Kid Noir: Kitty Feral and the Case of the Marshmallow Monkey
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- $179.00
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- $179.00
Publisher Description
From celebrated Dark City author, TCM host, and film noir expert Eddie Muller comes the tale of hardboiled cat detective Kitty Feral and the search for a candy-crusted chocolate confection—and a missing friend.
Dangerous denizens lurk around every dark corner as Kitty searches for clues in bookstores, alleyways, rooftops, and waterfronts. Who made off with the majestic Marshmallow Monkey (inspired by none other than the Maltese Falcon)? Where is the beloved Mitch the Mutt? Kitty’s got plenty of questions and not enough answers! Follow along through a tangled web of crime and intrigue as Kitty tries to solve the case.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
The hardboiled detective spoof is nothing new to picture books, but "Czar of Noir" Muller and Schmidt, both making children's book debuts, accomplish something more with this noir-style send-up licensed with Turner Classic Movies: nurturing an appreciation for one of cinema's greatest genres. In a plot that winks at The Maltese Falcon, a Sam Spade–inspired cat—Kitty Feral—overhears some kids discussing how the Marshmallow Monkey they pooled their loot to order never arrived. Sure that its canine partner's disappearance is somehow connected, Kitty heads into the city's dark, deserted streets to interview a rogue's gallery of anthropomorphized informants and thieves, including Casper Nighthawk, an owl who's a dead ringer for Sydney Greenstreet's Kasper Gutman. If the narrative arc remains somewhat flat, the creators are clearly dedicated to checking off key noir tropes (femme fatale excepted). But clipped, rhythmic text hits the mark ("In this dodge, it pays to be light on your paws"), and largely monochromatic textured art by Burdett (Dragons Make Great Friends) abounds with Dutch angles and single-bulb lighting. An accessible afterword provides more background on noir's origins. Ages 4 and up.
