Book Cats

“The name that no human research can discover-- 

But THE CAT HIMSELF KNOWS, and will never confess. 

When you notice a cat in profound meditation, 

The reason, I tell you, is always the same: 

His mind is engaged in a rapt contemplation 

Of the thought, of the thought, of the thought of his name: 

His ineffable effable 

Effanineffable 

Deep and inscrutable singular Name.” 

 ― T.S. Eliot, Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats

Some Popular Book Cats...

Go here for my past post about T.S. Eliot's Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats.  (Edward Gorey's illustrations are amazing!)

You can read my review of The Cat at Night by Dahlov Ipcar here.

Who wouldn't be smitten with The Tale of Tom Kitten by Beatrix Potter?

Or the story of Millions of Cats, by Wanda Gag?

Paul Galdone's telling and illustrations of the Three Little Kittens nursery rhyme is adorable.

My grandson's choice would be Pete the Cat - all the stories are rollicking good fun - from Eric Litwin - with illustrations by James Dean.

And don't forget this guy...

Last, but certainly not least, I can't leave out Lewis Carroll's Cheshire Cat...

Update, November 3, 2015:  Hat tip to my blogger friend, artist and author Valerie Greeley (you'll find her over at Acornmoon) for a wonderful addition to this list, The Molehouse Cat.  I had never heard of this lovely cat story, but found an amazing Youtube video of the book that I've embedded below.  Enjoy!!!!!

A CAT IN THE DARK...HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

We've always been pretty old-fashioned about Halloween.   As a child, my dad was the pumpkin carver, working with us out in the backyard on our old picnic table.  We children were the designers.  As a mom, the fun continued, as I'd glimpse those faraway looks in my own children's eyes, and catch snippets of their conversations with each other about what they wanted to dress up as, and what kind of creations they were going to challenge their dad with carving for them.  It was all about fun and imagination, with a lot of anticipation and excitement thrown in.

Something about going out in the dark of night and seeing all the illuminated neighborhood windows and Jack O'lanterns was - though cozy on the one hand - a bit mischievous and unfamiliar, so we didn't encourage goblin, witch, or gruesome costumes -- just walking around our dark neighborhoods was spooky enough!

Which brings to mind a mesmerizing book by a very talented lady:  THE CAT AT NIGHT, by Dahlov Ipcar.  In this story, we get to spend an evening watching a cat stroll around after dark.  Cats can see in the dark and that's when they like to go exploring!  The pages alternate between almost total darkness, with only silhouettes of the things the cat is passing by, followed by the same scenes in full color that show what is visible to the cat.  He meets other cats before the dawn finally comes, when he must finally leave them and go back to the farmhouse.  He's greeted by the farmer's wife and given milk.  Then he curls up to go to sleep...

And the farmer says, "What a lazy cat.  

He sleeps all night and he sleeps all day, too!"  

But the cat doesn't hear him.  He is dreaming 

about all his adventures in the long, wonderful, dark night.

Another beautiful book by Ipcar (also with an autumn theme) is HARDSCRABBLE HARVEST, in which there is a running battle between a farmer and his wife and the mischievous animals who plunder their fields.  The story is told in rollicking verse, with the distinctive illustrations of Dahlov Ipcar bringing the verse to life.

To read more about Dahlov Ipcar and see her other books and artwork, click here .