Gillian Engberg (Booklist, Oct. 15, 2004 (Vol. 101, No. 4))
In luminous free verse, Hesse's latest picture book tells a powerful story of a young Jewish girl who, together with her older sister, ingeniously fights the Nazi occupation of Warsaw. After escaping from the Jewish ghetto, the girl avoids detection: "I wear my Polish look, / I walk my Polish walk. / Polish words float from my lips / and I am almost safe, / almost invisible." She finds joy in playing with the city's abandoned cats, who show her holes in the ghetto wall, which the girl's older sister and their resistance friends will use to pass supplies shipped by train to Warsaw. The Gestapo learns of the scheme, and soldiers wait at the train station with dogs. Luckily, the cats inspire a solution; they distract the dogs and protect the supplies. It's an empowering story about the bravery and impact of young people, and Hesse's clear, spare poetry, from the girl's viewpoint, refers to the hardships suffered without didacticism. In bold, black lines and washes of smoky gray and ochre, Watson's arresting images echo the pared-down language as well as the hope that shines like the glints of sunlight on Krasinski Square. An author's note references the true events and heartbreaking history that inspired this stirring, expertly crafted story. Category: Books for Middle Readers--Fiction. 2004, Scholastic, $16.95. Gr. 2-5. Starred Review

Joan Kindig, Ph.D. (Children's Literature)
Based on a true story that occurred in the Warsaw Ghetto during the Nazi occupation, this story reminds readers that one must never give up. Resistance fighters plan to sneak food into the Ghetto, but the Gestapo gets wind of it and plans to bring their dogs to sniff them out at the train station. The protagonist, a little girl, helps her sister and other Resistance fighters gather up the cats from Krasinski Square and take them to the train station. They let them out, confusing the dogs and creating pandemonium. The food is smuggled in and the Nazi's are subverted. This is an approachable book about a nightmarish time that can introduce WWII to children. 2004, Scholastic, $16.95. Ages 7 to 10.

Mary Helen Sheriff (Children's Literature)
A Jewish girl escapes the Warsaw Ghetto and must pretend a Polish heritage to survive. She and her sister plan to sneak food into the Ghetto, but the Gestapo catches wind of the plan. The Gestapo plans to meet the train of smuggled food with their dogs trained to sniff out the food. Demonstrating both courage and creativity the girls gather stray cats into baskets, and they, along with other Jewish Resistance fighters, meet the train and release the cats. Chaos ensues as the dogs are distracted from the task and the food reaches the ghetto safely. Based on a true story, Hesse has captured a story of courage and hope in a bleak historical era. Her simple language is poetic and richly detailed. She does a beautiful job of balancing the dismal plight of the Jews and protecting young readers from the horror. Watson’s muted colors and uses of shadows create a gloomy mood tinged with hope, matching perfectly with the text. This is highly recommended for use in a middle school or elementary school social studies program. 2004, Scholastic Press, $16.95. Ages 7 to 10.

CCBC (Cooperative Children’s Book Center Choices, 2005)
There is much revealed both on the surface and between the lines of Karen Hesse’s spare and moving picture book set outside the walls of the Warsaw ghetto during World War II. The young child narrator loves the cats who roam the city streets. They are a comforting reminder of what once was: “They slept on sofa cushions / and ate from crystal dishes.” Now the girl roams the streets with the cats. “I wear my Polish look, / I walk my Polish walk.” But the girl is Jewish. She escaped from the ghetto and is passing as a non-Jew. She can’t stop thinking about her friend Michal, who remains behind the wall, where people are starving. Food is scarce everywhere; one of the understated ironies is that the cats, living on mice, are better fed than the girl. The girl’s older sister is involved in a plan to sneak food through the cracks in the ghetto wall. The food will come by train, smuggled into Warsaw by brave people who are risking their lives. Then word comes that the Germans have discovered the plan and will meet the train with dogs to sniff out the smugglers. It is the small girl who comes up with the big plan that forms the dramatic climax of this remarkable story. The tale can work as an introduction to the Holocaust, but also allows for deeper reading—making the connections between the lines—for those who bring some prior knowledge of the tragedy of that time. An author’s note and an historical note provide brief information for readers needing to know more about the context and details of the story. Wendy Watson’s pencil, ink, and watercolor illustrations reflect the muted tone of the story. CCBC categories: Picture Books for School-Aged Children. 2004, Scholastic Press, 32 pages, $16.95. Ages 7-10.

Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews, August 1, 2004 (Vol. 72, No. 15))
A young Jewish girl and her sister, "passing" as Polish in WWII Warsaw, plot to sneak food, brought by collaborating train passengers, into the ghetto. Their scheme is jeopardized when the Gestapo meets the train with dogs that sniff out both smugglers and contraband food. To foil the Nazis, the sisters gather up the feral cats of Krasinski Square in baskets. They release the cats as a distraction to the dogs, thus allowing the food to be smuggled into the ghetto. Skilled pacing renders the cat solution a satisfyingly subversive surprise while Watson's illustration of the flummoxed Nazis underscores the ensuing chaos. The illustrations, with their soft but firm line and monochromatic sepia-toned palette, have an appropriate retro look. Among the great historical avalanche of Holocaust stories, Hesse has found a little-known vignette that she treats with her customary modest but elevating free-verse style, making a grave subject enormously accessible, gently humorous, and affectingly triumphant. (author's note, historical note) 2004, Scholastic, 32p, $16.95. Category: Picture book. Ages 6 to 10. Starred Review. © 2004 Kirkus Reviews/VNU eMedia, Inc. All rights reserved.

Anne Hanson (Library Media Connection, February 2005)
This beautifully illustrated, poetic picture book evokes the life in Warsaw for Jews and their homeless cats during World War II. A preteen girl who has escaped tells the story from the Jewish side of the ghetto wall to the Polish side. She plays with the cats abandoned by those who have disappeared or died, and is saddened that she has so little food for herself that she cannot assist them. They move freely through the cracks in the wall so she knows where the routes are and which one is closest to her friend behind the wall. Her older sister, now her only family, is part of the Resistance that assists those still in the ghetto with supplies and escape plans. When a plan to take food to the ghetto residents through the wall is discovered, the young people use the cats to scramble the dogs used by the Nazis to flush the resisters out. Author's notes regarding the true history and bravery of some of Warsaw's residents accompany this moving story of courage and hope. Read it alone to ward off tears before sharing. Highly Recommended. 2004, Scholastic, 32pp., $16.95 hc. Ages 7 to 11.

Hope Morrison (The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, October 2004 (Vol. 58, No. 2))
Basing her story on an historical account, Hesse has created a fictional explanation of an event involving "cats outfoxing the Gestapo at the train station in Warsaw during World War II." The opening illustrations depict the narrator, a young Jewish girl who has escaped the Warsaw Ghetto to live secretly ("I wear my Polish look, I walk my Polish walk") with her sister Mira, surrounded by the many cats left homeless when the Jews were forced to move out of their private homes and into the Ghetto. The opposition movement, including Mira, concocts a plan to transport food by train and sneak it to the hungry Jews living behind the walls, a plan endangered by the Gestapo's intent to await the train with police dogs. The young narrator comes up with a counterstrategy: to bring the street cats to the train station and, as the train pulls up, release the felines. When the distracted dogs lunge after the cats, the food is successfully carried past the Gestapo and into the Ghetto. This is a poignant and carefully crafted tale, demonstrating the significance of even a single individual in a time of crisis and deftly extracting and developing a specific moment in a much larger picture. Watson's watercolor, pencil, and ink illustrations capture the smoke and shadows of the urban setting while maintaining a delicate balance of energy and quiet reverence. The figures are outlined in thick black ink, and while the faces occasionally take on an air of caricature, the technique of layering the boldly defined figures against the more fluid lines of the city is ultimately successful. The opportunity to discuss history in the context of local and oft-forgotten events is a remarkable one, and Hesse has created a tale worthy of discussion with young listeners. A detailed historical note, absolutely mandatory for understanding the context of the tale, is included. (Reviewed from galleys) Review Code: R -- Recommended. (c) Copyright 2004, The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois. 2004, Scholastic, 32p, $16.95. Ages 7-10 yrs.

Horn Book (The Horn Book Guide, Spring 2005)
A little girl (perhaps ten years old) narrates this story of wartime Poland, describing her visits with the abandoned cats in Krasinski Square and how they came to be helpers in a scheme to smuggle food into the Warsaw Ghetto. Both author and artist achieve a fine balance of beauty and sadness. Simple, graceful words and pictures make this adventure story a taut and moving one. Category: Picture Books. 2004, Scholastic, 32pp, 16.95. Ages 4 to 9. Rating: 2: Superior, well above average.

Sara Ernst (The Kutztown University Book Review, Spring 2005)
A young Jewish girl who lives in Warsaw, Poland during WWII befriends many homeless cats that wander the streets. When her older sister plans to smuggle food to those trapped inside the Ghetto, the cats come in handy for distracting the Gestapo and their fierce dogs. With text written in a flowing, free verse style (similar to Hesse’s Newbery award-winning Out of the Dust), this book paints a unique portrait of what childhood may have been like during WWII. The story is loosely based on true events, and the watercolor illustrations support the slightly somber tone of the story. A great book for an elementary library, although the more serious nature of the story would also make it suitable for middle school lessons. Category: Picture Book/Historical Fiction. 2004, Scholastic Press, $16.95. Ages 8 to 11.