Senor Don Gato: A Traditional Song [Hardcover]

Anonymus (Author), John Manders (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 3 and up | Grade Level: P and up

As befits its hero, the song "Señor Don Gato" springs to life in an animated read-aloud sure to spur many a rousing rendition. Meow - Meow - Meow!

Oh, Señor Don Gato was a cat.
On a high red roof Don Gato sat. . . .

When Señor Don Gato receives an ardent love letter from the fluffy white lady cat, a dramatic chain of events is set into motion. There’s a tragic fall off the roof, a heart-rending death scene, a village thrown into mourning for its fallen hero . . . and then love, returned to life and triumphant. Lively and full of fun, John Manders’s illustrations capture delightful details of Spanish architecture and customs, while a costumed cast of cats acts out the well-known children’s song with comically melodramatic flair.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 2-Ah, Senor Don Gato! He is an urbane and charming feline, a Falstaff of cats, at home in his portly physique and quite confident of his charm and allure. Sure enough, a lovely white fluff ball of a lady cat is smitten. Her note to Don Gato so delights her swain that he jumps for joy-right off the roof, breaking his knee, ribs, and whiskers, "And his little solar plexus." That looks like the end, and his fellow felines put him into a pine box. Followed by his weeping sweetheart, the cortege heads for the cemetery. On the way, they pass the fish market, the lovely smell revives the dead, and all ends happily. This traditional English version of a Mexican rhyme has rhythm and pulse. It reads aloud well, and is beautifully extended by Manders's sun-drenched gouache illustrations. The gold tones give the effect of a trip to the south, and the humorous cartoon style gives viewers a Don Gato of charm and substance. Pair this with Charles Perrault's Puss in Boots, as illustrated by Fred Marcellino (Farrar, 1990), for a storytime featuring two cats with class.
Ann Welton, Grant Elementary School, Tacoma, WA
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

PreS-Gr. 2. Originally a Mexican rhyme that transmogrified into a traditional song that is not widely familiar, this boisterously illustrated interpretation will likely be a new favorite among youngsters. After Senor Don Gato climbs on a roof to read a love letter, the good news that the fluffy, white, sweet lady cat will wed him makes him so happy that he falls off the roof and breaks his knee, his ribs, and all his whiskers. Doctors come on a run but declare him dead. But when the funeral passes market square, the smell of fish brings him back to life. The bright, exuberant gouache illustrations, featuring a cast of bug-eyed cats (Don Gato wears a blousy, ruffle-necked shirt and a hat with a large feather), add the right amount of exaggeration and operatic flair to the entertaining story. A "meow-meow-meow" refrain runs throughout the rhyme as a chorus, and two pages of musical notation give children ample opportunity to "sing" along. Julie Cummins
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 3 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Candlewick; 1st edition (July 28, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0763617245
• ISBN-13: 978-0763617240
• Product Dimensions: 10.6 x 8.8 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,321,779 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

John Manders was educated at the Art Institute of Pittsburgh and later took courses at the School of Visual Arts and the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York, where he studied children's illustration, animation, and life drawing. His interests include puppetry (he studied that at Syracuse University College) and trying to speak Italian.

John's work is featured in over 30 children's books and gazillions of children's magazines. He's a member of the Society of Illustrators, the Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators, and is a founding member of the Pittsburgh Society of Illustrators. John was also their first president.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ayyy--Caramba!, May 25, 2004

By 

E. S. Will "a new leaf" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Senor Don Gato: A Traditional Song (Hardcover)

Manders energetic and humorous paintings enliven a long-time favorite of Spanish-language audiences for a new generation of English-speaking children. It opens:

Oh, Senor Don Gato was a cat.
On a high red roof Don Gato sat.
He went there to read a letter,
Where the reading light was better
'Twas a love note for Don Gato.

Manders depicts the portly gentleman perched on a chair on a steep tile roof, sipping from a teacup and drinking in the words of a sweet lady cat, who assents to wed him.

Alas, or more appropriately, "Ayyy-Caramba!!!" Don Gato takes a tall tumble, and "in spite of everything the doctors tried, poor Don Gato up and died." A rare occurrence on the way to the cemetery, however, provides Don Gato with, if not eight additional lives, at least one more opportunity for happiness with his lovely betrothed.

Using a palette rich in red, gold and brown tones, Manders evokes a Spanish colonial town, with church tower and balconied homes lining narrow cobblestone streets-all timelessly tucked away in sun-drenched hills.

Manders uses the long-known English translation, with its spry rhyme and clever lyrics, loosely based upon the traditional Mexican song. Unfortunately, the authorship of both the original and the translation have been lost to history.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book, April 28, 2007

By 

W. Irby (South Boston, VA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Senor Don Gato: A Traditional Song (Hardcover)

I purchased this book for my sister's birthday. We used to sing this when we were young and I thought it would bring back great childhood memories, and it did. great book

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Meow, meow, meow, June 24, 2009

By 

B. Wood (Buffalo,New York) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Senor Don Gato: A Traditional Song (Hardcover)

I remember singing this in song form in elementary school and sang it to my children. The love life of a cat and his broken whiskers, ribs and solarplexes, quite funny, I read and point to my children to cue them into the `Meow, meow, meows'. They giggle every time!
This book is hard cover, very nicely illustrated and I'm thrilled to be able to pass this story on to my children.