Millions of Cats - Picture Book

Bibliography:

Ga'G, Wanda.  1928.  MILLIONS OF CATS.  New York: A Paperstar Book.  ISBN 0-698-11363-2.

Plot Summary:

     Millions of Cats is a fun children’s book about an old lady who decides she would like a cat.  The old ladies husband leaves their house in search of a cat for his wife.  After walking for a long time he comes across “cats here, cats there, cats and kittens everywhere, hundreds of cats, thousands of cats, millions and billions and trillions of cats.”  Each cat the old man sees he decides to take home with him until he decides to take all of the cats!  The old lady is shocked by all of the cats and she and her husband ask the cats to decide who is the prettiest cat and that one cat will be allowed to stay.  The cats scratch and claw at one another and presumably eat one another except for one little kitten which the old lady and her husband take into their home to love and care for.

Critical Analysis:

     This is a simple tale with beautiful, intricate black and white illustrations.  This book unfortunately would not be a good book for a large young story time audience or classroom due to the detail of the illustrations.  There are many details within the illustrations of the millions of cats that is quite impressive to look at but you have to be close-up to really see everything.  Some of the pictures are small which also makes it important to read to a smaller group. 

With the repetition of lines within the story it adds a lovely musical element which would be appealing to children and young readers.  The story is written beautifully with a great vocabulary that would not be too challenging for a child but would add to a child's vocabulary.

This book was written back in 1923 so this might not be a book that a lot of children pick up on their own, books tend to be much flashier now but it is still a great book to share with children.  There is a fantastic message about vanity and how destructive it can be hidden within Millions of Cats.  This is a message that older children will understand and that is what is so great about this book, it's interesting to younger children but it has a great message for older children too.

Review Excerpts and Awards:

     Newbery Honor Award Winner 1929

     A Lewis Carroll Shelf Award Book

     The New York Times - "A perennial favorite."

     Parent's Choice - "A favorite for so many years."

Connections:

• This is a good story to read to an older group of kids to see if they figure out the message within the book about vanity.   As stated all but one of the cats thought they were the prettiest of all the cats which in turn caused them to fight and presumably eat each other, this destructive behavior was brought on by each of their on vanity.  The topic of vanity and how destructive it can be could open up a good talk about how vanity can affect each person individually and how it makes you look to others.