WON TON A Cat Tale Told in Haiku

Children will enjoy the adventures of a cat named Won Ton as he makes the journey from animal shelter to his new home and from aloofness to caring. This story is written in haiku—actually senryu, a genre that focuses on the foibles of human, but read cat, nature. Wardlaw captures high points in Won Ton’s life, including the moment he is chosen, as well as when he is named, and his enjoyment of the warm napping spot he finds on the stomach of the person he calls “my boy.” James Yaegashi is outstanding in delivering the haiku and in making this audio flow from poem to poem as a story. Within each haiku, he brings auditory delight. He elongates yawns to underscore boredom and changes his tone to one of panic when Won Ton is catnapped for a sister’s tea party. The oft-repeated high-speed refrain “Let me out, let me out, let me back in!” elicits laughter. A.R. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine [Published: DECEMBER 2012]