The Cantaloupe Cat : An Illustrated Children's Book [Hardcover]

Jan Yager (Author), Mitzi Lyman (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 4 and up | Grade Level: P and up

Like Jerry, the cat that likes to eat cantaloupe, every animal, every child, every person is special and unique in some way. The last page of the book has questions for parents, educators, or librarians to explore with children, such as having a discussion about

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 2A brief text, illustrated with black-and-white drawings highlighted with orange, describes Jerry the cat. He prefers eating cantaloupe to playing with a rope and drinking from the sink rather than from a bowl. This leads to the conclusion that Jerry is special you see,/Special like you/Special like me. There is no story and readers never become engaged with Jerry or develop any feeling for what makes him unique. The assumption seems to be that what you do makes you special, and not who you are. The final page has suggested questions that are intended for adults to use in prompting a dialogue on individual differences, but it is questionable as to how much soul-searching this superficial and didactic effort would engender.Lisa Smith, Lindenhurst Memorial Library, NY
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

Jan Yager is the author of 12 adult nonfiction and fiction books. She has a Ph.D. in sociology and has worked at Macmillan Publishing in the school division and has taught elementary school-age children. She is married and has two sons.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Hannacroix Creek Books (November 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1889262129
• ISBN-13: 978-1889262123
• Product Dimensions: 11.3 x 8.8 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,009,469 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Come on!, August 18, 2007

By 

Alan S. "Grill it!" (Cape Cod, Ma) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Cantaloupe Cat : An Illustrated Children's Book (Hardcover)

Perhaps it's the fact that I haven't had any children yet (one on the way), but this book seems awfully simplistic to me even for a children's book! Here's two pages worth of writing: "Sometimes all day in the window he'll sit... All by himself or with his sister Bridget". That somehow fills TWO pages and there are only 13 pages of text!

The first page mentions eating cantaloupe and that's the last time anything about cantaloupe is mentioned in the book. I thought good stories (even kid's books) were supposed to tie the subject matter into the story more than once!!

The book design itself is nothing special. The illustrations are OK, but not that engaging. I definitely was hoping for a better story.
Dr Seuss.... now those are children's books!!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Fun Cat's Tale for Young Readers, April 24, 2003

By 

Caryl J. Frawley (Louisville, KY United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Cantaloupe Cat : An Illustrated Children's Book (Hardcover)

My two year old grandson takes great delight in his book collection. He discovered "The Cantaloupe Cat" when he was only 18 months old and it immediately became one of his favorites. It's the first book he hands me to read and he now enjoys sitting on the floor and turning the pages himself. The text is especially child friendly and the illustrations are appealing to grown ups as well. The story of Jerry, the cat who likes cantaloupe, is one children and adults both will have fun sharing.

5.0 out of 5 stars A book for cat lovers of cats who love cantaloupe, November 22, 1998

By 

Ruth Winter "writerright" (Short Hills, NJ USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Cantaloupe Cat : An Illustrated Children's Book (Hardcover)

The text is just right for young children and the illustrations are adorable. It reveals a secret for most of the public. Many cats love cantaloupe. Even if yours doesn't, you'll appreciate this book.