Janice Holland's illustrations are really delightful. They really make the story. A sweet old fashioned tale. I was thrilled to find a GoodReads member had posted the link to the Met's illustration of the rug that inspired the book. I'll repost it here in case others missed it... https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/10013955 ( )

The story if the blue cat featured in a carpet embroidered by Zeruah Guernsey Caswell and now hanging in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.
An interesting folk story but I found this way to moralistic (and a little weird) for my taste. It is not that the morals the story promotes are bad, it is just the way they are taught. Maybe that was the problem. I felt like I was being taught morals (aka hit over the head with the morals) instead of the morals being intuitively learned through the story telling. There was zero subtlety in this story. ( )

The BLUE CAT is an engaging story of how a cat enlightens and saves a Vermont town with his River Song.

Although his journey is well predicted from the start, unpredictable surprises keep it lively and magical,
notably with the splendid woodcut illustrations.

The BLUE CAT searches for his own hearth while teaching his purring River Song.

Beauty. Peace. Content.

Fewer mouse deaths would have been welcome. ( )

How did I miss this book when I was younger? Today's readers can thank Dover Publications for bringing this Newbery Honor book back into print. It's the story of a blue cat who must teach his song to others to find his place on a hearth. His song is the song of the river. He wanders around Castle Town, Vermont where he witnesses village life. It's from a simpler time and place. It's a place where spinning wheels and weaving still exist. It's a place where the local carpenter still feels the need to do his best work on the pulpit in the Lord's house, even if it means losing his $1.50 in daily wages or using some of his savings even with a baby on the way. This book gave me a sense of that time and place, and I loved it. The illustrations by Janice Holland were well-done. I received an electronic advance review copy of this title from the publisher through NetGalley for review purposes. ( )