The Cat Who Liked Potato Soup (Bccb Blue Ribbon Picture Book Awards (Awards)) [Hardcover]

Terry Farish (Author), Barry Root (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 6 and up | Grade Level: 1 and up | Series: Bccb Blue Ribbon Picture Book Awards (Awards)

With down-home language that’s a joy to read aloud, Terry Farish tells a wry, unconventional love story about an unlikely pair of curmudgeons - brought to life in glowing illustrations by Barry Root.

The cat was fond of the man’s potato soup,
which made him love her a breath more,
but not so’s you’d notice.

There was an old man, an ol’ Texas boy, who lived on a road called Chatterpie with an uppity old cat - a cat who’d rather eat potato soup than catch blackbirds. A cat who liked to go fishing and sit on the bow of the old man’s boat, her face into the wind, like she was a hood ornament. "Fool cat," the old man would say. "You ain’t nobody’s prize." Then one day something unexpected happens, and they both learn that even the most cantankerous love can inspire acts of heroic proportions - but not, of course, so’s you’d notice.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 3-A curmudgeonly old man and a standoffish cat share potato soup, an electric blanket, and regular fishing trips near their small, comfortable home. When the cat gets tired and the man goes fishing without her, the insulted feline disappears. She howls out the story of her ocean adventure when she returns, and the two reconcile contentedly. The simple tale sparkles with warmth and good humor, thanks to the casual storyteller's voice that carries the narrative. The man liked the cat, "but not so's you'd notice," and "The cat was fond of the man's potato soup, which made him love her a breath more-." Their true feelings are reflected in the watercolor-and-gouache paintings. An early illustration shows the man happily preparing soup with the cat looking on attentively, if not eagerly. This contrasts subtly to a later scene in which the man dines alone, with eyes up as if his lost pet might return at any minute. The prickly relationship between the human and the animal rings true, along with a broader message of friendship. By the time the two are reconciled, readers feel like they know this pair pretty well, more by how they act than by anything they say. The carefully chosen words and charming simplicity of the illustrations lead to an unsentimental, but very satisfying tale of companionship.
Steven Engelfried, Beaverton City Library, OR
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Gr. 1-3. An old man and his cat, each a little prickly with the other, spend their days together sitting on their porch in rural Texas, fishing from a little boat (though the cat "never caught nothin'"), and eating the man's potato soup. One morning, the cat won't get up to go fishing, so the man leaves without her. Fog prevents him from coming back till the next day. Hungry during his absence, the cat leaves, returning several days later with a large fish and a proud, wailing tale of how she caught it. Their days apart renew their respect for each other. The book design has a simple elegance that showcases the folksy, rather poetic text. The quiet, watercolor-and-gouache paintings are especially handsome, and Root portrays both the characters with warmth, dignity, and restraint. Not a lot happens in the story, but this picture book presents the delicately shifting relationship between the old man and his cat in a way that children can understand. Carolyn Phelan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 6 and up
  
• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Candlewick (May 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0763608343
• ISBN-13: 978-0763608347
• Product Dimensions: 10.6 x 10.2 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #915,492 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Terry Farish is the author of The Good Braider to be published in 2012. The Good Braider, a novel in free verse, is the story of Viola, a girl who escapes war-torn Sudan and makes America her home.
She's the author of five novels including Flower Shadows about the Vietnam war, which Kirkus Reviews called, "as moving as it is wise" and If the Tiger described by Publishers Weekly: "Like Robert Olen Butler, Farish threads Eastern mysticism and the residual pain of war into a universal human story."
She also wrote the picture book The Cat Who Liked Potato Soup, illustrated by Barry Root, winner of a Bulletin for the Center of Children's Books Blue Ribbon and the New Hampshire Award for Outstanding Work of Children's Literature.

Terry directs the literacy program of the New Hampshire Humanities Council, working with many immigrants and refugees.
Photo by Sofia Piel

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars NOW THIS IS ONE I COULD RELATE TO!, March 4, 2007

By 

D. Blankenship (The Ozarks) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Cat Who Liked Potato Soup (Bccb Blue Ribbon Picture Book Awards (Awards)) (Hardcover)

This is the simple story of a old man and his old cat. Being an old man and a lover of cats, I certainly could relate to this particular story. There is a certain sadness to the book, but a happy sadness and a great ending. The author has told a simple tale that will appear to just about ever age. I read this one to the kids in my classes and they love it. The illustrations are great and fit perfectly with the text. I cannot remember when I have enjoyed reading a book to the young ones as much as I enjoyed this one. Recommend this one highly.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A UNIQUE, RICH TALE, June 11, 2003

By 

Gail Cooke (TX, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Cat Who Liked Potato Soup (Bccb Blue Ribbon Picture Book Awards (Awards)) (Hardcover)

This endearing story about an old man and his almost equally aged cat is a reminder of the bond between humans and their animals.

Now, these two, the cat and the man, got along well because both were a tad crotchety. The man sometimes lost patience with the cat because as he said, "You never killed nothin'" - not a bird, not a mouse, absolutely nothing. What the cat did like was the man's potato soup, so the man reluctantly shared it.

These two did almost everything together; they even went fishing with the cat sitting in the prow of the boat looking very much like a hood ornament. Evidently, the cat loved to do that as she poked her face into the wind and seemed quite happy out on the water.

Problems arose one day when the man was already to go fishing and the cat was still asleep. So, as mentioned, he was a bit of a grump, and he decided to go without her. What was the cat supposed to do when she awoke to an empty house?

As always, Barry Root's lovely watercolor illustrations add richness to this tale of a unique, deeply felt love.

- Gail Cooke

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars But the cat came back the very next day..., May 20, 2004

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E. R. Bird "Ramseelbird" (Manhattan, NY) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Cat Who Liked Potato Soup (Bccb Blue Ribbon Picture Book Awards (Awards)) (Hardcover)

Not, as you may have guessed, a book in the famous "The Cat Who" series by Lillian Jackson Braun. Instead, this is a simple tale of a man and his cat. Stories of this ilk are nine times out of ten relegated to the dogs of the world. We can find a million "a man and his dog" books out there, so it is that much more impressive when the companion of the tale is a little more feline. Author Terry Farish, previously disposed to writing books for young adults, and the remarkable Barry Root have teamed together to bring us a story of good old-fashioned friendship and bonding.

The book begins, "There was an old man, an ol' Texas boy, country-raised, don't you know". He lives alone with his cat, to whom he is very attached, "but not so's you'd notice". Man and cat live a nice peaceful life. When the man goes out to fish, the cat sits on the prow of the boat, though she never catches anything. Truthfully, she's never caught a thing in her whole life, a fact that the man brings up regularly. But they share bowls of potato soup together and are quite contented with their lot. You get the distinct feeling that the man is retired and that this is how he prefers to spend his days. One day, the man finds that the cat is still sleeping when he's ready to go fishing. Not one to wait too long, he leaves without her, reasoning that he doesn't need her. When the cat wakes to find the man gone (a thing that has never occurred before) she leaves home. The man comes back to an empty home and for three days the cat does not return. One day he comes home and there's the cat on the porch, one paw on the biggest fish you ever did see. The cat howls her story, which the man picks up on pretty well, and at long last the two are back in the goods. "And he loved the sight of her, oh, and this time you'd notice". And in time the cat forgives the man and, "then came sweet peace".

There's a tone to the dialogue and text of this book that's as easy and pleasant on the ear as you could hope for in a picture book. The man, for his part, is the type to mutter words like, "Fool cat. You ain't nobody's prize. Never killed nothin'". These two could be living anywhere in the continental United States, honestly. The man's grouchy, but he's never downright mean, and the cat matches him in spirit, sticking up for herself when she needs to. Alone, the book's a great read. Paired with Root's illustrations, it's a dream come true. Barry Root has somehow captured the feel and tone of this story perfectly. From the man's small ramshackle little house (note the toilet bowl under the mailbox that reads, "Junk mail") to that baseball cap the man always wears, to the truck he drives. Heck, I even liked box of Kleenex that sits forlornly on the man's dining room table. If I have any problems with the pictures in this book, perhaps Roots didn't make the man as curmudgeonly looking as he is in the text. But this is a minor/ tiny/ petty/ miniscule complaint. The book's a fantastic looking piece of work. Though you never learn the name of either the man or the cat, you don't need to. They stand on their own well enough. And this isn't a book about some grand rich person or even a person who works in a professional manner. This is about a guy who'd like nothing better than to live on his own with his cat and to go fishing every day. Remarkably, it makes fantastic reading for the young ones.

The best way to tell if you're going to like this book or not is to just take a gander at the cover. Blow it up big so that you can get a good long look at it. If the shot of that cat (her mouth smiling and the man in the back of the boat) doesn't appeal to you then you probably won't enjoy this book. But if you like cats or men or just honest straightforward storytelling, then this is the book for you. It does not aim beyond its station, but it's a strong well-told tale that you could read again and again and get a little more out of every time. I wish that all picture books could do half as much.