One of the hot gift books of '91, '92, and on.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
Language Notes
Text: English, French
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One of the hot gift books of '91, '92, and on.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
21 of 21 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
In this delightful little book, wonderfully and perceptively illustrated with humourous line-art drawings, you will, as the title suggests, find 'All the French Your Cat will Ever Need'. For those of you who follow my writing, you may find this review to be shorter than average. There is a good reason for this -- the book is shorter than average; about 80 pages or so, and on average fewer than 20 words per page.
In this volume, you will learn what a French cat (le chat) does...
Je miaule, Je ronronne, Je dors
(I meow, I purr, I sleep)
Je cours rapidement d'une piece a l'autre sans aucune raison apparente
(I run rapidly from room to room for no apparent reason)
Je reste assis et je regarde fixement dans le vide pendant des heures
(I sit and stare at nothing for hours on end)
...and does not do...
Je ne cours pas apres les voitures
(I do not chase cars)
Je n'attrape pas les Frisbees dans ma bouche
(I do not catch Frisbees in my mouth)
Of course, the French cat will need appropriate food (gourmet, no less)...
L'Oiseau, La Souris, Le Poisson, Le Vilaine Grosse Bestiole
(the bird, the mouse, the fish, the big ugly bug)
...served in an elegant manner...
Le Bol pour Manger
(the Food Bowl)
...served at the appropriate time.
Je veux qu'on remplisse mon bol
(I want food in my bowl)
Je veux qu'on remplisse mon bol immediatement
(I want food in my bowl now)
...
J'attends qu'on me serve...
(I'm waiting...)
Of course, a responsible cat person will need to subject le chat to the occasion unpleasant experience...
Surtout je n'aime pas aller chez le veterinaire
(I really do not like to go to the vet)
Je ne veux pas qu'on me pique avec une aiguille enorme
(I do not want to be studck with a huge needle)
Je ne veux pas etre chatre
(I do not want to be neutered)
So, if you ever wondered what it would be like for your cat to produce a fur-ball in French (voila!) or the craftiness of French cat-thinking (how to get the enemy lawn mower to attack the bad neighbour child), this book is definitely for you.
Beware, however, even though this is 'All the French Your Cat Will Ever Need', there is a second helping, 'Advanced French for Exceptional Cats', to be found in a second volume exclusively for 'sophisticated cats as smart as yours'.
To be sure to understand le chat with savoir-faire, both volumes are an absolute necessity. Written by Henri de la Barbe (Henry Beard) (also know for scholarly necessities 'Latin for All Occasions' and 'Miss Piggy's Guide to Life'), and illustrated with wit and charm by Gary Zamchick, these books make delightful fun reading for an hour, and perfect gifts for cat lovers and francophiles alike.
15 of 15 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Aside from being a very funny compendium of cat thought and behavior, this book helped me learn French by inspiring me to remember and use phrases such as "I think I am going to cough up a hairball" (useful in bad French restaurants) and "I prefer to bathe myself." The sentences may be cute and silly, but they are in proper French, with proper sentence structure, and simple enough to provide useful grammatical tools and vocabulary. The pictures are cute, too.
If nothing else, it will amuse your friends who love cats (and even those who don't).
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I received this little book as a gift in 1991 and I still enjoy going through it. The author begins with the basics: The Cat (le Chat), cat parts, cat wardrobe, cat toys, cat names, etc. The text is written in a very "catty" attitude, and if you have cats, you will definitely appreciate it! The drawings are very cute and reflect the "cattitude" throughout -- a lifted eyebrow here, a scowl there. Some excerpts are particularly funny, as in the description of "What I Do": "I meow. I purr. I sit and stare at nothing for hours on end. I run rapidly from room to room for no apparent reason." (All cat owners will be nodding in understanding.) However, not only is the English amusing, the French is very accurate as well. After all, this IS a guide on speaking French... Monsieur de la Barbe demonstrates this with his translation of The Fur Ball: "I think I am going to cough up a fur ball...Here it comes now...(next page)...Voilà." My absolute favorite section of the book, though, is the trip to the vet. Male cat owners will definitely sympathize at the sight of the helpless kitty tied down to a table while lying on his back. The poor little guy has only one comment: "Je ne veux pas être châtré." ("I do not want to be neutered.") I keep my copy on my desk at work so that I can share the humor with others. If you know any cat lovers (even non-French-speaking ones!) and want to give them a lasting chuckle, this is the book! Merci beaucoup, M. de la Barbe!
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Fun way to expand your French vocabulary
I can't have cats, but I've had this book among my books for two decades and would not part with it. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Patto
Your kitty doesn't mind poor French
I "read" this book to my ailing kitty. He loved my imperfect* French as much as my perfect French. It was as much a healing endeavor** for me as it was a "goodbye kitty" for my... Read more
Published on October 24, 2008 by Left Coaster
PURRRY CLEVER
WHETHER YOU HAVE A CAT - OT NOT- THIS BOOK IS FUN.
AS USUAL BEFORE ORDERING,I CHECKED THE "LOOK INSIDE THIS BOOK" PAGES, AND FOUND MYSELF LAUGHING. Read more
AS USUAL BEFORE ORDERING,I CHECKED THE "LOOK INSIDE THIS BOOK" PAGES, AND FOUND MYSELF LAUGHING. Read more
Published on January 18, 2008 by D. M. Henderson
Funny
As a cat lover and as a (not so continuous) student of the French language, I thought this book was funny. Read more
Published on July 1, 2007 by H. Mayson
Huge Let-Down
This product was definitely mis-represented. Although it contains quite a bit of dry wit, the French translation has absolutely no phonetic assistance. Read more
Published on February 20, 2007 by Linda Dalton
Undiluted Fun, Irresistable, Nicely Illustrated
Don't over think this one. This little book won't be mentioned on Oprah or noted at your book club. Just buy a used copy of this book and stuff it into your jacket pocket until you... Read more
Published on December 17, 2005 by dennis wentraub
French for Cats: All the French Your Cat Will Ever Need
This is an absolutely delightful book with cute illustrations as well as clever observations about cats. It is also a fun way to brush up on your French. Read more
Published on August 22, 2005 by Bonnie K. Johnson
Funny & cute book for sophisticated cat owners.
Soon you too can say "J'aime ce livre" (I love this book), and "Enlevez le chien svp" (Remove the dog please). Read more
Published on December 23, 2003 by G. Powell
French for Cats! Have the Most Sophisticated Kitty in Town.
What a witty little picture book. After you read it, you'll surely think your kitty is the most sophisticated cat on the block. Or at least her or his owner is. Read more
Published on April 14, 2002 by Joan Minor
Completely silly
This is really a very funny book and it leaves one wondering if Mr Beard has been a cat in a previous life. His perception of all the French a cat would need is clear indeed. Read more
Published on January 3, 2001 by Lesley West
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