CAT the CAT Who is THAT?

Image from Mo Willems

1.      BIBLIOGRAPHY

Willems, Mo. 2010. Cat the Cat Who is That? Ill. by Mo Willems. New York, NY:  Balzer + Bray, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers. ISBN 978-0-06-172841-9  

 

2.  PLOT SUMMARY

In this predictable quick read, youngsters are introduced to polite greetings and how to make a friend. The story starts on the cover with the title question and the invitation of “Let’s find out!” Through Cat the Cat’s enthusiastic greetings to her friends and their happy responses, readers are able to glimpse their personalities. Cat the Cat is a little taken aback at the end, when in a twist of events, she encounters someone the likes of whom she has never met before. But in her brave, enthusiastic style, she reaches across the differences with an exuberant “Blarggie! Blarggie!” to make a new friend.

3.      CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Award-winning author Willem’s writing is very simple and repetitive, creating predictability to enable preschool readers to join in the fun and learn to read the large print words. Cat the Cat and her friends demonstrate the different ways to politely respond to our friends’ greetings. The statement that she “likes her friends!” reinforces the importance of friendship. Cat the Cat, initially reacting with shock at seeing the alien, is honest with her response, “I have NO idea.” After thinking about it, she models what is needed to make a friend-reaching out to someone different from you.  

Willem’s brightly colored, lively yet simple, cartoon drawings of Cat the Cat demonstrate her bubbly energy, conveying good humor and a joy of life. Her friends are modeling fun activities that children often do in their everyday lives. Cat the Cat is in motion for most of the book, until she meets the alien, when she stops to think about to handle the situation. Willems’ drawings are simple enough for children to draw their favorite characters for themselves.

With humor and energetic pictures, Mo Willems gently teaches young children how to make a friend. I expect to hear more calls of “Blarggie! Blarggie!” coming from libraries across the nation.

4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

Publisher’s Weekly review: “Willems provides just enough humor and surprise to entertain youngest audiences... Cat could become another favorite; her personality sparkles in expansive gestures and gleeful interactions.”

Booklist  review: “Once again, Willems avoids heavy messages and walks right into kids’ daily lives with this exuberant, clean-lined, animation-ready title that’s sure to widen his already vast fan base.”

5. CONNECTIONS

*Have the children create their own Cat the Cat stories with their drawings of the characters. Words can be added by a grownup (or not!)

*Play “Who is that?” or “What is that?” identifying people or objects.

*Gather other books by Mo Willems, like What’s your Sound Hound the Hound?  and Time to Sleep Sheep the Sheep. Examine what early concepts these books teach with humor and exuberance.

*Discuss the value of friendship and imagine what traits make all the characters in the book good friends.

*Check out Mo Willems’ blog at http://mowillemsdoodles.blogspot.com/ to see if there is a show or exhibit of his work near you, his website at http://www.mowillems.com/ to learn more about his characters, and Cat the Cat’s page at http://gomo.net/page.php?name=Home for little ones to see and interact with their favorite characters.

*Other books:

Willems, Mo. Elephant and Piggie books-14 currently available. The 15^th, Should I Share My Ice Cream? is due to be released June 14^th,  2011. ISBN 978-1-42-314343-7

Willems, Mo. Let’s Say HI to Friends Who Fly. ISBN 978-0-06-172842-6