Book Review for Millions of Cats by Wanda Gag

1.                1. BIBLIOGRAPHY

Gag, W. (1928). Millions of cats. New York, NY: Coward-McCann. ISBN 978-0399233159

 

2.                2. PLOT SUMMARY

When a lonely older couple decides they want a cat to keep them company, the husband sets off to find just the perfect one. Upon reaching the location, it just becomes too difficult for him to choose only one. They are all pretty! When he returns home with trillions of cats, they are surprised at how the cats have taken over everything! After deciding to only keep one and allowing the cats to choose for themselves who gets to stay, they finally end up with the perfect cat for them!

 

3.                3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Gag’s story of an elderly, lonely couple starts out with a happy, encouraging tone. Once the husband sets out on an adventure to locate the perfect cat for them, the storyline speeds up rather quickly. There are parts of his journey that are predictable once the scene has been set. The ultimate surprise is the trillions of cats he brings home end up eating each other alive! That may be a bit much for small children. Therefore, parents may be hesitant to share this book with their children.

 

Considering the period in which this book was written and illustrated, the pictures are as expected. Purely black and white with occasional extra detail. Color would have made the illustrations much more interesting. However, since the story is an easy one to follow, so the two make sense together.

 

There are sections of this book that are repetitive, so children will be able to participate in the read aloud even if they are not able to read yet.

 

4. REVIEW EXCERPTS

John Newbery Medal, 1925, Honor Award

Finalist for Indies Choice Picture Book Hall of Fame, 2017

Reviewed by School Library Journal: “This Newbery Honor winner is distinguished by innovative design and a strong storyteller's cadence.”

 

      5. CONNECTIONS

* This book can be used to teach the necessity of humility and being selflessness.

* This book can also be used to teach writing with adjectives and text structure as well.

* Our books available by Wanda Gag:

The Funny Thing – ISBN 9780698206762

Nothing at All – ISBN 9780765108593