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The Adventures of Miss Petitfour
The magical adventures of an eccentric Mary Poppins-esque heroine and her flying feline charges, sure to charm readers big and small. The first book for children by an internationally acclaimed novelist and poet. Miss Petitfour enjoys having adventures that are "just the right size - fitting into a single, magical day." She is an expert at baking and eating fancy iced cakes, and her favorite mode of travel is par avion. On windy days, she takes her sixteen cats out for an Minky, Misty, Taffy, Purrsia, Pirate, Mustard, Moutarde, Hemdela, Earring, Grigorovitch, Clasby, Captain Captain, Captain Catkin, Captain Cothespin, Your Shyness and Sizzles. With the aid of her favorite tea party tablecloth as a makeshift balloon, Miss Petitfour and her charges fly over her village, having many little adventures along the way. Join Miss Petitfour and her equally eccentric felines on five magical outings -- a search for marmalade, to a spring jumble sale, on a quest for "birthday cheddar", the retrieval of a lost rare stamp and as they compete in the village's annual Festooning Festival. A whimsical, beautifully illustrated collection of tales that celebrates language, storytelling and small pleasures, especially the edible kind!
144 pages, ebook
First published November 3, 2015
48 people are currently reading
936 people want to read
About the author
Anne Michaels
24 books589 followersAnne Michaels (born 15 April 1958) is a Canadian poet and novelist whose work has been translated and published in over 45 countries. Her books have garnered dozens of international awards including the Orange Prize, the Guardian Fiction Prize, the Lannan Award for Fiction and the Commonwealth Poetry Prize for the Americas. She is the recipient of honorary degrees, the Guggenheim Fellowship and many other honours. She has been shortlisted for the Governor General's Award, the Griffin Poetry Prize, twice shortlisted for the Giller Prize and twice long-listed for the International Dublin Literary Award. Michaels won a 2019 Vine Award for Infinite Gradation, her first volume of non-fiction. Michaels was the poet laureate of Toronto, Ontario, Canada from 2016 to 2019, and she is perhaps best known for her novel Fugitive Pieces, which was adapted for the screen in 2007.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 247 reviews
August 18, 2024
Our library community lost a ray of brightness with the passing of a lovely woman, coworker and friend earlier this week. She was full of humor and compassion and had a love for children that was so genuine that I for one wished to be a child all over again. She would lighten your day with greetings like “Hello, Beautiful” and her laughter would ring out at the silliest of jokes and shenanigans. Her passion for books, especially children’s books, was infectious. She was known to read parts of her favorites out loud to us grownups, and it was a joy to relive that little piece of youth every now and then when a day might not have gotten off to the greatest start. I’d walked past this children’s chapter book sitting on the holds shelf with her name on it for a few days and was curious to find out what she would think of it. I’d read an adult novel by Anne Michaels titled Fugitive Pieces several years ago, and the beauty of Michaels’ writing has stayed with me. When we received the sad news that our dear friend had unexpectedly passed, I couldn’t resist checking this out for myself. I needed to see what she had been looking forward to. She would have adored this whimsical little novel!
“Some adventures are so small, you hardly know they’ve happened… Other adventures are so big and last so long, you might forget they are adventures at all – like growing up. And some adventures are just the right size – fitting into a single, magical day. And these are the sort of adventures Miss Petitfour had.”
The reader is whisked away on Miss Petitfour’s favorite tea party tablecloth along with her sixteen cats. The kitties have both grand and clever names like Grigorovitch and Moutarde and Captain Catkin. They have all sorts of adventures and run into bits of trouble, but with luck and cunning and teamwork on their side, things turn out just right – with some surprises along the way! I love the little messages tucked inside this book, and I’m sure Miss Jenny, as we so fondly called our friend, would too!
“Sometimes things work out differently than you expect, and sometimes that’s when the best things happen. And sometimes a jumble straightens everything out in the end.”
“Sometimes a story depends on finding something – a key to a secret door, a magic ring, a hidden passageway. Sometimes you have to look down to find it (like your slipper under the bed) and sometimes you have to look up to find it (like a balloon caught in a tree) and sometimes, if you’re really lucky, what you’re looking for, finds you.”
Sweet lady, I hope your soul rests easy and is whisked away on its own little adventure to find exactly what it’s been looking for.
“Some adventures are so small, you hardly know they’ve happened… Other adventures are so big and last so long, you might forget they are adventures at all – like growing up. And some adventures are just the right size – fitting into a single, magical day. And these are the sort of adventures Miss Petitfour had.”
The reader is whisked away on Miss Petitfour’s favorite tea party tablecloth along with her sixteen cats. The kitties have both grand and clever names like Grigorovitch and Moutarde and Captain Catkin. They have all sorts of adventures and run into bits of trouble, but with luck and cunning and teamwork on their side, things turn out just right – with some surprises along the way! I love the little messages tucked inside this book, and I’m sure Miss Jenny, as we so fondly called our friend, would too!
“Sometimes things work out differently than you expect, and sometimes that’s when the best things happen. And sometimes a jumble straightens everything out in the end.”
“Sometimes a story depends on finding something – a key to a secret door, a magic ring, a hidden passageway. Sometimes you have to look down to find it (like your slipper under the bed) and sometimes you have to look up to find it (like a balloon caught in a tree) and sometimes, if you’re really lucky, what you’re looking for, finds you.”
Sweet lady, I hope your soul rests easy and is whisked away on its own little adventure to find exactly what it’s been looking for.
April 9, 2018
Click here to watch a video review of this book on my channel, From Beginning to Bookend.
Mary Poppins meets Jenny and the Cat Club in this collection of five illustrated stories that delight and amuse from their adventurous beginning to their happy end.
Mary Poppins meets Jenny and the Cat Club in this collection of five illustrated stories that delight and amuse from their adventurous beginning to their happy end.
March 20, 2022
The illustrations in this volume are simply outstanding. I found myself being so disappointed when I would turn the page and see only words. I also enjoyed the stories about the whimsical Miss Petitfour. She and her sixteen cats literally blow with the wind to run their errands and go on adventures together. I think there were too many cats. It would have been nice to have a smaller number and get to know them better. There are some great vocabulary words in the narrative like festooning and eccentricity. Young readers and listeners will love repeating these new words and store them for use later. Mr. Coneybeare seems to be a delightful new friend for Miss Petitfour and I hope we see more of him in the sequel. Anyone else have a craving for cake?
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May 17, 2020BOOK #12 READ FOR BELIEVATHON ROUND 2.
DNF'd at 37%
absolutely ADORED the illustrations, but just couldn't get into the nonsensical writing style :(
DNF'd at 37%
absolutely ADORED the illustrations, but just couldn't get into the nonsensical writing style :(
January 6, 2022
Charming children's book about a Mary Poppins type with sixteen cats & the "flying" adventures they all go on.
June 25, 2015
I really wanted to like this more than I did. There were parts of it that sparkled and that I really enjoyed, but most of it I just didn't care too much about and some of the explanations and "digressions" (toward the end I was really hating that word) felt almost...I'm not even sure - not condescending, but too talk down-ish to kids? And the very lengthy lists of cat names and long convoluted names of most of the women of the town got old really quickly. I just jumped over them and I feel that most kids would find them difficult rather than humorous.
I liked the premise of this kind of kooky woman living with all of these cats who travels by tablecloth. It was kind of like a cross between Amelia Bedelia and Mary Poppins.
It just didn't quite work for me. I think it would have been better if there had been fewer cats with more time spent exploring their personalities. There was more telling than showing for my taste and for the age group it's being market for.
Of course, this is all my opinion. I am sure there are other people who would find this utterly charming and I wish the author all the best.
I liked the premise of this kind of kooky woman living with all of these cats who travels by tablecloth. It was kind of like a cross between Amelia Bedelia and Mary Poppins.
It just didn't quite work for me. I think it would have been better if there had been fewer cats with more time spent exploring their personalities. There was more telling than showing for my taste and for the age group it's being market for.
Of course, this is all my opinion. I am sure there are other people who would find this utterly charming and I wish the author all the best.
May 3, 2017
It's not often that I will reach for a children's book, but when I do it's normally for something that's light, quirky and easy to read - and this definitely delivered in those areas.
I don't have children myself, but I do have cats who were present during the time of my reading this book. So that counts, right?
If Mary Poppins was a kooky cat lady, this would be her book. These little short stories follow the adventures of Miss Petitfour, her sixteen cats, and her tablecloth choice for the day.
As far as a read-out-loud stories go, these are great. The writing has a rhythm to it that I feel would be incredibly comforting to listen to, and the stories are sweet and whimsical. There are 'bigger' words added throughout the story, similar to what you see in the 'A Series of Unfortunate Events' books, but these stories are far cuter, have more lace, and a considerably larger number of cats.
Would recommend reading to children.
3.5/5 adventurous cats.
Thank you to Bloomsbury Publishing for providing me with a copy of this book for review!
I don't have children myself, but I do have cats who were present during the time of my reading this book. So that counts, right?
If Mary Poppins was a kooky cat lady, this would be her book. These little short stories follow the adventures of Miss Petitfour, her sixteen cats, and her tablecloth choice for the day.
As far as a read-out-loud stories go, these are great. The writing has a rhythm to it that I feel would be incredibly comforting to listen to, and the stories are sweet and whimsical. There are 'bigger' words added throughout the story, similar to what you see in the 'A Series of Unfortunate Events' books, but these stories are far cuter, have more lace, and a considerably larger number of cats.
Would recommend reading to children.
3.5/5 adventurous cats.
Thank you to Bloomsbury Publishing for providing me with a copy of this book for review!
January 28, 2016
**I would like to start off by saying that I received The Adventures of Miss Petitfour by Anne Michaels for free via LibraryThing giveaway in exchange for a review. Although I am super grateful and excited for any opportunity at receiving a book for free, I am also very strict with being honest. That being said, giveaways do not impact my reviews.**
Well.... this is one of those "whoopsie" moments. I entered in giveaway based on the first few words I saw such as "Mary Poppins" and "16 cats" and was sold! NOT realizing this was a children's book XD
Either way, I still read it. This was an adorable book! I wish my niece were more than 4 months old, cause I'd totally give it to her! This is a perfect book for a little girl (but not THAT little, let's face it, she doesn't even know I'm her aunt yet..).
There's super cute illustrations and it has a super cute built in pink ribbon bookmark <3<3
And the last thing that I thought was just so neat was how you learn as you read, but this was incorporated in a way that's fun and being apart of the stories, you don't feel like your learning (nor would you have to stop to look up the word/definition). Very thoughtful!
So being this IS a children's book - I would definitely recommend it to little girls. Can't really say an age group because I haven't been around many kids but I would assume 5-8 years old? I don't know.. you tell me :P
** To See My FULL Review Visit: The Nerdy Bookmark: A Not-So-Serious Book Review Blog **
Well.... this is one of those "whoopsie" moments. I entered in giveaway based on the first few words I saw such as "Mary Poppins" and "16 cats" and was sold! NOT realizing this was a children's book XD
Either way, I still read it. This was an adorable book! I wish my niece were more than 4 months old, cause I'd totally give it to her! This is a perfect book for a little girl (but not THAT little, let's face it, she doesn't even know I'm her aunt yet..).
There's super cute illustrations and it has a super cute built in pink ribbon bookmark <3<3
And the last thing that I thought was just so neat was how you learn as you read, but this was incorporated in a way that's fun and being apart of the stories, you don't feel like your learning (nor would you have to stop to look up the word/definition). Very thoughtful!
So being this IS a children's book - I would definitely recommend it to little girls. Can't really say an age group because I haven't been around many kids but I would assume 5-8 years old? I don't know.. you tell me :P
** To See My FULL Review Visit: The Nerdy Bookmark: A Not-So-Serious Book Review Blog **
May 31, 2016
Absolutely charming. Considered a children's book, but I found it to be more of a sweet little collection of funny and interesting adventure's of a single lady and her many cats. Oh, I loved the kitties! Captain, Minky, and-okay, I'll stop.:) Anne Michaels throws words with complete and delightful abandon, making interesting and very perfect-y descriptions! *"The quiet sound of whiskers being licked clean"*-who would have thought to have described it that way?!
December 22, 2015
Such a charming children's book! And the illustrations are super cute. Loved the bits of wisdom from Miss Petitfour's adventures and all her adorable cats!
January 18, 2016
Huh. I heard it described as a more modern Mrs Piggle Wiggle, but the sense of wonder wasn't the same for me. Also, the writing reminded me of Lemony Snicket, which should be a selling point, but wasn't. Some kids and parents will love this, but it was too twee even for me.
May 29, 2015
I was lucky enough to get an ARC of this book at BEA, and it was so utterly charming and adorable. Being a big cat lover I couldn't help buy enjoy the story of Miss Petitfour, a fantastical Mary Poppins type character and her 16 cats. She sometimes takes off in flight by grabbing a tablecloth and puffing it up like a balloon, and her cats all follow by grabbing tails and forming a long string of cats. Sound weird? It totally is, but in way I could really appreciate.
The book has 5 short stories in it. There is no real overarching story line, so just enjoy the little tales for what they are worth. There are many things that occur that feel ridiculous (imagine cats taking dance lessons, or just flying around). This should give you a good feel for the book: "The cats, who ever missed an opportunity to fly, leaped into formation, linking tails and toes, and up drifted the furry catrope, dark and wavering against the white winter sky."
The writing style is also unique. According to her bio Anne Michaels is a poet, and the prose in this book definitely has a flower-y sort of feel to it. She also plays around with storytelling a bit, introducing the reader to concepts such as how a story shows it's going to change directions but using a phrase such as "then one day." It feels more like a person sitting down to tell you a story, rather than being totally submersed in the tale.
The book contains a number of illustrations by Emma Block, which are just lovely and perfectly capture the spirit of the writing. The colors and technique feel very whimsical, and though my copy was mostly in black and white, the final version will have full color illustrations.
Overall I loved this quick little read that made me laugh out loud numerous times. I'm not quite sure how kids will react to it and if they will find the nuances as charming as I did, but for me it was extremely pleasant read.
The book has 5 short stories in it. There is no real overarching story line, so just enjoy the little tales for what they are worth. There are many things that occur that feel ridiculous (imagine cats taking dance lessons, or just flying around). This should give you a good feel for the book: "The cats, who ever missed an opportunity to fly, leaped into formation, linking tails and toes, and up drifted the furry catrope, dark and wavering against the white winter sky."
The writing style is also unique. According to her bio Anne Michaels is a poet, and the prose in this book definitely has a flower-y sort of feel to it. She also plays around with storytelling a bit, introducing the reader to concepts such as how a story shows it's going to change directions but using a phrase such as "then one day." It feels more like a person sitting down to tell you a story, rather than being totally submersed in the tale.
The book contains a number of illustrations by Emma Block, which are just lovely and perfectly capture the spirit of the writing. The colors and technique feel very whimsical, and though my copy was mostly in black and white, the final version will have full color illustrations.
Overall I loved this quick little read that made me laugh out loud numerous times. I'm not quite sure how kids will react to it and if they will find the nuances as charming as I did, but for me it was extremely pleasant read.
April 14, 2016
Words like delightful and lovely aptly describe, but don't do justice to this little book of wonderfulness. Anne Michaels, award-winning author of Fugitive Pieces, has penned her first book for children, and I do so hope there will be more. Being a Children's Librarian, I was thrilled to discover this title which reminds me of why I became a librarian in the first place; books I read as a child, given to me by my English grandmother, that evoked images and had language that seems to have long-since disappeared in children's stories. Sixteen cats, a woman who flies using a tablecloth, a cast of assorted quirky characters, and a magical place where everyone accepts these events as matter-of-fact, make these tales of cupcake perfection . Michaels also highlights the unusual words in her stories as well as explaining literary devices (think "digression") , which somehow isn't intrusive, but rather enlightening and I know many young writers who will find this most helpful in their own stories. The gentle humour is also so welcome and both children and adults will delight in Michaels' turns of phrases. Cat spaghetti, as an aside, is my favourite image in the whole, entire book. I also need to mention, though words are everything, illustrations often make the book and Emma Block's illustrations complement the book perfectly, neither overwhelming nor hindering the text. The illustrations don't always match my vision of the characters in stories, but in this case, they are a match made in heaven. Thank you, Anne Michaels and Emma Block, for taking me back and paying it forward as I recommend this book to every child I meet!
June 11, 2017
My rating is based on what the book is because it is very much a candy book. It's got cats and pretty writing and adorable illustrations I'd like to paste all over the place ... but not a lot of plot and/or characters ... in fact, not a lot really happens in the story, but that's okay because the book is kind of just an excuse to enjoy the frosting of pretty words and adorable pictures and a "nice" mood. Worth looking through just for that (might be worth owning just to have displayed because "cat pictures.").
August 26, 2022
A sweet, adorable, and cozy character! Miss Petitfour and her collection of cutely named cats live in a lovely village with the most cozy inhabitants. This story is like a mixture of a nice Mary Poppins (with cats instead of children) and Amelia Bedelia (with less absent-mindedness) with a story structure instruction twist and bookish domestic details. The pastel watercolor illustrations by one of my favorite artists, Emma Block, is the cherry on top of this wonderful little book. I can't wait to read the next one.
September 18, 2015
I skim read this, it's only about 100 pages and I did NOT enjoy it at all.
I thought it would be a lovely mix between the Dutch Minoes and Mary Poppins, it turns out it's a super basic story format repeated over and over in a bad way. A sort of fake teaching narrative about story lines and words kids will never in their lives run into. I don't like it. The stories weren't entertaining either and most paragraphs were just the same sentence written in 6 different ways..
I thought it would be a lovely mix between the Dutch Minoes and Mary Poppins, it turns out it's a super basic story format repeated over and over in a bad way. A sort of fake teaching narrative about story lines and words kids will never in their lives run into. I don't like it. The stories weren't entertaining either and most paragraphs were just the same sentence written in 6 different ways..
December 19, 2016
This was a very sweet and whimsical book and is what you'd expect from a main character with the name of Miss Petitfour who has 16 cats. It's filled with four unbelievable but cute stories, vocabulary, tea parties, and knitting and baking. I think 1st-4th graders would enjoy it. The illustrations are equally whimsical and might either scare some readers off or might be exactly what some readers need. Note: I totally bought this book because of the cover.
September 9, 2022
A low stakes but sweet and happy story told in episodes about the unconventional Miss Petitfour and her many interestingly-named cats.
Anne Michael’s prose is full of colourful, expressive words, conjuring great images and sounds in my mind, and, I can imagine how wonderful this book would sound if read aloud.
Anne Michael’s prose is full of colourful, expressive words, conjuring great images and sounds in my mind, and, I can imagine how wonderful this book would sound if read aloud.
January 3, 2019
A very delightful children's book! Miss Petitfour makes one think a little of Mary Poppins as she flies with the help of her tablecloth. Each day she has little adventures, accompanied by her sixteen cats! A charming read that left me with a smile on my face.
August 7, 2016
This is a terrific collection of whimsical adventures of Miss Petitfour and her collection of cats who all travel by tablecloth in the wind. It uses beautiful triple-scoop words and will be fabulous to use to teach writing to my grade 4s and the power of words.
November 4, 2016
A delightful and quick read. I truly enjoyed sitting with my daughter Gracie...each of us with our own copy and reading this book together. A lovely bonding moment with my sweet daughter. Thanks for the suggestion Jenn! :)
February 21, 2016
As delightful, daft and beautiful as the person who gave this to me ! Thank you Aimee
August 17, 2017
I absolutely adored the writing and illustrations of this book! It was a sweet story with an old-fashioned sensibility.
May 30, 2020
This delightful gem of a book will be one of my favorite read alouds.
I can’t wait to do mini lessons based on this book
I can’t wait to do mini lessons based on this book
March 28, 2018
The Adventures of Miss Petitfour
By: Anne Michaels
illustrations by: Emma Block
I received an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.
This book is as delightful as a plate of petit fours - delicious, looks simple but must be crafted by a master, and thoroughly enjoyable.
The author of this book is Anne Michaels. She is the poet laureate of Canada and I’m not even exaggerating when I tell you that she is amazing. I have a little jolt of celebrity love for her. Ms. Michael’s approach seems to be to weave layers in her work. Now, this book is not an adult book of poetry but I can see her style. Changing the genre does not mask the artist. The words march across the page, irreverent of narrative flow, unafraid of run-on sentences, and indulging in glorious word play. Really, this book was designed to be read aloud.
The book is also a very clever way to introduce kids to writing techniques. Each chapter highlights words (giving their meanings) and also provides very simple explanations of narrative conventions.
The illustrator (Emma Block) adds another layer to the book. Her pictures look like they are water colors with rich golds, blues, pinks, and greens. I love that she uses lots of texture in each illustration that invites the reader into Miss Pettifour’s whimsical world. This helps create a connection with the reader because it feels like we could actually touch and feel each page.
Overall, I highly recommend this book.
P.S. it is also full of lots of yummy sounding food and cats wearing outfits. What more could you want?
By: Anne Michaels
illustrations by: Emma Block
I received an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.
This book is as delightful as a plate of petit fours - delicious, looks simple but must be crafted by a master, and thoroughly enjoyable.
The author of this book is Anne Michaels. She is the poet laureate of Canada and I’m not even exaggerating when I tell you that she is amazing. I have a little jolt of celebrity love for her. Ms. Michael’s approach seems to be to weave layers in her work. Now, this book is not an adult book of poetry but I can see her style. Changing the genre does not mask the artist. The words march across the page, irreverent of narrative flow, unafraid of run-on sentences, and indulging in glorious word play. Really, this book was designed to be read aloud.
The book is also a very clever way to introduce kids to writing techniques. Each chapter highlights words (giving their meanings) and also provides very simple explanations of narrative conventions.
The illustrator (Emma Block) adds another layer to the book. Her pictures look like they are water colors with rich golds, blues, pinks, and greens. I love that she uses lots of texture in each illustration that invites the reader into Miss Pettifour’s whimsical world. This helps create a connection with the reader because it feels like we could actually touch and feel each page.
Overall, I highly recommend this book.
P.S. it is also full of lots of yummy sounding food and cats wearing outfits. What more could you want?
November 1, 2016
I haven't quite figured out who this book would appeal to. Yes , it's lovely and the illustrations are beautiful. It's a nice sized book to hold - but I think it would have limited appeal to all except a very discriminating reader. I felt there were too many cats - and the stories did not catch my imagination. And given the young readers that I come into contact with - I can't imagine many of them loving this.
February 23, 2016
Made it to page 57. Just felt like this was TRYING TOO HARD to be clever and charming and whimsical.
Grew annoying VERY quickly, but thought, "surely it will get better SOON."
NOPE.
Grew annoying VERY quickly, but thought, "surely it will get better SOON."
NOPE.
October 9, 2022
I really expected and hoped to enjoy this cute little book. But man, it ended up being a challenge to get through. Too much trying to be cute makes for a tiresome read.
April 11, 2024
absolutely adorable!
if you're looking for a quick cozy read, preferably on a rainy afternoon with a cup of tea in your hand, this is the book for you
a perfectly hilarious and cozy book to read aloud (although, saying all 16 cats' names over and over would probably get old), Miss Petitfour has the heart of Mary Poppins and the humor and wit of Lemony Snicket
if you're looking for a quick cozy read, preferably on a rainy afternoon with a cup of tea in your hand, this is the book for you
a perfectly hilarious and cozy book to read aloud (although, saying all 16 cats' names over and over would probably get old), Miss Petitfour has the heart of Mary Poppins and the humor and wit of Lemony Snicket
Want to read
February 15, 2022I know this book must be a great book. I can see how it would catch the attention of readers with some repetition. But for some reason, I just can't get into the book. I tried a few times. I wanted to like the book. It's not like I don't like the book. Maybe it's just not a book ready for me to read right now which is why I put it back in my to-read list.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 247 reviews