Artwork Courtesy of Paramount Licensing
Okay, so I didn’t actually “catch up” with Angel Cat Sugar. But, she has landed here in the States and that’s worthy of a post, albeit a short one. Months ago, I previewed the new character on iVillage.com and lo and behold, just this past weekend I ran into one of the Angel Cat Sugar Scholastic books at the grocery store.
To be honest, I kinda forgot all about Sugar. This despite being genuinely interested in the new character from Yuko Shimizu, the original creator of Hello Kitty. I’m glad I happened to take notice of the modest 2-foot wide book display as I rushed past it to grab a pack of pull-ups, ’cause there sat Sugar – a kind, environmentalist cat and her trio of aromatically named friends.
I bought A New Friend, a level 2 easy reader book, for $3.99 and promptly launched into it once back home. The short review would be this: my girls, ages nearly-6 and just-over 2.5, adore it. Since that 1st interaction with Angel Cat Sugar, I’ve read the 30-page book to them a couple more times and I’ve seen the girls huddled together paging through it alone, the Bear doing her best to read it aloud for her little sister. Even without command of the entire text, the Angel Cat Sugar visuals lend themselves to an enjoyable page turning experience.
The story of A New Friend is endearing and, I’m guessing based on the research I did for that iVillage piece, typical of Sugar’s personality and story arc. After a nasty storm, a snail is in need of some TLC and Sugar is just the one to lend a hand. The tale is light, with nothing preachy (ie: no “you should always help out those in need” passages). The compassion and care shown by Angel Cat Sugar is sweet and gentle. The illustrations are simple and equally as gentle. This will certainly not be the last Angel Cat Sugar book we’ll read. I’m searching for other volumes now, as a matter of fact.
I do fear the eventual pimping out of the Angel Cat Sugar property, a la Hello Kitty, but for right now I’m happy to have this cute cat and her friends, old and new, around the house.
