Honors and Exhibitions

American Library Associations (ALA)'s 2012 Notable Children's Book

School Library Journal's Best Book of 2011

Won Ton, A Cat Tale Told in Haiku is chosen to appear in the Society of Illustrators 2011 Original Art exhibit and catalog.

Online news magazine Zoe Nature named Won Ton as the Number One Children's Book on animals and/or the environment in honor of 2011 International Children's Book Day.

Reviews

STARRED REVIEW “Yelchin’s superb illustrations, graphite and gouache on watercolor paper, depict an angular blue-black-haired Siamese, capturing all facets of his singular, feisty, and playful personality. The book’s overall design, with text laid carefully between and around eye-catching, brilliantly composed illustrations, complements the engaging tale.”

– School Library Journal

STARRED REVIEW “Yelchin’s graphite and gouache illustrations telegraph cat-itude with every stretch and sinuous slink.”

– Kirkus Reviews

STARRED REVIEW “Yelchin’s expressive graphite and gouache artwork nods to the poetic form’s roots with echoes of Japanese woodblock prints and creates a lovable, believable character in this wry, heartwarming title that’s sure to find wide acceptance in the classroom and beyond.”

– Booklist

“Children old enough to read will get the full force of the harmonious combination of Lee Wardlaw's wry verse and Eugene Yelchin's witty illustration.”

– The Wall Street Journal

"Eugene Yelchin’s sinuous draftsmanship, playful perspectives and sunny palette provide just the right counterpoint to this tale of a cat with attitude to spare."

– Washington Post

"From the front cover on, this nameless shelter cat steals the show, with wide eyes, a sinewy body and a blue-gray coat."

– Chicago Tribune

"Accompanied by Yelchin’s winning drawings, the willowy Won Ton tells us his story – in perfectly formed haiku."

– The Christian Science Monitor

“The Japanese haiku theme is carried through with elements and backgrounds lifted from old woodblock prints. The final page, a delicate painting of the boy nuzzling the cat, is a fitting reward for the boy's patience and Won Ton's resilience.”

– Publishers Weekly

"This is a touching tale, made even more dramatic by Eugene Yelchin’s sublime illustrations, which vary on every page, adding drama, emotion, fun and beauty."

– Bookpage

“Yelchin’s graphite and gouache pictures match the poems’ sensitivity as well as their humor. The appealing cover will help sell this funny and touching celebration of the joys of adopting a shelter cat.”

– Horn Book

"Yelchin's graphite and gouache artwork brings vigorous line and movement, lots of humor and expertly composed spreads."

– Kirkus Reviews Blog

"Yelchin's artwork offers a nod to classic Japanese silkscreen… unusual framing or perspectives attract attention. Here too, the author and artist circle back to certain themes adding a rich, layered quality to this 'cat tale.'"

– School Library Journal Online

"Won Ton’s feisty, playful personality is revealed, creating a sweet story that will resonate with readers young and old."

– Cat Fancy

"The Committee's Monthly Pick: April 2011 – WON TON: A CAT TALE TOLD IN HAIKU, a sensitive tale of a stray cat in a shelter who finds a new home. Brilliant illustrations on watercolor paper in gouache and graphite."

– The Children's Book Committee

"Yelchin has illustrated the book with a playful flair. The graphite and gouache illustrations are bright and large, making them well suited to sharing with a group. Anyone with a cat in their lives will recognize the poses, the reactions and the attitude that Won Ton displays."

– Kids Lit

"The illustrations stretched over the gutters of the pages and arched around the text. …that’s what makes this book so successful -- it knows how to make some elements of the story disappear off the side of the page and leap into the imagination."

– Ink Spot Plot

"… Yelchin provides perfectly complimentary images... The cat is long and lean, even angular. His large blue eyes and whiskered mouth squint and twist expressively to show suspicion, longing, fear, self-satisfaction and utter contentment. The cat is the star here. Surely that is the way any cat would want it."

– Citizen-Times.com

"Yelchin appears familiar with feline antics... illustrations are comic but also convey the very essence of cat nature."

– Bookends

"Yelchin's beautiful, angular illustrations perfectly express the attitude of Won Ton, captured in all his modes of cat-ness: yawning, stretching, sleeping, hissing, cleaning and the inevitable 'dressed-in-doll-clothes' look that every cat in a home with children must one day endure."

– Outside of a Dog

"The book is full of pictures painted by Eugene Yelchin. They are reely grate pictures that capture Won Ton’s purrsonality. If I rote a book, I wood like to have Eugene Yelchin paint the pictures of me cuz he seems to understand cats frum the inside out."

– Mouse Breath, a lifestyle magazine by cats & cat lovers

“Brilliant illustrations engage the reader.”

–Mackin Educational Resources

“Eye-catching illustrations add magic to the prose.”

–Feral Cat Behavior

“The dual image cover is eye-catching. The illustrations have a Japanese-like tone that is emphasized by the title of the book and the use of senryu. A delightful book.”

–Peach’s Peak