Cat Poems [Hardcover]

Dave Crawley (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 4–A pampered Persian shares the limelight with strays in celebration of felines. Many of the 24 entries describe their comical antics, whether they are flying across a room in pursuit of invisible creatures or assisting with household chores: "He paws at the sheets,/and claws at the spread./(My cat likes to help/when I'm making the bed)." There is a "Grocery Store Cat" that "... sits by himself/on the window shelf/in old Mister Galligan's store" and a "Playground Cat" that entices children to "…leave/their slides and swings/to watch him play/with shoelace strings." Other critters sleep, snuggle, pounce, and play. Crawley utilizes line-ending rhyme schemes in the poems, and the familiar pattern will engage beginning or reluctant readers, while the humor and wit will appeal to the school-age crowd. Petrosino's watercolor illustrations match the mood of the light verse as colorful cats are shown contentedly sleeping, wildly cavorting, or interacting with their young owners. Two of the offerings are presented in a comic-book-style format, creating a new, unexpected experience with poetry. Display this volume with Douglas Florian's Bow Wow Meow Meow (Harcourt, 2003) as examples of verse that pay tribute to beloved pets with merriment and affection.– Shawn Brommer, South Central Library System, Madison, WI
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Gr. 2-4, younger for reading aloud. "Hurry-scurry! / Flutter-flurry! / Running! Racing! / What's he chasing?" With loving exasperation and bewilderment, these playful poems muse about why cats do what they do. The cheerful, mostly rhymed couplets describe scenes that kids who know cats will immediately recognize--their early-morning wake-up purrs, veritable narcolepsy, and fickleness: "You want to come in, / you want to go out. / You claw at the screen, / you're pacing about." Petrosino's lively, cartoon-style, and pen-and-ink and watercolor illustrations match the buoyant, affectionate tone of the poems in scenes that show a wide menagerie of cats lounging and leaping in cheery settings--cozy homes, city streets, and neighborhood stores. Teachers may want to pair these amusing views of cat behavior with Douglas Florian's animal poems, while devoted young cat owners will connect with selections such as "What Is the Work of a Cat," in which the speaker notes that unlike dogs, who work hard pulling sleds and herding, cats have a simpler job: they "make me feel happy. That is the work of a cat!" Gillian Engberg
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 6 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Wordsong/Boyds Mills Press (April 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1590782879
• ISBN-13: 978-1590782873
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 10.7 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,066,417 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Purrfect!, September 26, 2007

By 

C. Morrow "librarycat" (KY, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Cat Poems (Hardcover)

A wonderful, charming, and endearingly accurate tribute to cats. The poem "Stay, Little Stray" will tug at your heart, and "Tandy is Twenty" is so touching and bittersweet if you've been the "owner" of an aging pet. Cat lovers will be tickled by poems about their sleep habits, their attemtps to help make beds, and their propensity for knowing how to take over a good newspaper or book. The verse is lovely, lyrical, and wonderful to read aloud and the illustrations are packed with personality and charm. I highly recommend this book to cat lovers, animal lovers, and any parent looking for a sweet read aloud abut animals for a child.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Kitties You Know and Love, April 12, 2007

By 

Anatidae Ling "Anatidae Ling" (Pittsburgh, PA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cat Poems (Hardcover)

The cats in these poems are all unique individuals, but they'll be familiar to any cat lover. We've all felt the tug of affection for a hungry stray. We've all been pleasantly trapped beneath a sleeping feline. And, if we're lucky enough, we've all looked back with tender nostalgia on the years we've spent with a beloved pet. This book of poems is perfect for cat fanciers of all ages.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars HERE, KITTY, KITTY !, April 16, 2005

By 

Gail Cooke (TX, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Cat Poems (Hardcover)

You don't have to be a feline fancier (although it helps) to enjoy these lilting rhymes about the cats in our lives. From "Finicky Felicia" to "Trapped!" author Crawley perfectly captures the ways and whims of these lovable creatures, whether it's awakening you at the crack of dawn, climbing into your lap when you're trying to read, or finding total pleasure in a piece of string.

Illustrator Tamara Petrosino who shares her New Jersey home with a cat named Charlie, filled end papers with kitties of all stripes. Her colorful, humorous paintings capture cats at their best and worst. An illustration of "Cat Bath" is especially fetching. After all, "Don't ever try to wash a cat. It simply doesn't work. If you should put her in the tub, the cat will go berserk."

Cat lovers of all ages will find much to smile about in "Cat Poems."

- Gail Cooke