We first borrowed Cleo the Cat from the library when Purple Butterfly was about 10 months old. Cleo is a playful stray who finds a home by befriending a little boy. Purple Butterfly really liked the book, had us read it to her often, and she even tried to imitate the "meow, meow, meow" written in the book. She liked the book so much that we decided to add it to our own collection. Even though Cleo may be a little young for Purple Butterfly these days, she still likes to read it. Stella Blackstone's text is simple rhyming text and Caroline Mockford's big, bold illustrations continue to interest her.
Cleo's Color Book was next to join our library. The rhymes are fun, and Cleo and her little boy use different objects to illustrate color than the run of the mill items used most color books, such as plums, ice cream, a submarine, etc. Both Purple Butterfly and Pink Butterfly like this book. Purple Butterfly loves the illustrations and Pink Butterfly likes the rhymes. We borrowed Come Here, Cleo from the library last week. I picked it as a book that both of my butterfiles would like. In this book, Cleo has a playful kitty outdoor adventure. The text mirrors that in Cleo the Cat, and so it has a familiarity that my kids appreciate. The illustrations are the same bold illustrations, but have incorporated a a slightly different color pallete for the outside adventure. And of course, Purple Butterfly loves that it has a purple butterfly in it.
There are 3 more books in the Cleo the Cat series - Cleo's Number Book, Cleo's Alphabet Book, and Cleo and Caspar. I haven't borrowed any of these titles from the library - we have plenty of letter and number books here - but I'm interested in exploring Cleo and Caspar. It's about Cleo learning to get along with Caspar the dog who joins their household.
