Module 1: Millions of Cats

Bibliography:  Gag, W. (1928). Millions of Cats. New York, NY: Coward-McCann.

Summary:  A lonely old man and woman wish for cute little cat.  The old man leaves on a journey to find this cat and eventually come across a hill covered with millions of cats.  He wants the prettiest one but decides they are all pretty and ends up taking all of them home with him.  His wife tells him they can only keep one so he asks the cats to decide which one is the prettiest.  The cats argue for a long time and when the old couple looks outside they have vanished.  One kitten, the most humble cat, is left so the couple decides to keep it.  This kitten grows into a beautiful cat under the couple’s loving care.

Impressions:  The artwork in this picture book is great!  Gag does an excellent job of bringing to life the reality of millions of cats (even though it is impossible to really draw that many).  For the most part I see this story as a way to impress upon young children the consequences that can come with their decisions.  The old man’s suggestions, for example, lead to the cats draining a pond and completely removing all the grass from a hill.  There was one scene that seemed out of place – when the old couple looked outside after the cat fight the old woman stated “I think they must have eaten each other all up.”  The comment seemed a little gruesome to me. 

Reviews:

"Because when I read it as an adult, I was transported directly back to Miss Rita Lewandowski’s kindergarten class and anything that can do that must be powerful." – School Library Journal, Jim Averbeck

-          Averbeck, J. (2009) Millions of Cats [Review of the book Millions of Cats]. School Library Journal.  Retrieved from http://blog.schoollibraryjournal.com/afuse8production/2009/05/05/top-100-picture-books-poll-results-9/

Suggestions for Use in a Library: 

Make your own cat!  Provide some art supplies such as construction paper, glue, scissors etc.  The children can make a cat that looks like one they already own or the kind of cat they would like to own.  Discuss with the children how cats and other pets should be treated.