How the Cat Swallowed Thunder [Hardcover]

Lloyd Alexander (Author), Judy Schachner (Illustrator)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Like the sorcerer's apprentice, Cat has more than he can handle when Mother Holly leaves him in charge of her cottage. To clean up a spill, Cat uses the watering can, but it unexpectedly causes a full-fledged rainstorm; the bellows he uses to fan a fire whip up howling winds; and popping corn produces thunderbolts. Alexander (The House Gobbaleen; the Prydain series) doesn't explain the mysterious occurrences until Mother Holly's return. At that point Mother Holly discloses that she uses her watering can for April showers, her bellows for March winds, etc. Cat is convinced he's going to be punished, until a kernel of corn he has swallowed makes his stomach rumble and his "marvelous song" makes Mother Holly "happy and peaceful"Athe story has opened in a time "when the Cat had no purr." Unfortunately, this pourquoi tale of magic and mayhem has such a complicated plot and so many loose ends that a young reader could easily end up as befuddled as Cat himself. Older readers, however, will enjoy Alexander's rhythmical sentences and witty dialogue. Schachner's (The Grannyman) cartoonish watercolors convey the slapstick humor and chaos, but her googly-eyed characters are often less appealing than the background details. Children will enjoy spotting carved owl bedposts, cat nesting dolls lined up on a windowsill and, especially, the two mice who appear on each page. Ages 5-9. (Aug.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 2-4-Professed cat lovers Alexander and Schachner have produced a truly charming story that's part fantasy and part fond tribute to their favorite household pet. When the Cat spends a day fishing around in Mother Holly's house instead of cleaning it up according to her instructions, he stumbles onto all kinds of trouble: her watering can becomes a rainmaker, her bellows generate a furious wind, and her popping corn rumbles like thunder. It seems he can't touch anything without creating a meteorological maelstrom within the woman's four tidy walls. Frantic to cover his tracks, Cat successfully cleans up his various messes, save for one small kernel of corn. Panicked, he pops it into his mouth, ingesting with it a muffled rumbling sound that Mother Holly loves, resulting in the first cat to purr. Alexander's original folktale evokes Rudyard Kipling's Just So Stories while turning Aesop on his familiar head; in the end, the only life-lesson the Cat learns is that he can charm his way out of any predicament with the right kind of spin control. Coupled with Schachner's homespun, crazy-quilt illustrations-everything in Mother Holly's house is stuffed with down and stitched by hand-the result is pure enchantment. Children will enjoy this book when read aloud as much as they will when they curl up with it on their own.
Catherine T. Quattlebaum, DeKalb County Public Library, Atlanta, GA
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4-8
  
• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Dutton Juvenile; 1st edition (August 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0525464492
• ISBN-13: 978-0525464495
• Product Dimensions: 12 x 9.4 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #1,522,082 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars FELINE FANCIERS WILL LOVE THIS!, September 16, 2000

By	Gail Cooke (TX, USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 10 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: How the Cat Swallowed Thunder (Hardcover)

Cat lovers, rejoice! Here's another paean to our favorite feline pet. Schachner's illustrations are hysterical as cat gets into all the mischief anyone can imagine - from tangling in the thread of his mistress's spinning wheel to climbing into the cupboard and creating chaos among the crockery.

Never one to clean up his own messes, cat considers housework and pushing a broom "weary" work (we agree). Nonetheless, in Mother Holly's absence he spills the soup, and while trying to clean up turns the kitchen into a duck pond. He also releases feathers from a quilt, and makes a myriad of messes.

Nonetheless, Mother Holly dotes on her pet, just as we do on ours. Animal lovers have found a kindred soul.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Grandma and her little cho cho love this book!, June 3, 2003

By	Nancy Barnes (Rancho Palos Verdes, CA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: How the Cat Swallowed Thunder (Hardcover)

My Grandson, at age 2 years and 9 months picked this out because of the picture on the cover. I thought he wouldn't understand and enjoy it because of the British expressions. Was I ever wrong! He loves it and I love reading it to him. After two days he was playfully using the expression "I'll be in a pickle for sure" and telling his mother he had swallowed some thunder after eating some corn. Now two months later, I was surprised that he has practically memorized the book (the first six pages completely - and there are a lot of words, many of them quite unusual, on those six pages. He often suggests we "tidy up the cottage". Mother Holly is a great help with learning good behavior and, even after all the excitement, he usually goes to sleep when the cat does.

5.0 out of 5 stars Children and cat lovers will enjoy this "origin" of the purr story, June 27, 2008

By	Charles Ashbacher "([e-mail])" (Marion, Iowa United States([e-mail])) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)

This review is from: How the Cat Swallowed Thunder (Hardcover)

In the beginning, cats did not purr, but they did get into mischief. Old Mother Holly has a cat and he was one that was constantly getting into trouble. One day, Mother Holly had to go out and she gave Cat a list of tasks to do while she was gone. At the end of the list, she included a very stern "Or Else!" However, Cat being a cat, decided to do things differently. He started doing one thing and it went wrong and then every attempt to fix a problem created a new one. Feathers, water and popcorn were all flying through the house. In a flurry of great effort, Cat barely managed to get it all cleaned up. The last thing he did was pop some stray popcorn into his mouth.
When Mother Holly arrived, she was pleased to see that all was done and she promised Cat a treat. Unfortunately, the popcorn started making noises in Cat's stomach. The noise was a soft one and even though Cat confessed to all his failures, Mother Holly forgot about that as she listened to the soft sound emanating from Cat. She found the noise pleasurable and asked Cat to do it again. After a short time, both Mother Holly and Cat were sound asleep.
There is something very comforting about the purr of a cat; it is certainly part of the reason why humans, especially children, have an instinctive love of cats. This story, an "explanation" of the purr, is one that will delight children and amuse adults.