Customer Reviews

New Cat

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I picked this book up at the library without even looking at it and was amazed when my students loved it. I teach a small class of children with autism who are in grades K-2. This turned out to be one of those books I had to read (at their unanimous request) until I practically had it memorized. The story is simple, yet suspenseful and even has an interesting sort of moral. The illustrations are beautiful as well. I highly recommend this book for children of all ages.

There aren't many books about tofu out there, so even though this isn't a vegetarian title per se, we love it for the positive messages it includes: love of animals and good, healthful food. The story is about Mr. Kim, a Korean immigrant, who finds a cat at the pound when he first comes to America. Everyone says, "Oh, you got a new cat!" so that is what is what he names her. New Cat is Mr. Kim's best friend, and it is her job to guard his tofu factory. One night a naughty little mouse gets into the production room and nibbles on some electrical wires starting a fire. New Cat saves the day when she goes to investigate and accidentally spills a huge vat full of tofu and water. When Mr. Kim arrives, he is grateful to the firefighters, but his is worried about his missing cat. Knowing he wouldn't be able to sleep with New Cat gone, he stays behind to clean up and finds his scared, wet friend hiding in a vat of tofu! The heartwarming tale is charmingly illustrated by the author, Yangsook Choi, herself a Korean immigrant. She includes a short author's note in the back, describing her memories of buying and eating tofu in her native country. It does include one short mention of meat in this sentence: "My mother would always buy some, and the tofu would appear in a hot stew, or a crispy pan-fried meat dish with vegetables..." Since my four-year-old won't allow me to skip even one page of a book, I simply leave out the word "meat" and read on! In truth, I think she likes this author's note, written from a little girl's point of view, as much as she likes the story itself.

This is a really charming picture book, so much so that it deserves classic status. I'm very upset that it is out of print. The bond between cat and owner is wonderfully portrayed. A great book for toddlers. Let's have a reprint please.

New Cat got her name cuz she was the "new cat." When her tail isn't cleaning the computer monitor or reading Mr Kim's book of "Tufu Secrets," she guards Mr. Kim's Bronx based tofu factory from mice. When she goes after one such nefarious mouse in a restricted area, her mistake with a watery vat of tofu actually saves Mr. Kim's business. A cute, endearing, and tasty tale, even if the tale's tail is a cat's.