Millions of Cats by Wanda Gág

Millions of Cats  by Wanda Gág

1.      BIBLIOGRAPHY

G‎ág, Wanda. 1928. Millons of Cats. New York, NY: G. P. Putnam’s Sons. ISBN 0399233156

2.  PLOT SUMMARY

An old man and woman are lonely so the old man sets off across the countryside to find a cat.  He found a hill full of “millions and billions and trillions of cats.”  He chose one cat after another cat until he chose all the cats.  Since there were so many, the cats drank up a pond and ate all the grass on the way back to the house.    The couple decided that they could not keep all the cats but just the prettiest one.  The cats fought about who was the prettiest until there were no more cats except a “homely” cat.  They took the cat, fed it, and it became the “most beautiful cat in the whole world.” 

3.      CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Millions of Cats is a heart-warming story that begins with the traditional fairy tale beginning of “once upon a time” and ends with a happy ending.  The idyllic house in the countryside of rolling hills adds to the fairytale effect.  Most notable about the book is the plot.  The idea of a man choosing a million cats and taking them home is slightly whimsical but believable enough to draw the reader into the story.  The author did a commendable job making the book not too predictable and keeping the reader wondering what is going to happen next.   Not much time is spent developing the characters in the story.  While the book is not stilted, it does show that too much of a good thing can be bad.  Cats can be good pets but too many destroy things like the pond and grass in the story.    

Part of the charm of the book is that the words look beautifully handwritten.   The illustrations look like they are drawn in black ink. The pictures of the cats almost piled up on each other really compliment the sensation of just too many cats!   The old man and woman look good-natured in all the illustrations and mirror the good-hearted nature of the couple in the story.    

4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

Newberry Honor Medal, 1929

5. CONNECTIONS

*Connect the book to the study of place value.   Have students write a hundred, million, billion and trillion in standard form or numerical form.   

 *Other books for children about cats:

Henkes, Kevin. 2004. Kitten’s First Full Moon. ISBN 0060588284

Mora, Pat.  Here, Kitty, Kitty! Ven, Gatita, Ven!. ISBN 0060850442

O'Hair, Margaret.  My Kitten.  ISBN 0761458115
0761458115

 

Here, Kitty, Kitty! Ven, gatita, ven! by Pat Mora

Here, Kitty, Kitty! Ven, gatita, ven!  by Pat Mora

1.      BIBLIOGRAPHY

Mora, Pat. 2008. .Here, Kitty, Kitty! Ven, gatita, ven!.  Ill by Maribel Suárez. New York,  

NY: HarperCollins Publishers. ISBN 9780060850449

2.  PLOT SUMMARY

The children get a new kitten.  The playful kitten romps and hides throughout the house like a game of hide-and-seek.  The children try to catch it until at the end the kitten decides to finally come and be held.  

3.      CRITICAL ANALYSIS

An excellent book for bilingual students who are limited English learners.  The whole book is in Spanish and English.  The sentences are short and only one or less per page so that students do not get overwhelmed with the amount of words.  The book supplements the briefness of the sentences by the expressive illustrations.  The illustrations fill each page and are bright and colorful.   On each page, the reader has to find the kitten as the kitten is hiding in a different part of each page!   The hide-n-seek game progresses through the house and yard.   Facial features are neutral in that the children’s facial features look Caucasian or Hispanic depending on what cultural lens the reader is looking through.      

4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

School Library Journal, 2009

Booklist, 2008

Kirkus Reviews, 2008

5. CONNECTIONS

*  Great book to help limited English learners build vocabulary.  

 *Other books for children about cats:

Gág, Wanda.  Millions of Cats. ISBN 0399233156

O'Hair, Margaret.  My Kitten.  ISBN 0761458115

Henkes, Kevin. 2004. Kitten’s First Full Moon. ISBN 0060588284

 

Kitten’s First Full Moon by Kevin Henkes

Kitten’s First Full Moon by Kevin Henkes

1.      BIBLIOGRAPHY

Henkes, Kevin. 2004. Kitten’s First Full Moon. New York, NY: Greenwillow Books.

ISBN 0060588284

2.  PLOT SUMMARY

The kitten sees her first full moon but thinks it is a bowl of milk.  Throughout the book, the kitten tries many ways to get the bowl of milk in the sky but fails since the moon is not a bowl of milk.   In the end, the tired, hungry kitten goes back home and finds a large bowl of milk for her on the porch. 

3.      CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Kevin Henkes’ descriptive writing creates a picture of a curious, playful kitten on an adventure in the night.   The excellent use of simple descriptive words helps you imagine the kitten discovering the night world for the first time.  The text print is dark and bold which makes it easy for a child to read.    The repetition of the phrase, “Poor Kitten” and the repetition of “Still, there was the little bowl of milk, just waiting” make the writing have almost a poetic rhythm.  The repetition is not consistent through the book so that there is a nice balance of repetition and surprise.   This almost seems to mirror the Kitten’s playful adventures with the moon.   The book cleverly ends with “Lucky Kitten” which is the opposite of the “Poor Kitten” repeated through the book.  

The illustrations by Kevin Henkes are in black and white to make it look like night and maximize the contrast of the white moon.   He used gouache and colored pencils to make the illustrations.  Most notable are the many expressions of the kitten throughout the book.  In almost every picture, the kitten has a different expression on her face which makes her personality come to life.   The layout of the illustrations changes throughout the book from print on one side to print and picture on the same page to even comic strip like boxes depicting the actions of the kitten.   I highly recommend that you read this book.  Both young and old will enjoy reading it! 

4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

Kirkus Review “Simply charming.”

Caldecott Medal Winner (2005) "Kitten's frustration and eventual triumph--emotions familiar to young children--find artistic expression in a meticulously crafted book with classic appeal." -Caldecott Award Chair Betsy Hearne.

Children’s Notable Book (2005)

School Library Journal Review (April 2, 2005)

5. CONNECTIONS

*Have students come up with descriptive words to describe the facial expressions of the kitten throughout the book.    

 *Other books for children about cats:
O'Hair, Margaret.  My Kitten.  ISBN 0761458115
Mora, Pat.  Here, Kitty, Kitty! Ven, Gatita, Ven!. ISBN 0761458115
Gág, Wanda.  Millions of Cats. ISBN 0399233156

0761458115