Maddy). The cartoon illustrations are primarily outlined in black ink, with touches of color, which makes them stand out, detailing well the special features of each season and the growing friendship between Ella and the feline. The text uses different font sizes and goes up and around and down with impunity as it tells the story, adding an attractive element to the book. Although small, this book could be used for storytimes on friendship or seasons or cats, as well as for a quiet lap-read.-Judith Constantinides, formerly at East Baton Rouge Parish Main Library, LA (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
In a story first published in Australia, Reynolds and McKenzie take readers through the four seasons, as one friendship takes a temporary hiatus and another one is born. When Maddy and her family leave town for a year, she asks her best friend Ella to take care of her cat, Marmalade. Neither girl nor cat is excited about the arrangement: "Ella cried and Marmalade yowled as Maddy's family car grew smaller and smaller in the distance." (In one of many typographical flourishes, Reynolds's text gets tinier as the car zooms off, autumn leaves swirling in its wake.) As the weather gets frostier, however, Ella and Marmalade's relationship gradually warms up: one winter morning, Ella "woke up with warm feet" (Marmalade is seen curled at the foot of her patchwork comforter), and by spring and summer, they are enjoying the garden and the beach together. Reynolds's prose is full of vivid sound effects and vocabulary that evoke the mood of each season, and McKenzie's wiry and loose ink lines, splashed with bits of bright color, readily capture the characters' emotional high and lows. Ages 4-6. (July) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Horn Book Review
Maddy asks her friend Ella to care for her cat, Marmalade, while she's away for a year. Ella and Marmalade aren't especially happy with the arrangement, but by the end of this satisfying story, they've become friends. McKenzie depicts the girls in black-and-white line drawings and reserves light color washes for the surrounding images; a dynamic book design completes the attractive package. (c) Copyright 2014. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
In Maddy's absence, will Marmalade and Ella become friends? One autumn day, Maddy tells Ella that her family is leaving for a year. Maddy also asks Ella to watch her orange tabby cat, Marmalade. Both Ella and Marmalade cry as Maddy's family drives off. Ella tries all the things she liked doing with Maddy....She tosses leaves, but Marmalade doesn't toss them back. She picks apples, but Marmalade just bats them away. She stomps through puddles, but she's the only one that gets wet. Then one winter day, Ella wakes with warm feet (Marmalade's been snuggling), and later Marmalade "reads" with her by the fireside. In spring, they dig in the garden, and they visit the beach in summer. When Maddy returns with autumn, all three friends enjoy every season together. Prolific Australian author Reynolds' tale of friendship and seasons is a heartwarming one. Ella and Marmalade's relationship develops slowly as the year progresses. McKenzie's pen-and-ink illustrations, partially colored with watercolors, are sweet, wide-eyed and dynamic, often flowing along with the type. Though it's odd that the reason for Maddy's lengthy absence is never revealed, audiences will identify with Ella and her uncertainty with a new pet. Expressive Marmalade with his large green eyes will definitely charm cat lovers. (Picture book. 3-7)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
When Maddy moves away, just for a year, she asks her next-door neighbor and best friend Ella to watch her orange cat, appropriately named Marmalade. You can tell from Marmalade's saucerlike eyes that the cat is not sure about the arrangement and neither is Ella. At first, things are just no fun without Maddy, and Ella and Marmalade have trouble connecting. But there's nothing like a chilly night and a toasty bed to bring cat and girl together. The year passes quickly and soon Maddy is back. In case you are thinking this will be devastating for the newly formed duo, it's not. A cat door in the fence between the two yards ensures everyone's happiness. While the friendship story here doesn't break new ground, the illustrations lend uniqueness to the package. The girls are rendered in black line only, while Marmalade and the spare backgrounds are vibrantly full color, and playful type bounces around the page. Share at friendship-themed story hours or with kids dealing with change.--Kelley, Ann Copyright 2010 Booklist