Cats, Cats, Cats! [Paperback]

Lesléa Newman (Author), Erika Oller (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 24, 2004 | Age Level: 5 and up

In a big house on the edge of town live Mrs. Brown and all of her cats. All day long they lie around and nap while Mrs. Brown does her chores. But as soon as Mrs. Brown pets each cat on the head and goes upstairs to bed...it's party time!

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

A tiny old woman named Mrs. Brown lives in a big house on the edge of town with no one but cats, cats, cats to keep her company. All day long, as Mrs. Brown goes about her business, the cats snooze away. But as soon as she puts down their 60 bowls of cat food and marches herself up to bed, the cats go wild. Cats throwing confetti, eating spaghetti, chasing their tales, cutting a rug, doing the fox trot and the jitterbug, these feisty felines "whoop it up until the dawn." The ever-tolerant Mrs. Brown wakes every morning to a complete mess, but simply sweeps her beloved cats into a heap so they can get their beauty sleep. Although some consider Mrs. Brown to be a little batty, she scoffs at the thought. "Oh fiddle dee dee! / I love my cats and they love me."

Lesléa Newman's amusing cat romp is perfectly paired with Erika Oller's playful watercolors of dozens upon dozens of snoozing and frolicking felines. Newman is the well-known author of Heather Has Two Mommies and Matzo Ball Moon, as well as many books for adults. (Ages 4 to 8) --Emilie Coulter --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

HIn this exuberant picture book, Newman (Matzo Ball Moon) and Oller (Top Banana) offer an inspired explanation of why cats sleep all day. Mrs. Brown's house overflows with cats--and she prefers it that way. "She loved to fill her lap with them/ She loved to take a nap with them/ She loved to place them all just so/ And then embrace them row by row." Oller's watercolors, with their indistinct edges and softly blurred coloring, capture all the fuzzy charm of the capering kitties. All day long the fetching felines snooze and snore, but at night the fun begins, as they cut loose in a frisky frolic. "When Mrs. Brown was tucked in tight/ The cats would party every night." They bake, they knit, they dance and play ball, and oh, what a mess they make by morning. Fortunately, Mrs. Brown has the right attitude: "Oh fiddle dee dee!/ I love my cats and they love me." The rollicking rhymes give Oller plenty of leeway. The artist pictures cats draped over every conceivable surface, a cat weather vane on the roof and the amply proportioned Mrs. Brown with a lap piled so high with pets that only her sturdy legs are visible. This is a real find for cat fanciers and their furry companions, who will no doubt give it an enthusiastic "two paws up." Ages 5-8.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Paperback: 32 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers (February 24, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0689866976
• ISBN-13: 978-0689866975
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 9 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #872,721 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #96 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Sports & Activities > Humor > General

More About the Author

Lesléa Newman is the author of 64 books for readers of all ages including the middle grade novel, HACHIKO WAITS, the poetry collection, STILL LIFE WITH BUDDY, the short story collection, A LETTER TO HARVEY MILK, and the children's books A SWEET PASSOVER, THE BOY WHO CRIED FABULOUS, THE BEST CAT IN THE WORLD, DONOVAN'S BIG DAY, and HEATHER HAS TWO MOMMIES. Her literary awards include poetry fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Massachusetts Artists Foundation. Nine of her books have been Lambda Literary Award finalists. A past poet laureate of Northampton, Massachusetts, she is a faculty member of Spalding University's brief-residency MFA in Writing program.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fun, Fun, Fun!, May 5, 2001

By 

Roz Levine - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cats, Cats, Cats! (Hardcover)

Mrs. Brown loves her cats. She loves the softness of their fur and the loudness of their purr. She loves to comb their fluffy tails and manicure their nails. She loves to fill her lap with them and sometimes, take a nap with them. And all day long as her cats snooze away, Mrs Brown does all her household chores. But, in the evening after she puts down their food and goes up to bed, Mrs Brown's cats party the night away, eating spaghetti and throwing confetti, dancing and chasing their tails, knitting and purling and whooping it up until the crack of dawn. And then, as the new day begins, the cats begin their beauty sleep and Mrs Brown starts cleaning up their mess and putting her house back in order again..... Lesla Newman has written a charming and humorous picture book that will delight both youngsters and adults with its expressive rhyming text. Her gentle story is only outdone by Erika Oller's wonderfully busy and detailed watercolor artwork and kids will be mesmerized as they watch the many antics of Mrs Browns very talented felines. Perfect for children 3-7, Cats, Cats, Cats makes a terrific gift and is sure to make a cat lover out of everyone!

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Purrfect in every way!, June 21, 2001

By 

Van Farrier (Turners Falls, MA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cats, Cats, Cats! (Hardcover)

Cats, cats, cats is a purrfect addition to anyone's library. I thoroughly enjoyed this beautifully illustrated and delightfully authored book. From the first delicious rhyme to the last, I felt like a kid again. I smiled with glee as I turned each page to discover the mischievous adventures of Mrs. Brown's cats. Although it is listed as a children's book, the book is a must for anyone who likes to escape on a silly and tender adventure cuddled up with a good book. I would recommend reading it to youngsters at bedtime and then again to yourself because the illustrations are so exquisite and the clever writing is sure to make you grin ear to ear. Cats, cats, cats is a must, must, must!

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Delightful Picture Book for Cat Lovers, February 16, 2001

By 

AnnH "Random Reader" (Clarklake, MI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cats, Cats, Cats! (Hardcover)

This book may be aimed at youngsters but the humor of the slightly wacky rhyming and the amusing watercolor illustrations makes it a delightful story to read out loud over and over to all the cat lovers you know. There's lots to discover in each picture of all the silly things cats do. I'm buying it for my mother, who at 79 has suddenly adopted a slightly scaled down group of felines. I know she'll recognize quite a few of the cats!