The Cat Who Loved Mozart [Hardcover]

Patricia Austin (Author), Henri Sorensen (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 2001

Jennifer has trouble making friends with her new cat Amadeus, until he hears her playing Mozart on the piano.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Gr 2-4-While riding home from her music lesson and daydreaming of becoming a concert pianist, Jennifer meets a gray-and-white cat. Inspired, she names him Amadeus and coaxes him home. With an eyebrow raised, her father accepts her story and the stray. In the week that follows, Jennifer forgets her dreams of musical fame and glory and pours all her energy into winning the feline's favor, but he rejects all of her offers of affection and play. Finally, she puts the cat on hold and begins to practice for an upcoming concert. Amadeus, being true to his name, is drawn to the music and becomes her bench companion. Predictably, Jennifer wins first place in her piano competition with thoughts of Amadeus by her side to encourage and inspire her. Although the idea of cat as muse is appealing, the story does not flow well. The oil paintings, while lovely, are somewhat static and contribute to the somber tone.

Be Astengo, Alachua County Library, Gainesville, FL

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Ages 6-8. Nine-year-old Jennifer dreams of being a great pianist. On her way back from a lesson, she finds a stray cat, coaxes it home with her, and names it Amadeus after her hero. Standoffish and given to scratching, the new cat resists all Jennifer's friendly ploys until it hears her practicing for her upcoming piano recital. Then it becomes her constant companion, and when the recital day arrives, Jennifer calms her nerves by imagining Amadeus beside her. Spare and simple, the compelling story is polished down to essential elements: Jennifer's musical talent and drive, and the struggle and warmth of reconciling with a new pet. Young ones developing new skills will connect with Jennifer's private, determined focus, which is nicely illustrated in Sorenson's muted, uncluttered paintings. New pet owners will appreciate the scratches and disappointments Jennifer endures before she finds a way to make friends. A good choice for quiet lap sharing. Gillian Engberg
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Holiday House; 1st edition (March 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 082341535X
• ISBN-13: 978-0823415359
• Product Dimensions: 11.3 x 8.9 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,608,801 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful illustrations, lovely story, April 22, 2003

By 

Soozie4Him (Chicago suburbs) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Cat Who Loved Mozart (Hardcover)

As a piano teacher, I'm always interested in picture books that feature children playing the piano. This book by Patricia Austin features a girl named Jennifer who finds a stray cat and brings him home. She names the cat Amadeus.

At first, Jennifer neglects practicing for her sonata contest coming up. When she sits down to play the piano, she discovers that her cat loves to hear her play! He curls up on the bench next to her and enjoys her music. The cats enjoyment encourages Jennifer to work hard on her piece. Practice pays off, of course, and Jennifer does well at her contest.

(...)

Happy reading!