Genre
Humorous stories
Picture books for children
Stories in rhyme
Storytime standouts
Tone
Amusing
Whimsical
Subject
Animal attacks
Animal behavior
Cats
Cats and fishes

Absolutely delightful. Fun to read with a great rhythm and whimsical illustrations. ( )

nice rhyme and rhythm to the story.
Great pictures, too! ( )

(This review can be found on my blog All the Ups and Downs.)
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I admit that I was sucked in by the cover for Max...Attacks by Kathi Appelt. Then I read the synopsis, and I knew that I had to read this for myself and for my 4 year old son. We were both delighted and entertained throughout this cute story. In fact, my son wanted me to read this book again right after we were done reading it the first time!

The plot for Max...Attacks if very simplistic yet fun. It's an easy plot to understand for young children. Max is a cat how likes playing (attacking) everything in sight! It's basically just a day in a life of a cat that children (and adults) will definitely enjoy with plenty of humorous moments!

The rhyming in Max...Attacks is done superbly and in such a fun way that makes it easy to read and understand. My 4 year old loved the rhyming throughout this book as did I. The easy language and rhyming help this book to flow smoothly. Sentence structure is fantastic.

The titular character of Max is one that children (and adults) will fall in love with. He's easy to love, and he's funny without even trying to be. My son and I laughed over and over at Max's attacking adventures! We also the dog and even the goldfish in the book. Okay, we loved every character. It was hard not to. I believe Kathi Appelt captured a day in the life of a cat perfectly!

The illustrations for Max...Attacks were done beautifully yet simplistically. Penelope Dullaghan, the illustrator for this book, did an amazing job with the illustrations. They are vibrant, very colorful, and extremely fun to look at. In fact, I'd go as far as to say that the illustrations really helped to make Max...Attacks as great and as enjoyable as it is. The attention to detail in these illustrations is also spot on. Seriously, these illustrations are some of the cutest and most fun that I've seen in a children's picture book in awhile. If you're looking for a book that will hold even the most inattentive child's attention, Max...Attacks is the book you need!

All in all, Max...Attacks is an incredibly fun children's book to read as well as to look at. The amazing illustrations as well as the entertaining story will definitely thrill children and adults alike. I would definitely recommend Max...Attacks by Kathi Appelt to everyone no matter their age. If you are looking for books for a specific age group, I think this would appeal to children between the ages of 3 - 6 the most. Max...Attacks gets a solid 5 out of 5 stars from me and my son.
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(A special thank you to Lone Star Book Blog Tours for providing me with an eBook of Max...Attacks by Kathi Appelt in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.) ( )

In broad strokes, a blue cat with black stripes stalks across the pages of this funny book. Playful rhyming language, as playful as a hungry kitty prowling the room, accompanies Max's antics as he pounces on fish, scales a screen for lizards, chases a bird toy, and attacks socks. Max keeps returning to the fish, but when disaster strikes there's always his "bowl of crunchies" left to attack!

Appelt's skill with language is shown in the simple lines that trip off the tongue, making a fun read-aloud or an interactive book, encouraging kids to pounce, prowl, and leap just like Max. Dullaghan is a new illustrator, this being her debut book, and she matches nicely with Appelt's playful text. Max is a splash of blue paint on a gray-green background, leaping, exploring, and hunting his prey while the smug fish glide in pink and red circles in their bowl.

Verdict: Perfect for a lively cat-themed storytime, encouraging kids to get up and move like a cat, or cuddling up to giggle over Max's antics, this delightful new picture book is sure to be loved by children, be they feline fans or not. Even better, it will work as well for toddler as for preschool storytimes, joining the ever-shrinking collection of books that have both literary and artistic merit and appeal for younger, wiggly children.

ISBN: 9781481451468; Published June 2019 by Atheneum; Review copy provided by publisher; Donated to the library