Huling, Jan

Personal

Married Phil Huling (an illustrator); children: Seth. Hobbies and other interests: Crafting, micro-mosaics.

Addresses

Home and office—938 Bloomfield St., Hoboken, NJ 07030. E-mail—[email protected].

Career

Writer, designer, and artist.

Member

Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, American Craft Council.

Writings

Puss in Cowboy Boots, illustrated by husband, Phil Huling, Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers (New York, NY), 2002.

Ol' Bloo's Boogie-Woogie Band (and Blues Ensemble), illustrated by Henri Sorensen, Peachtree Publishers (Atlanta, GA), 2007.

Sidelights

Jan Huling teams up with illustrator husband Phil Huling to transport Charles Perrault's well-known French children's story "Puss in Boots" half way around the world and south to the Lone Star State. Titling the humorous retelling Puss in Cowboy Boots, Huling salts her text with "country expressions spoken with a southwestern twang" while Phil contributes "sleek" and "sophisticated art," according to Horn Book reviewer Luther B. Clegg.

Staying true to the original story, Puss in Cowboy Boots introduces readers to a poor Texan whose luck takes a turn for the better when he teams up with a crafty cat that helps him marry a wealthy oil man's daughter. Not your average puss, the Hulings' feline hero stomps around in bright red snakeskin cowboy boots, "worn with a swagger over scrawny feline limbs," as Gillian Engberg noted in Booklist. A Kirkus Reviews critic enjoyed the book, stating that "those in search of fairytale retellings will likely enjoy the Hulings' faithful adaptation," while in School Library Journal Jody McCoy praised Puss in Cowboy Boots as "an entertaining read-aloud."

Biographical and Critical Sources

PERIODICALS

Booklist, August, 2002, Gillian Engberg, review of Puss in Cowboy Boots, p. 1968.

Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, October, 2002, review of Puss in Cowboy Boots, p. 62.

Horn Book, July-August, 2002, Luther B. Clegg, review of Puss in Cowboy Boots, p. 475.

Kirkus Reviews, May 15, 2002, review of Puss in Cowboy Boots, p. 734.

Publishers Weekly, April 29, 2002, review of Puss in Cowboy Boots, p. 70.

School Library Journal, June, 2002, Jody McCoy, review of Puss in Cowboy Boots, p. 120.

Tribune Books (Chicago, IL), July 7, 2002, review of Puss in Cowboy Boots, p. 5.

ONLINE

Jan Huling Home Page, http://www.pussincowboyboots.com (June 6, 2006).