REVIEW OF CATS
A. Simon, Seymour. CATS. New York: HarperCollins, 2004.
B. SUMMARY: Simon gives us another high caliber Informational Picture Book. Included are 36 show stopping photographs one of which is Simon’s own house cat, Mittens, one of two feral cats he has adopted and lovingly spoiled. The volume is not a how to book for pet care but a story of cats. While the focus is on pet cats a short history of cats is included as well.
C. CRITICAL ANALYSIS:
As a lover of cats and cat picture books for as long as I can remember I have never seen one with more intriguing photographs or better text for elementary school children. Many middle school children would enjoy this as well.
Simon begins with the compare and contrast technique by talking about cats and feline behavior and contrasting that with the family dog. A bit of cat history from Egypt to Siam, to Europe in the Middle Ages and the introduction of cats in the New World by American colonists in the 1600s.
The writing style is crisp and approachable. The design of the book is eye catching and the pictures play an equal part to the text. A full spread page is devoted to cat jumping, climbing, landing on all fours, and flexibility. One side features a tuxedo cat who literally looks as if she is taking the plunge from a high dive at the pool. The opposite page with text has a clever vertical picture of the same cat in 5 different frames from the first jump, midair, flipping, and landing.
Simon debunks the myth that cats can see as well in the dark as the light and mentions curious facts that youngsters will enjoy such as the function of kitty whiskers, whether dogs or cats are the most finicky eaters. The pages describing the cat’s sensory powers and their uses is very well done.
A book like this can not be complete with out photos about Mama cats and baby cats, of nursing kittens and birth. Three oversized pictures will make this an especially favorite part of the book. The orange tabby nursing 5 kittens of which only one is orange and that orange baby has his arms around a black tabby as he tries to protect his place at the teat. This is a question I will write the author about. I have heard all my life that all orange tabbies are female and I’ve had several orange boys as well as following Garfield. This picture puts stands that myth on it’s head. The classic silver tabby on the following page nursing a brood of solid black kitties is charming. Another photo on that spread shows the Mama cat caring for one the individual kittens at the moment of birth. The text is just as well done as those photos and children will take note of the language, “A kitten is born in a cloudy white sac filled with fluid. The mother licks each newborn kitten, breaks the sac, and removes the fluid from its face. Licking makes the kitten start to breathe.” The story gets a bit more scientific which will delight many children…….”The mother also bites through the umbilicus (the cord that carried food to the fetus and took away its waste while it was inside the mother.) Even a first time mother cat seems to know exactly what to do. Right away, the newborn kittens suckle milk from their mother. She purrs and nuzzles them as they feed.”
This volume would be a good read aloud for storytime in the media center. I would sit children in a circle with teacher or media specialist also on the perimeter of the circle in a rocking chair. When showing pictures to kids to your left, then center then back around to the right be sure to go very slowly for there is much to see, interpret, and enjoy. The shared experience would lend itself to a discussion afterwards of which part of the book they enjoyed the best, what one new fact did they learn from the reading, which breed of cat had they heard of previously, etc.
The language of the book is age appropriate and the style of writing is smoothly flowing and engaging.
The facts in the book are accurate and can easily be checked in similar books in the 636 section of the library or media center. Mr. Simon does a good job of showing the similarities and differences of wild and pet cats.
The pet cat coverage is made more comprehensive as Simon discusses many different breeds such as: British Shorthair, Siamese, Persian, Angora, Balinese, mixed breeds and feral. He again uses the contrast and compare technique quite successfully with purebred and mixed breed cats and also longhaired and shorthaired cats.
D. Review Excerpts:
Booklist critique: “ Gr. 2-3, younger for reading aloud. There are other books about these popular pets, but most are for older children. Here, Simon writes crisply for a young audience, who will eagerly turn the pages to see the next endearing color photograph… Simon's always lucid prose is matched by sharp photos, most of which fill up the pages. An attractive way to introduce children to nonfiction. “
REVIEW TAKEN FROM:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/product-description/0060289406/ref=dp_proddesc_0/103-7575722-4136600?ie=UTF8&n=283155&s=books
E. CONNECTIONS:
Most children will enjoy other books in this Seymour Simon series such as DOGS, HORSES, and WILD BABIES. I also very much enjoyed the WILD BEARS book from the author’s See More Readers series.
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