Barn Cat [Hardcover]

Carol P. Saul (Author), Mary Azarian (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1998

Barn Cat pays no attention to the parade of crickets, swallows, puppies, and butter flies as they pass from 1 to 10. What could she be looking for? Young readers will delight in the up-close hand-colored woodcuts that give a cat's-eye view of the world.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

"Barn cat at the red barn door, / Barn cat, what are you looking for?" So rings the playful refrain of this feline frolic through the farmyard (and through numbers 1 to 10). Readers are presented with a cat's-eye view of 1 green grasshopper, 2 brown crickets, 3 black-and-orange butterflies, all the way up to 10 sparrows. These distractions would seem compelling enough to a regular cat, but, for some reason, not to barn cat. Young readers will love counting the creatures in the bold, hand-colored woodcuts, which illustrator Mary Azarian created with a 19th-century hand press. And there's plenty to admire in the large, striped barn cat, whose careful expressions are clearly the work of an avid cat observer. Author Carol Saul's nimble verse trips and trills along the pages, buoying the cheerful audience--until the dramatic pause just before the surprise ending. A heartwarming, humorous day in a special cat's life. (Ages 4 to 8) --Brangien Davis --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

Azarian's exceedingly handsome woodcuts tether Saul's lyrical counting book to a pastoral setting, where a well-fed tabby cat serenely ignores the barnyard activity that bustles around her. One grasshopper, two crickets, three butterflies and so on, up to 10 sparrows, parade past the disinterested puss, to the recurring refrain of "Barn cat at the red barn door,/ Barn cat, what are you looking for?" At last, the goal of her patient vigil is revealed: the cat's mistress appears, to pour her a saucer of milk. Saul's (Someplace Else) rhyming text is simplicity itself ("Four gray swallows in the air?/ Barn cat looks but doesn't care./ On curving wings they dive and chase./ They wheel and swoop. Away they race!"), and her measured cadences are attuned to a read-aloud audience. An expressive blend of graceful lines and precise hand-coloring enhances Azarian's (A Symphony for the Sheep) sturdy woodcuts, which lend a timeless quality to the pages of this most agreeable picture book. Ages 2-6.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: Little Brown & Co (Juv); 4th edition (September 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0316903639
• ISBN-13: 978-0316903639
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.2 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #10,850,129 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A delightful book, April 7, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Barn Cat (Hardcover)

This is a perfectly charming book, delightfully rhymed and beautifully illustrated with woodcuts that reach the level of art. I ordered a copy for my grandchildren on the basis of Mary Azarian's Caldecott Medal last year, and on receiving it immediately ordered another for the inner-city pre-school program where I volunteer. The director thought it one of the finest pre-school books she has ever seen. The story of this counting book is told with dignity and charm, and the ending is especially lovely, engaging all the small children to whom I've read it. This belongs in every literate young child's library!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Seal of Approval, April 3, 2002

By 

Alex (Auburn, California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Barn Cat (Hardcover)

I judge a good children's book, from the number of times my two-and-a-half year old daughter makes me read it to her. From a selection of 5-10 books borrowed from the library each month, the one that gets the most attention, are the ones worth writing a review about, but this one especially was a favorite! I must've read it about 40 times, and it she still asked "Read it again mommy"! The ending is really cute, the Barn Cat is enticed by many things throughout the story - crickets, butterflies, birds, etc.. - but she was not in the slightest bit interested in any of them... until... you'll have to read and see. Its a charming book, with a catchy rhyme and was definitely given the seal of approval.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Beautifully illustrated with woodcuts, April 28, 2000

By 

Nancy Parry McCluer - See all my reviews

This review is from: Barn Cat (Hardcover)

Though this book is billed as a counting book, the mathematical aspect is secondary to the gentle rhythmic poetry and the unique looking woodcuts.

The poem follows the barnyard wanderings of one fat, furry striped cat as she encounters a growing number of insects and animals. "Barn cat, what are you looking for?" The answer lies in the cool stoneware pitcher that a little girl carries from the farmhouse.

The illustrations are splendid; they evoke the rural New England countryside, which was surely the illustrator's inspiration, as she hails from Vermont. The woodcuts were made on a nineteenth-century hand press and painted by hand with an earthy palette. You won't have to be a cat lover to enjoy this beautiful book.