Clarence the Copy Cat [Hardcover]

Patricia Lakin (Author), John Manders (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 8, 2002 | Age Level: 4 and up | Grade Level: P and up

Clarence has finally found a home in the town library, but will he be ousted when the librarian discovers his uselessness as a mouser?
Clarence may be a cat, but he’s a peace-loving cat–definitely not a mouser. This gets him evicted from his parents’ home at Sam’s Sandwich Shop. Sadly, other storekeepers shoo him away too, as soon as a dreaded m-o-u-s-e appears. Poor Clarence just can’t find a place without mice.
Dejected and tired, Clarence is feeling very sorry for himself when a kindly librarian takes him in. Clarence’s new home is grand–a public library filled with books. There’s even a whirring copy machine! Clarence loves to sit on top of it, earning him the name Copy Cat. For months, life is good. Very good . . . until the winter day when a you-know-what shows up. . . .

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

At the start of Lakin's (Don't Forget) appealing story, Clarence, a pacifist cat, gets evicted from Sam's deli: "Clarence stuck to his principles. He would not hurt mice." When he finally finds a new home at the library and the inevitable mouse arrives, Clarence eats the mousetrap cheese and builds barricades of books to keep the mouse at bay. Nothing works until Clarence leaps to save the mouse from the broom-wielding librarian, lands with a "big fat belly flop right on the copy machine glass," and photocopies of Clarence's terrified face scare the mouse away. Like sketchy caricatures, Manders's (First-Base Hero) action sequences and characters seem ready-made for animation, and when the spindly-legged Clarence sees the photocopy of himself as "a huge black cat with bulging legs, an enormous tummy, and whiskers that stuck out like arrows," the visual joke has wry resonance. While the library pictured in the book (patterned after a branch of the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh) is curiously bland (title-less books of a uniform color fill the shelves), book lovers will find the picture of Clarence and the librarian nestled together in a comfy window seat a satisfying parting view. Ages 4-8.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 1-3-Clarence is supposed to help catch the mice in the deli in which he lives with his parents. However, since he can't "bear to harm another living creature," he is banished from the store. He tries to find a home elsewhere, but is thrown out when the owners discover that he is no mouser. The feline slinks sadly down the street and wonders if he will ever find a home. He finally curls up by the door of the local library, where the librarian takes pity on him and invites him in. Clarence loves it there because he is kept "well read, well fed, and well petted," but especially because there are no mice. He sits on top of the copy machine so often that Mr. Spanner calls him Copy Cat. Then, one winter day a mouse shows up for storytime. Readers will sympathize with poor Clarence and root for him as he battles with the rodent and finds a solution to his problem. Manders's appealing, full-color illustrations are lively and full of fun. Tall and skinny Clarence has a black coat and bulging yellow eyes, and is particularly comical when he stuffs his face with cheese or sits primly on the copier. Children will laugh out loud as they follow his adventures.
Kristin de Lacoste, South Regional Public Library, Pembroke Pines, FL
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Doubleday Books for Young Readers (October 8, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385327471
• ISBN-13: 978-0385327473
• Product Dimensions: 11.3 x 8.5 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,689,848 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Charmer!, May 15, 2003

By 

beanbug (Bristol, VA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Clarence the Copy Cat (Library Binding)

Poor Clarence! He doesn't want to hurt a living thing, but his refusal to kill mice gets him thrown out on the streets. By chance he is found by a kindly librarian who takes him in and gives him the most wonderful home he has ever known. Clarence is supremely happy. And then... MICE show up at the library! And his new friend expects Clarence to do something about them! Will Clarence get tossed out in the street again? Or will he go against his heart and kill a mouse?

This is a lovely, well-written story aimed at children age 5 and up. Older kids would enjoy deciding what Clarence should do and/or examining his principles. Clarence's no-kill credo is not presented as being didactic-- just a personal decision. In other words, this isn't a book that is going to tell kids they need to be vegans. The focus is on Clarence's particular situation. The illustrations are just perfect for the story: Clarence is a thin, nervous looking cat, rather shabby; but the vibrant background colors make all seem hopeful. Clarence has a definite place in my heart and on my bookshelf.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars EVERY LIBRARY SHOULD HAVE A CAT., March 28, 2010

By 

D. Blankenship (The Ozarks) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Clarence The Copy Cat (Paperback)

Hmmm, I fear that I will have to go against the trend here and give this read a five star rather than a four star rating. This is a well told tale, very well illustrated, and when you compare apples to apples, or in this case books to books, this one certainly holds its own.

Clarence was the son of the best mousers Sam's Sandwich Shop had ever had. They were good at it and so great things were expected of their offspring Clarence. But alas, Clarence was a unique individual, a creature of his own and his main peculiarity was that he simply could not stand to kill anything, in particular mice! Yes, he was a complete pacifist and vegetarian...not a good thing to be if you must earn your keep as a mouser!

Clarence will not give in and eventually is turned out into the cold by the Deli owner. Clarence has a hard time of it on the streets and people only want cats that are mousers. To his credit, Clarence holds his ground. At last, after a cold and hungry existence on the street, a kindly librarian takes him in. Ah! Bliss! It is nice and warm, the librarian feeds Clarence cheese and other nonmeat products, it is warm, and there are many books about with nice soft chairs to sleep in and plenty of people to talk to, pet him and keep him company. Clarence helped out by finding lost books and pencils and Mr. Spanner, the librarian kept Clarence "well read, well fed and well petted." Best of all, there were NO nice to worry about. When you think about it, what more could any of us want?

But oh my, in every life a bit of rain must fall, and Clarence's rain storm came the day a mouse showed up in the library...a book eating mouse!

Will Clarence do what cats are suppose to do and whack the little critter, or will Clarence stand on his principles and risk loosing it all and be thrown from his nice new home back on the cold mean streets?

Well you will have to read it to find the answer, as there are no spoilers here, but I will tell you that the copy machine that Clarence sat upon most of the time played a very important role in the life of our peaceful cat. You will just have to read this one yourself as the ending is rather unique and sweet.

This is a well written story with wonderful illustrations by John Manders. It makes a great group read along with one on ones. Between the rather comical art work and the cute tale this work is a complete winner in my opinion and I do highly recommend it.

Don Blankenship
The Ozarks

2.0 out of 5 stars Condition of book, October 26, 2010

By 

Marion E. Burke - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Clarence the Copy Cat (Hardcover)

The story in this book, the writing and illustration are wonderful. My issue is with the physical condition of the book. I didn't realize I was ordering a used book, but that's OK, I'm glad to have done so. However, at least 6 pages were not attached to the book; I had to tape them in. Some pages were ripped and dog-eared. The book had a stamp from a public library. As I said, I'm all in favor of recycling books, but this one was unaccaptable. At a yard sale it wouldn't have gone for more than 50 cents. I paid $6+.