The Cat At Night [Hardcover]

Dahlov Ipcar (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2009 | Age Level: 4 and up | Grade Level: P and up

Join the farmer's cat on his fascinating nighttime journey through fields, farms, forests and even the city to see what only he can see after the sun sets. Legendary artist Dahlov Ipcar mesmerizingly alternates between dark night scenes and vivid color to deliver a beautifully illustrated children's classic.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This is an underappreciated classic.  It follows a cat on his nightly journey through a farm and the surrounding area, all the while comparing what humans see to what a cat sees.  Artwork is always important to me - I grew up wanting to be a children's book illustrator - and this has some of the boldest pictures of any picture book.  The drawings, like Matisse cutouts, show what a human sees (black silhouettes against gunmetal blue skies) and then what a cat sees (pinks and greens and yellows).  Kids feel close to animals - there's a natural kinship - so seeing the world through a cat's eyes has a certain primal appeal." --Dave Eggers, award-winning author ("What is the What," "Zeitoun"), editor, journalist, publisher and screenwriter

About the Author

Dahlov Ipcar was born in Vermont, raised in Greenwich Village, and summered in Maine after her parents (the famed sculptor William Zorach and artist Marguerite Zorach) bought a farm on Georgetown Island in 1923. Thirteen years later, eighteen-year-old Dahlov, an aspiring artist, married Adoph Ipcar. The young couple left New York City in 1937 to live on the Maine farm where they first met. By the early 1940s, Ipcar had nearly given up thoughts of writing and illustrating books, but was contacted by a New York publisher to illustrate The Little Fisherman, the latest title by Margaret Wise Brown. The struggling young artist jumped at the chance, and this charming title helped launch a four decade run that saw her write and illustrate more than thirty children's books of her own. Today, Ipcar's intricate, distinctive, and fanciful artwork is known worldwide, with pieces of her work in the collections of numerous renowned museums, including The Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Whitney Museum of American Art. Meanwhile, Ipcar still lives and paints in the 1860s farmhouse that she shared with Adolph for nearly seventy years. She once said she didn't want celebrity or fame; she just wanted to be recognized. In retrospect, a fairly modest statement for a Maine, and American, treasure.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Hardcover: 46 pages
• Publisher: Islandport Press; Second edition (April 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1934031232
• ISBN-13: 978-1934031230
• Product Dimensions: 11.3 x 8.7 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #128,993 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars INCREDIBLE, fun to read for kids and parents, December 10, 2009

By 

Amy Henry (Nipomo, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Cat At Night (Hardcover)

I chose this after reading a rave review by Dave Eggers, and I wasn't disappointed. It is gorgeous and offbeat and fun. It gives you the human perspective of where the cat goes at night, then shows you the much more interesting and naughty places the cat actually goes.

My almost 3 year old loves it, and it actually passes on some useful facts on night vision and nocturnal animals. The illustrations are gorgeous enough that you'd want to frame them.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful Illustration Book, December 9, 2009

By 

T. Skeen (TX) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Cat At Night (Hardcover)

I purchased this book to read to my daughter at night before bed. It is even better than I expected it to be, and she absolutely loves it! I love how the pages are illustrated so well, and how each page is an example of how the cat sees and how we see at night. It is a great tool to teach children about different perspectives.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great art, a classic for every toddler, May 8, 2010

By 

MiamiTechnoLawyer (Miami, FL USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Cat At Night (Hardcover)

Somehow I missed this when I was a kid. It is a pleasure to share this story with our son. Great art, not to many words, a perfect bedtime story.