Synopsis
With rapidly increasing numbers of cats stuck in her tree, Nana Quimby asks for help from the firehouse, the police, the pet shop, the zoo, the library, and even city hall, but no one will help rescue the cats.
| Details | | Publication Date: | 1998-09-15 | | Edition Description: | Illustrated |
| Size | | Length: | 32 pages | | Height: | 10.5 in | | Width: | 8.5 in | | Thickness: | 0.2 in | | Weight: | 12.0 oz |
Publisher's Note
Worried when she spots a cat up a tree, Nana Quimby frantically rings the firehouse for help, only to discover that the firemen no longer rescue cats in trees. What is she to do? She looks out the window again to discover five cats up the tree. And the cats keep coming - too many to count - in all sorts of zany colors, shapes, and sizes. Frantic, Nana Quimby calls the police station, the pet shop, the zoo, and even city hall, but no one will respond to her plea. Children will love counting all the irresistible cats in John Hassett's lively artwork, as the town that refuses to help finds itself caught in a hilarious quandary and finally learns the importance of lending a hand.
Industry Reviews
"This is a book to read and reread, with cats to count and recount, and little visual details like satellite dishes and mice on the windowsills to spot with each new pass."
New York Times Book Review - Jen Nessel (11/15/1998)
In this stylized primer, characterized by an old-fashioned coziness, the Hassetts (Charles of the Wild) tally no fewer than 40 felines and sum up with a gentle sting. The kitty quantifying begins when elderly Nana Quimby spies a single black-and-white cat atop a leafy, lichen-green tree. Nana calls the firehouse for assistance, but the dispatcher informs her, "Sorry... we do not catch cats up a tree anymore. Call back if that cat starts playing with matches." Dismayed, she looks out the window again and sees five cats, then 10, up the tree. Yet she can't rouse a rescuer from the police ("Call back if the cats rob a bank") or city hall ("Call back if you need a sign that says Danger! Look up for Falling Cats"). But Nana gets her chance for a subtle rebuke when the town is overrun with mice, and the purring denizens stay at her side. The husband-and-wife team enumerate the crowd of cats while poking fun at public affairs. The authors' feather-light felines could prove difficult to differentiate for beginning readers. They stand in tight formation, as slender and ethereal as mayflies (each is about two inches long, including a long, curlicue tail) and they're painted in dreamy shades of gray-green, pale blue, creamy yellow and white. Nevertheless, the Hassetts' gentle humor and equally light brushwork possess a delicate charm, and the careful Nana ensures that every cat leaves its lofty perch. Ages 3-8. (Sept.)
Divakaruni
PreS-Gr 1-One day Nana Quimby looks out of her apartment building window and sees a cat in a tree. When she calls the fire department, they tell her that they no longer rescue animals. Progressing by increments of five, more and more felines appear and none of the agencies or organizations she calls can offer any assistance. When the cat count is 35 and city hall has turned her down, Nana throws her telephone out the window. The animals make their way across the phone line and into her open arms. Soon the town becomes overrun by mice and when city hall calls Nana, she says "Sorry, the cats do not catch mice anymore." The last page shows "too many cats to count" napping in the woman's kitchen. The illustrations, primarily in pastels, depict small stylized animals that are not easily identifiable. This is a light and rather silly cumulative tale but children may wonder about the lack of cooperation and the particularly unhelpful nature of these community helpers.-Kathy M. Newby, Russiaville Branch Library, IN
Christiansen
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