Cat [Lay Flat] [Hardcover]

Matthew Van Fleet (Author), Brian Stanton (Photographer)

Book Description

Release date: February 10, 2009 | Age Range: 2 and up

In Matthew Van Fleet's irresisibly pettable, brillantly innovative and fun multi-concept book, watch twenty-three breeds of frolicking felines pounce, prance and parade through concepts, pull-tabs, textures and interactive surprises. And you'll never believe what cat dragged in! Pleasingly purr-fect fun from start to finish! Meow...meow...meow...WOW!

Product Details

• Age Range: 2 and up
  
• Hardcover: 20 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books (February 10, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1416978003
• ISBN-13: 978-1416978008
• Product Dimensions: 7.2 x 10.7 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (82 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #31,260 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Created in the style of 2007's Dog, this compact photographic book showcases as many varieties of cats as it does interactive components. Tabs enable playful motion: on the cover, a gray cat dips his paw into a fish bowl; inside, a Bengal swats at a ball of yarn and a swishing slinky cat tail twitches. Other cats are pictured next to descriptive titles: a fluffy aristocat sits on a tuffet while a nice cat dozes next to a parrot. A scraggly cat features a furry cutout, while a hairless, scary cat (a Sphynx) lives up to its moniker. The final panels offer portraits of the cast of characters, with their names and breeds. The lively diversity of felines makes this as appropriate on a coffee table as in a playroom. Ages 2–up. (Feb.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From School Library Journal

PreS—Van Fleet follows up the popular Tails (Harcourt, 2003) and Dog (S & S, 2007) with this interactive novelty book aimed at toddlers but photographed for cat lovers. Stanton has captured an impressive array of expressions on his subjects: a cheeky Himalayan sticking out its tongue, a regally bored Bengal, a gentle Kurilian Bobtail asleep beside a parrot. The text consists of simple rhymes designed to describe different types of cats and what they do. Sue Stainton's I Love Cats (Harper Collins, 2007) and Patricia Hubbell's I Like Cats (North-South, 2003) are just a couple of similar titles that come to mind. The inclusion of furry tails to pat, flaps to lift, and tabs to pull is designed to engage young readers, although it will probably just lead to damaged books. The photographs are engaging enough and should continue to hold attention after the novelty wears off. Buy where the other Van Fleet titles are popular.—Kara Schaff Dean, Walpole Public Library, MA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Age Range: 2 and up
  
• Hardcover: 20 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books (February 10, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1416978003
• ISBN-13: 978-1416978008
• Product Dimensions: 7.2 x 10.7 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (82 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #31,260 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Matthew Van Fleet's innovative books have been introducing children to basic concepts for almost twenty years. His unique formats invite toddlers to touch, press, pull, lift and even sniff as they explore colors, shapes, numbers, letters, opposites and more.
His books include the #1 New York Times bestsellers Tails and DOG as well as the New York Times bestsellers CAT, Alphabet, Heads and MOO. His first interactive touch and feel book Fuzzy Yellow Ducklings has sold more than 1.3 million copies.
He lives with his wife, two sons and pug dog in Chappaqua, New York.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Some good, some bad December 18, 2009

By Carrie Gray-wood

Format:Hardcover

We have both the Cat and Dog version of this book. Its so great that someone FINALLY developed a toddler friendly version of a pop-up book. There's at least one interactive feature on each page spread and it includes squeaky balls, swishing tails, batting paws. Our kids delight in these little sturdy pull tabs. They're pretty durable, if your kids are already fairly respectful with their books. What really disappoints me about these is how crummy the binding is. We had pages separating on the spine side within just a few days of buying them. They're some of our best loved books, so we keep them on a shelf out of reach where the kids must ask for them-but neverless, after a year's worth of reading, they're in really rough shape, despite my careful taping and gluing. Van Fleet, you're really on to something here and if we can keep the darn thing together it will probably stand out in my girls' memories as an all time favorite childhood book. But your publisher's binding quality really, really stinks! For the price of this book I expected better.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars CAT by Matthew Van Fleet March 13, 2009

By Eloise J. Weinsteiger

Format:Hardcover

This book is sure to make everyone smile...from 8 months to 80 years old!
Beautiful photography and fun interactive pages.

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Real Child Pleaser May 16, 2009

By Teresa

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

I bought this for my toddler granddaughter and she loved the book. There are two cats in her home, so she was familiar with cats, and loved turning the pages, looking at the pictures and feeling the "fur" on the pages as well as the push-pull features that made the book interactive. This was a great book for a curious little girl who loves cats.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Even grownups love them May 20, 2010

By J. GOYDER

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

I had four new babies to buy for in a short space and came across these beautiful books. I ended up buying two of each-one dog book, one cat book - for each child.
These are beautifully done- I will never forget the sixty something Grandmas PORING over them at a baby shower and the other Grandmas impatiently waiting their turn.
The books are nice enough to give as a shower gift and were really appreciated by the new Mamas among all the usual clothes and baby blankets.
As for the actual kids who will "read" them,, these are sturdy, well made books with gorgeous photos and something happens- a texture, a sound, a pull-out- on every page. As the adult who will read them to the child, some of the pages are quite funny-when you end up reading them multiple times you will appreciate this. As with all pop-up books, these should probably be read to the child as there are moving parts but compared to a lot of this genre, they are very sturdy and should last quite a while. The animals are actual pets and are named on the last page. Classy and fun and gorgeous to look at! The above applies to the Dog book as well.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Freaking adorable April 26, 2010

By M TOP 1000 REVIEWER

Format:Hardcover

I saw this book by chance when I was shopping, and the cover immediately caught my eye. I just HAD to read it. It's a very simplistic book - for toddlers and young children - but it is a gorgeous and enjoyable book. There's cute popups, and soft 'furry' areas to touch. I've not been a toddler for a very long time, but I enjoyed this book. The photos of the cats are beautiful, and the 'story' here is cute, along with a few silly surprises along the way. If you have a small child who loves cats, then definitely buy this book and share it with them.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars "Reads" this book daily November 17, 2009

By JennP

Format:Hardcover

My son got this book as a present for his first birthday. We started off keeping it up on a shelf and bringing it down to read together as he pulled and pushed the kitten in the boot a few too many times and mangled it. But now that he is 18 months old, he is an old pro with this book and it is, by far, his #1 pick. He will spend 5-10 minutes reading/playing with this book numerous times each morning, afternoon, and evening. Every day. Anyone with an 18 month old knows how amazing it is to find something that will keep their attention for that long. He flips open the one page to the hidden dog and gives a 'oof oof', squeaks at the mouse under the cheese, and seems able to keep meowing every time we point to yet another cat. Lots of textures, lots of pictures, hours and hours of entertainment.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Just as good as Dog by Matthew Van Fleet! February 13, 2009

By Kate

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

I preordered this book for my daughter because she absolutely loves Van Fleet's "Dog" book, and I was hoping "Cat" would be just as good... my daughter and I were not disappointed!
The book is listed for children ages 2 and up, but my daughter is 15 months and already enjoys pulling the tabs, petting the fur and flipping open the pages to reveal more cats. She is absolutely intrigued by the squeaking ball! That was the first thing she discovered when she pressed on the cover, and then she turned the pages to find out the source (it's actually a few pages in). She will often sit on the floor for 15 minutes and flip through the pages on her own, carefully examining the cats and all of the features the book has to offer.
My daughter used to bring us her "Dog" book, sit on our lap and demand that we read the book, pull the tabs and pet the animals with her. Now, after only a few days, she does the same with "Cat". At least we can switch back and forth now!
We also have "Tails" and "Fuzzy Yellow Ducklings" by Van Fleet, but for some reason my daughter isn't as interested in them. Perhaps she doesn't find them as fascinating because they are illustrations and don't have as many soft textures as "Dog" and "Cat" do. Either way, I recommend Matthew Van Fleet's "Cat"!
PS: After a while, the kitten that pops out of the boots broke. My daughter must've pulled on the kitten or something!