Millions of Cats

Bibliography

Gág, Wanda. 1996. Millions of Cats. New York: PaperStar Book. ISBN: 0698113632

Plot Summary

An old man goes out seeking one cat for himself and his wife because they are lonely.  However, he ends up finding “hundreds of cats, thousands of cats, millions and billions and trillions of cats.” He then had a complication trying to find the prettiest cat to take home. They all followed him home. He continued to have an issue in finding only one. In the end only one homely kitten remained.  This became their cat so they were no longer lonely.

Critical Analysis

Millions of Cats by Wanda Gág is the oldest American picture book still in print. It was originally published in 1928.

While the cover is printed in red and yellow, the inside is only black and white with detailed drawings in pen. Unlike some picture books where the words are not necessary to understanding the story, Millions of Cats requires the words since most of the pictures show a person carrying cats around the countryside.  The exception to this is the first couple of pages that set the scene around a small house in the countryside.

The typeface is difficult to read and would be better if a little larger. Some pages contain a lot of text filling the entire page.  The size and style of font could dissuade some young readers. However, older readers should not have a problem with decoding. Considering this book was published in 1928, this is an excellent first step toward a quality picture book and a good story.

The story has good movement between the man setting out on the adventure and the couple settling on a cat. The author does a good job of pacing each major scene in the book. Additionally, the change of setting helps to move the story along. There is a bit of whimsy and imagery in finding so many cats. This imagery and text is repeated every couple of pages as the cats move from one location to another. When read out loud, this story has a very good cadence.

There is not much character development of the elderly couple. However, that is not required for the story. There is the right amount of complication and resolution. This story also has the added life lesson that sometimes what you seek is not necessarily in the form of what is needed but can be improved with time and that is also ok; the prettiest cat is not necessarily the best cat.

I would enjoy using this as a sit down book with a small group of students.  The story would be best read aloud.  However, as mentioned previously, the font is not very large, so all the children may not be able to read along with the text.  Also, it might be best to use an overhead projector so all the children can see the detailed illustrations.

Honors and Review Excerpt

This books is a:

  -  Winner of a Newbery Honor

  -  School Library Journal's "One Hundred Books that Shaped the Century": "This Newbery Honor 

     winner is distinguished by innovative design and a strong storyteller's cadence."

  -  Oldest American picture book still in print

Connections

  -  Collect other books that illustrate internal beauty, like the Ugly Duckling by Hans Christian 

     Andersen.

  -  This can be used to lead a discussion about times that children have started looking for one thing but 

     discovered a better thing instead.

Let's Say Hi to Friends Who Fly!

Bibliography

Willems, Mo. 2010. Let's Say Hi to Friends Who Fly!. New York: Harper Collins. ISBN 9780061728464

Plot Summary

This book is part of a larger Cat the Cat series. Mo Willems uses a recurring character, Cat the Cat, to explore the abilities of four animals. Three of these animals can fly naturally (bee, bird, bat) and a fourth (rhino) uses a plane.

Critical Analysis

Mo Willems has a very clean and bright style that lends to this short quest. Throughout the book, the animals are smiling and appear to be having a fun time during their exploration of this topic. The illustrations and background are simple. This really allows the text and animals to take the focus. Additionally, through the use of a dotted line, Willems brings movement to the flying animals. Children will be enticed to trace the path of the animals with their fingers. These illustrations continue to give the feel of playfulness and happiness.

Another appealing feature of this book is large font that provides an engaging opportunity for children to read along. Through alliteration, Cat the Cat asks different animals if they can fly. For example, “Can you fly, Bat the Bat?” The next page shows the bat flying, “flutter, flutter, flutter”.  In addition to describing the attributions of each animal, the children have an opportunity to practice basic words and match them to the corresponding animal. A familiar pattern is formed after multiple animals show they can fly.

Tension is introduced when Cat the Cat asks if Rhino the Rhino can fly. The alliteration is repeated with Rhino the Rhino. The tension is relieved when the Rhino shows up in a plane. This also gives children a sense that anything is possible with the right mindset.

I would recommend this book for an emerging reader who is sitting nearby. Children will love the familiarity and repetition throughout this quest. This would be a fun book to use with younger children or with an ESL population.

Honor and Review Excerpt

This books is a:

  -  New York Times bestseller

  -  Booklist review: “Kids just beginning to be beginning readers will welcome the arrival of Cat the
     Cat and her friends.”

Connections

  -  One extension is to have children research other animals that can fly and make an extension of this 
     book.  They can use the same repetition and alliteration.

  -  Mo Willems has created other series including the Elephant and Piggie books. For this series he 
     won two Geisel medals and two Geisel honors.

  -  He has also created Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! (1423145143), Knuffle Bunny 
     (0786818700), and Knuffle Bunny Too (1423102991). He has won three Caldecott Honors for these 
     books.

A Ball for Daisy

Bibliography
Raschka, Christopher. 2011. A Ball for Daisy. New York: Schwartz & Wade Books. ISBN 9780375958618

Plot Summary

Christopher Raschka illustrates a wordless storybook about the love and loss of  a beloved object. A dog, Daisy, loves her red ball with all her being. Unfortunately, when  she and another dog meet at the park, the second larger dog accidentally destroys Daisy’s beloved red ball. After a period of mourning and dealing with the loss of her beloved object, the second dog replaces the toy with a blue ball. This revives Daisy’s happy mood and she makes a friend in the process.

Critical Analysis

The story transcends the setting to reflect the universal feeling of loss. A young child would connect to this story because it is a true reflection of how the world works. The story has good pacing. There is enough time to establish the dogs love of the red ball, the loss of the red ball, through the other dog accidentally destroying it, then a long period to mourn the loss. I wish the author had added one or two pages more about a friendship between the dogs.  This could have added a layer to the story about sharing and not just replacement.

The illustrations showing the mourning period show a darkening of the background to signify the loss. Once the other dog brings a new toy the colors brighten again. Additionally, for most of the book Raschka uses the whole page, but during the time of loss and during action scenes, the story is told through smaller boxes. This provides a logical series of events that lead to a clear resolution. Raschka’s style is not very clean and sometimes the main image is lost in the mottled background watercolors.

The illustrations are painterly and lean toward a minimalist look. The fluid brush strokes reflect the movement of a dog and ball in motion. The cover is very engaging because it shows a animated dog and a big red ball. These seem to both be engaging images for young readers.

I enjoyed reading this book about Daisy.  Having a dog of my own, who is also obsessed with a red ball, I can relate to the distress that comes from the loss of a loved belonging. This may be anthropomorphizing, but when the toy gets lost somewhere he does mope around the house, like Daisy. 

Honors and Review Excerpts

This book is a:

  -  Caldecott Award Winner

  -  New York Times Bestseller

  -  New York Times Best Illustrated Book

  -  Booklist Notable Children’s Book: “This story about loss (and joy) is accomplished without a single 

     word”

  -  School Library Journal Starred Review: “Ever the minimalist, Raschka continues to experiment with 

     what is essential to express the daily joys and tribulations of humans and animals.”

Connections

  -  This would be a good book to use with young children to discuss losing and gaining things they 

      love.

  -  This book could also be used to discuss depression.

  -  Another book about love and loss illustrated by Chris Raschka:

     Howe, James. Otter and Odder: A Love Story. Ill. by Chris Raschka. ISBN 9780763641740