The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
	The Bulletin Dozen is a monthly theme-based list of titles available only on-line. Since we're awfully fond of bakers here at the Bulletin, we thought we'd adopt their philosophy of generosity and throw in an extra one or two when we have them to offer--so don't expect an even dozen. Please feel free to copy, download, or link to these lists. We ask only that you cite the source. See the archive for lists from previous months.
	A Purrfect Dozen: Cat Books for the Dog Days selected by Melanie Kimball We've reached the dog days of summer, so-called because the rising of Sirius, the Dog Star, coincides with the rising of the sun. The weather is hot and sticky and everything slows down for a time before the frenzy of preparation for school begins again. Since we've already done a list of dog stories, we thought it was high time that we do the same for our other faithful domestic animal, the cat. Ever since Wanda Gág penned "Hundreds of cats, thousands of cats, millions, and billions, and trillions of cats" children's authors have tried to create enough cat books for each one of them. So take a load off, set the air conditioner on high, curl up with your favorite kitty and have a read. Meow! --Melanie Kimball, Research Assistant,

• Alexander, Lloyd. How the Cat Swallowed Thunder; illus. by Judith Byron Schachner. Dutton, 2000. Gr. 2-4

  An original pourquoi tale of how the cat got his purr, this book relates the story of Mother Holly and her cat (appropriately named "Cat"). Mother Holly has to keep an eye on Cat all the time so he doesn't get into mischief. But one day, she leaves him alone and goes off to do some errands. "While I'm gone, I want you to make the bed, sweep the floor, stir the soup, and tidy up the cottage. And, when I come back, if I find even one thing amiss--then, believe me, it will be so much the worse for you." So how does Cat get his purr? Read and find out! (BCCB 9/00)

• Choi, Yangsook. New Cat; written and illus. by Yangsook Choi. Foster/Farrar, 1999. 4-7 yrs

  New Cat lives in a tofu factory in the Bronx run by Mr. Kim. She has many tasks, but the most important is catching mice. When a mouse gets into the production room, the only place where New Cat is not allowed, disaster looms on the horizon. Facial expressions for both New Cat and the mouse are highly amusing without straying too far into anthropomorphism. (BCCB 5/99)

• Fleming, Denise. Mama Cat Has Three Kittens; written and illus. by Denise Fleming. Holt, 1998. 2-5 yrs (BCCB 12/97)

  Fluffy, Skinny, and Boris are the three kittens in the title. Fluffy and Skinny are good little cats who follow their mother around and imitate her every move. Boris naps. All the time. The vibrant illustrations and simple text meld together to make a very satisfying read. Be observant: there is a sub-plot which involves Mama Mouse that is told only in the pictures. (BCCB 12/97)

• George, Jean Craighead. How to Talk to Your Cat; illus. by Paul Meisel. HarperCollins, 2000. Gr. 2-5

  The author begins with a brief history of the cat, then quickly moves on to the meat of her message: the varied ways in which cats communicate. By using a complex system of scent, sound, touch, and movements of tail, ears, whiskers, and eyes the cat communicates with other cats and with humans. The text is punctuated with marvelous cartoon-like illustrations which combine photographs of George "interacting" with line-and-watercolor felines. Informative yet fun, this should delight young cat lovers. (BCCB 4/00)

• Harper, Dan. Telling Time with Big Mama Cat; illus. by Barry Moser & Cara Moser. Harcourt, 1998. 4-8 yrs

  A clever format sets this how-to-tell-time book apart from others which try to teach the same thing. A heavy board cover has a full clock with easily moved hands. This folds out so that as the story moves along, young readers can move the hands to match up with the clock in each illustration as Mama Cat moves from napping, to eating, to going out (at 10:30) and coming in (at 10:45). Good for both read-alouds and read-alones. (BCCB 11/98)

• Hassett, John. Cat Up a Tree; written and illus. by John and Ann Hassett. Lorraine/Houghton, 1998. 4-7 yrs (BCCB 12/97)

  When Nana Quimby spots a cat stuck up a tree outside her apartment, she calls everyone she can think of to rescue the poor animal. The Fire Department, Police Station, pet shop, zoo, post office, library, and city hall all insist it isn't their problem as more and more cats show up in the tree. Nana finally resolves the problem herself. The Hassetts create some of the most memorable cats ever in this humorous offering. (BCCB 12/97)

• Heidenreich, Elke. Nero Corleone: A Cat's Story; tr. by Doris Orgel; illus. by Quint Buchholz. Viking, 1997. Gr. 3-5

  Nero Corleone, a black cat born under a portentous star, dominates the farm where he lives. He extorts eggs from the chickens, terrorizes the dog into submission, and steals food from the farmer's wife. Despite his behavior, Nero is an endearing animal full of bravado. His subsequent adventures after a visiting German couple adopt him and take him back to Germany make an entertaining read. (BCCB 12/97)

• Isaacs, Anne. Cat Up a Tree: A Story in Poems; illus by Stephen Mackey. Gr. 4-8

  Another cat up another tree, but this time fifteen poems describe the events surrounding the fluffy, tiger-striped feline's sojurn aloft. The poems alternate between the cat's viewpoint, and that of the fireman, cat-catcher, robin, passersby, and the tree. The luminous illustrations provide an eye-catching story all by themselves. "Oh, you can't catch a cat, but whatever you do/ In the space of a whisker a cat may catch you." (BCCB 11/98)

• Myers, Christopher. Black Cat; written and illus. by Christopher Myers. Scholastic, 1999. All ages

  Myers received a Coretta Scott King Honor for the illustrations in this book. The powerful collage art, a combination of photographs, gouache, and ink, traces the path of a black cat as it wanders the urban landscape. The poetic text perfectly complements the illustrations. (BCCB 2/99)

• Olson, Arielle North. Noah's Cats and the Devil's Fire; illus. by Barry Moser. Orchard, 1992. 5-8 yrs

  In this adaptation of a Rumanian folktale, Olson tells the story of Noah's cats who save the ark from the Devil. The Devil, having previously been kicked off the ark by Noah, disguises himself as a mouse with glowing red eyes. He becomes a real danger when he begins to gnaw a hole in the side of the ship to make it sink. Fortunately, Noah's cats are on hand to save the day by swallowing the devil-mouse and spitting him into the sea. This act of heroism left its marks, however: to this day the cat sets off sparks when petted and has eyes that glow in the dark. Barry Moser's eerie paintings, all deep green and black, will rivet the attention of readers. (BCCB 3/92)

• Perrault, Charles. Puss in Boots; ad. by Lincoln Kirstein; illus. by Alain Vaës. Little, 1992. 4-7 yrs

  No list of cat books would be complete without everyone's favorite feline. Vaës' illustrations are the draw here. Puss is every inch a cat's cat, unclothed except for his magnificent boots. Most of the cast of characters with which Puss interacts are charicatures--the King is a dead-ringer for W.C. Fields--but Puss's master and the Princess are appropriately gorgeous. The sumptuous backdrops of the French countryside and various palaces might overwhelm a lesser animal, but Puss looks right at home, especially at the end when his boots turn into pure gold and are subsequently polished everyday by seven mice. (BCCB 4/92)

• Richard, Françoise. On Cat Mountain; ad. by Arthur A. Levine; illus. by Anne Buguet. Putnam, 1994. 5-8 yrs

  This Japanese folktale tells of a woman who is so wicked that she loves neither cats nor children. Her poor servant girl, Sho, has only one friend in the world, a cat which she names Secret. When the evil mistress chases Secret away, Sho's heart is broken until a traveling wise man tells her she will find Secret on Cat Mountain, a place from where no one has ever returned. Thanks to Secret, Sho returns safely with a bag of gold, and her gredy mistress determines to try Cat Mountain for herself. In the way of traditional tales, she earns her just reward, while Sho lives happily ever after. (BCCB3/94)

• Stevens, Janet. How the Manx Cat Lost Its Tail; ad. and illus. by Janet Stevens. Harcourt, 1990.

  This pourquoi tale set on Noah's Ark focuses on the Manx cat. Noah searches far and wide to find just the right animals for the ark. Of the two cats he chooses, one is from the Isle of Man. When the time comes to leave, the Manx cat is nowhere to be found. At the very last minute, just as Noah says "Who's out is out, who's in is in" and slams the heavy door, the Manx cat slips in--but his tail gets caught in the door and is snipped off. Stevens' humorous depiction of the animals' rising panic while the ark is tossed this way and that and the waters rise is priceless. (BCCB 10/90)

• Voake, Charlotte. Ginger. written and illus. by Charlotte Voake. Candlewick, 1997. 3-6 yrs

  Poor Ginger. He leads a perfectly happy life filled with delicious meals, and he has a lovely basket just the right size to snooze in comfortably. Then the little girl with whom Ginger lives brings home a kitten: "He'll be a nice new friend for you, Ginger." He isn't. After several traumas, including the kitten trying to sleep in Ginger's bed and Ginger running away (as far as the garden) the two felines settle down and learn to coexist peacefully. (BCCB 4/97)

• Westall, Robert. Blitzcat. Scholastic, 1989. Gr. 7-9

  Lord Gort, a black cat, misses her master, who has gone off to fight for Britain during WW II. So off she goes, psi trailing him across the English countryside. Along the way she has a litter of kittens, rides on airplanes, and leads a group of people to safety after the Coventry blitz. Westall combines an animal story with a war story to good effect. (BCCB 11/89)

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