Module 1: Millions of Cats

Book Summary: An old man and woman are lonely and would like to have some companionship in the form of a cat. The old man travels over the hill to find a cat to take home, but has a hard time deciding the prettiest cat to bring back. Soon enough, all of the cats come with him back home. With too many hanging around the house, the old woman declares that the cats should decide which one is the prettiest cat. The cats quarrel until no cat is left but one. This cat said it did not think it was a pretty cat, but a homely cat and therefore managed to stay out of the quarrel. The old man and woman happily take in the cat and feed it until it grows healthy, becoming the most beautiful cat.

APA Reference of Book:
Gag, W. (1928). Millions of cats. New York, NY: G.P. Putnam's Sons

Impressions: The title was what initially drew me to the book. The black and white illustrations and hand-lettered text drew me into the story. I had never read this picture book before, even though I had come across it on the shelves every now and again. There are multiple elements in the story that make it an interesting read. First, there is the plot, which is somewhat like a fairy tale moral: even a homely cat can become a beautiful one. This is not a heavy-handed message in the story, but is something I noticed. There is the element of surprise when the cats essentially fight each other to nothingness; it feels like a darkly humorous plot point. This leads to questions: did the cats eat each other? Did they quarrel their way back home? Finally, the most important aspect to the story, I feel, is the rhythmic language and repetition of the lines: "hundreds of cats, thousands of cats, millions and billions and trillions of cats." This creates a predictable aspect to the story and one I would want to share aloud.

Professional Review: This professional review of the book was included in a 2012 list of the top 100 picture books by School Library Journal.  This book made number 21 on their list and this review was a collection of comments and historical insight into the book. The book was granted a Newbery Honor award in 1929, even though librarians were unsure to award a literature award to something composed primarily of pictures.  The Caldecott award would not come into fruition until 1938. Interesting trivia: the refrain throughout the story was initiated with the advice of Ernestine Evans of the publisher Coward-McCann, later absorbed into the G.P. Putnam publishing house (Bird, 2012). This change undoubtedly made it become one of the most popular picture books.

Bird, E. (2012, June 11). Top 100 Picture Books [Review of the book Millions of cats, by W. Gag]. School Library Journal, retrieved from http://blogs.slj.com/afuse8production/2012/06/11/top-100-picture-books-21-millions-of-cats-by-wanda-gag/#_

Library Uses: I could see myself reading this book to preschool or kindergarten age children for story time. The plot has enough tension to keep the audience attentive. I like that I can have audience participation by having the kids and parents/caregivers help me say: "hundreds of cats, thousands of cats, millions and billions and trillions of cats" whenever it comes up in the story.