Book Review #4

  1. Bibliographic Data:

Ga'g, Wanda. Millions of Cats. G.P. Putnam's Sons. 1956. ISBN 978-0-399-23315-9

2. Plot Summary:

The story starts with an elderly couple who feels lonely. The old woman asks for a cat in order to have some company. The old man sets out on a journey to find a cat for her. Throughout the journey, he encounters not one, but many many cats! The old man doesn't have the heart to turn down a cat, and he decides to keep them all and take them all home - all millions and billions and trillions of them. When he gets home, the old lady asks him to just pick one because keeping them all would be too much work. Since they cannot decide, the cats have a huge fight on who will get to stay, causing them all to suddenly disappear. When they all disappear, only one little baby kitten is left behind, which they happily keep and take care of forever.

3. Critical Analysis:

I personally truly loved this book, as an adult. However, I'm not 100% sure it would appeal to children. Right from the start, I noticed the words and paragraphs style is for older children who have a more developed reading skill. It has more descriptions and writing than quotes, so it might make it difficult for some children to follow along. In addition to the level of reading, the pictures are all black and white, which might not appeal to a child who wants color and quotes and "fun" reading. The characters in the story are old people, an old couple, so it might not be relatable to them or see themselves in the main characters of this story. The illustrations are beautiful, but they might not be appealing to a child because they are very abstract. The shapes and shading might be difficult for a child to understand and appreciate. One thing that might help a lot is the rhyming of the words in each page. The rhythmic pattern allows for a more sound-appealing impression, therefore engaging children. Although to me, it doesn't seem like a "counting book," it does help children be exposed to large numbers such as "millions, billions, and trillions of cats." In one specific scene, the cats fight and are wild. The cat fight scene shows the cats misbehaving, fighting, being wild, and being destructive. The old couple, scared, runs away inside, and the cats suddenly disappear, which might be difficult to explain to children.

4. Review Excerpt:

Literary Hub: "Millions of Cats is as important as the librarians say it is. Not only does it bring to book-making one of the most talented and original of American lithographers, an artist who has a following both here and abroad, but it is a marriage of picture and tale that is perfectly balanced. And the story pattern, so cunningly devised with such hearty and moral simplicity, is told in a prose as skillful as jingle."

5. Connections:

Children are able to connect with wanting to have a cat or a pet. Cats are a typical pet in many households, and some might already have one, being able to relate and connect with the story. It can also open the discussion of the responsibility it is to have a pet due to the having to feed them, clean them, and love on them.