Scat, Cat!

October 1, 2010

PreS-Gr 1- Scat, Cat! tells the story of a lost striped cat trying to find its way home. In Mia, a cat that is an aspiring dancer takes her older sister's tutu, by mistake, to her first dance class. Both books have short, simple sentences and easy plotlines, good devices for beginning readers. The first title is a bit more successful in this regard as it employs more word and phrase repetition. Large, colorful illustrations and an easy-to-read typeface make both books visually appealing. Pictures in Mia are slightly more whimsical, and the cover illustration of a happy kitten twirling in a pink tutu is sure to grab young girls' attention.-Kelly Roth, Bartow County Public Library, Cartersville, GA

Copyright 2010 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 15, 2010
Grades K-1 This book for beginning readers starts in a promising way, with short words, short sentences, and plenty of repetition. There was a cat. / It was a small cat. / It was a striped cat. / It was a lost cat. Everyone who sees it says, Scat, cat! And the cat moves on, walking through town and encountering the dog, the pigeon, the barber, the baker, the school-bus driver, and so on (and on). After nightfall, the cat meets several nocturnal animals before curling up on a porch and falling asleep. In the morning, a boy opens the door and welcomes his cat home with a dish of food. The brief encounters enable readers to concentrate on decoding without having to remember plot twists, and the final scene is quiet but satisfying. Meisels simple, ink-and-watercolor illustrations have their own scruffy charm, particularly for animal lovers. A pleasant title from the My First (shared reading) level of the I Can Read series.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2010, American Library Association.)