Millions of Cats
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Gag, Wanda. 2006. Millions of Cats. London, EN: Puffin Books. ISBN 9780142407080
PLOT SUMMARY
A lonely old man and woman decide to get a cat. The old man travels very far to find the perfect cat for the old woman. He ends up finding a hill filled with hundreds, thousands, millions, billions, and trillions of cats. He tries to find the prettiest cat but quickly discovers that they are all too good to leave behind. He decides to bring them all home. The woman reminds him that they don’t have the means to care for so many cats. The cats destroy each other when they are asked to decide which among them is the prettiest. The only cat left is a scraggly cat that didn’t even think it had a chance to be the prettiest. The old man and woman take in, feed, and care for this cat. They live happily with the cat that they deemed the prettiest in the end.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Gag’s storybook is unique because the main characters are not children or even young. They are two lonely old people that decide to get a cat in order to not be lonely anymore. The old man wants to make his wife happy, so he goes to try and find the perfect one. The language used is simple. Places and cats are described, but in a way that is easy to understand. I appreciate the repeated phrases throughout because it adds a really fun element to read-aloud's. I can see kids having a lot of fun with, “hundreds and thousands and millions and billions and trillions of cats” Kids are taught the consequences of greed and pride. Events are repeated like the old man seeing new cats and not being able to leave them., “But then he saw…, and now he saw…” This happened six times before he decided to take them all. The description of the cats finishing everything was also described in a very similar way, “Each cat ate/took…”
The illustrations surprised me because I wasn’t expecting to be so moved by black and white images. The use of lines and shading makes the illustrations really stand out. The opening page is white which could suggest an emptiness. This is further supported by the black background encircling the happy family in the end. I also think that the black and white causes all of the cats to blend together adding to the idea that there are so many of them. The style of the illustrations add an element of whimsy.
This story is simple, sweet, and can potentially teach children life lessons. This helps support its use in the classroom, library, or at home.
REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
Newbery Honor Book
Mentioned in School Library Journal: "This Newbery Honor winner is distinguished by innovative design and a strong storyteller's cadence."
Reviewed in Book Links
CONNECTIONS
*This book can be used to lead discussions about loneliness, greed, and perceptions of beauty. It encourages students to think about why they are holding on to things and evaluate what they actually want in friendships.
*The repetitive phrases in this book easily lend themselves to echo reading. Students can be invited to read certain phrases along with the teacher or librarian and enjoy the rhythm of the text.
*This story would be great to reenact. The simple characters and memorable plot would make it easy to do this in groups with each student potentially getting the chance to play different characters.
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