The Cats' Pajamas Book

A beautiful, painterly picture book from Francisco Jimenez, with illustration by Simon Silva, that depicts an immigrant boy's first-grade experiences at school. Isolated because of his inability to understand English, Francisco turns inward to his imagination and later to drawing to escape his situation. He takes comfort in watching and caring for a caterpillar his teacher has placed in a jar near his seat. We follow his struggles to fit in, but we celebrate his triumph, as he discovers his artwork wins a prize.The caterpillar's metamorphosis into a butterfly mirrors Francisco's own transformation, as he begins to speak more English and fit in with his classmates as the school year winds down.

The author includes a helpful glossary at the end of the book, though readers might find it more useful to have the Spanish words and phrases better explained in context or have a footnote at the bottom of the page upon which they first appear in the story.

Readers will hopefully empathize with Francisco, knowing that so many children endure similar adjustments when put into schools without knowing any English and not having the support ease them into these situations. Adults should find it useful to discuss the book with children, posing questions about how they might react if they were Francisco.