Skin Like Milk, Hair of Silk

December 1, 2009
Gr 3-5-Cleary provides brief definitions of similes and metaphors, offers roughly 15 examples of each one, and explains how they are used. Large pen-and-ink illustrations feature cartoon cats rendered in bold, vibrant colors. The style is fun and inviting. The text, which appears in an oversize, whimsical font, is spare, ranging from 9 to 15 words per page. Large pictures and uneven placement of the text keeps the tone playful. Students will enjoy the unstructured, fluid layout, which reads more like a picture book than a language primer. Norton Juster's "As: A Surfeit of Similes" (HarperCollins, 1989) is more comprehensive; it includes nearly 200 examples. Marvin Terban's "It Figures!: Fun Figures of Speech" (Clarion, 1993) covers similes and metaphors as well as four other figures of speech. Overall, Cleary's book is a pleasing introduction for young writers."June Shimonishi, Torrance Public Library, CA"

Copyright 2009 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2010
After the text vaguely describes the differences between similes and metaphors, Cleary and Gable's exaggerated cats present a number of humorous examples. Though the rhymes don't all work perfectly and readers may still come away hazy about definitions, the volume is generally entertaining and accessible.

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