Here Comes the Cat!

by Frank Asch, Vladimir Vasilevich Vagin (Illustrator), Vladimir Vagin (Illustrations)

In 1986, two artists—one Russian, one American—joined forces, against the odds, to tell a brand new kind of picture story.

In Here Comes the Cat!, a single mouse runs around shouting "HERE COMES THE CAT!" again and again—in both English and Russian—until everybody he knows is worried sick. Just when the tension can't get any tenser, the cat arrives… with a giant wheel of cheese! A big party breaks out and everyone—the reader included—laughs a huge laugh of relief.

Funny, whip-smart, and illustrated in mesmerizing detail, Here Comes the Cat! is a parable about fear, more relevant than ever, that follows in the great tradition of Chicken Little. McSweeney's proudly presents this deluxe new edition, complete with a fold-out dust-jacket, on the 25th anniversary of the book's conception.

Genres: Picture Books, Cats, Childrens, Animals, Fiction, Russia, Cultural

32 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1989

About the author

Frank Asch is an American children's writer, best known for his Moonbear picture books.

Asch published his first picture book, George's Store, in 1968. The following year he graduated from Cooper Union with a BFA. Since then he has taught at a public school in India, as well as at a Montessori school in the United States, conducted numerous creative workshops for children. He has written over 60 books, including Turtle Tale, Mooncake, I Can Blink and Happy Birthday Moon. In 1989 he wrote Here Comes the Cat! in collaboration with Vladimir Vagin. The book was awarded the Russian National Book Award and was considered the first Russian-American collaboration on a children's book.

Asch lived in Somerville, New Jersey where he and his wife home-schooled their son Devin.

He currently lives in Vermont with his wife, Jan.

Reviews

[Talita · Rating 5 out of 5]

My students were very excited because this was our first bilingual book in Eng and Rus. Although I wished there were more text, my Students loved it. They were surprised as no one was able to predict the happy ending. Our particular student, whose first language is Russian, was proud and happy. Win win !

[Hans · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reissued on 25th anniversary as part of the new McSweeney's children's book line. Gorgeous book created with an unlikely collaboration of a Russian author and American author. The most fun page to read out loud was the mouse riding on a fish because I got to say "Here comes the cat!" in an underwater voice.

[Lonnie · Rating 5 out of 5]

식스센스급 반전 ㅋㅋㅋㅋ

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Written in English and Russian, the tale is great for early readers and encourages readers to rethink their assumptions about relationships between folks who may appear different. Created as a collaboration between American author Frank Asch and Russian artist Vladimir Vagin, Vagin's end note is very helpful. It reads:
"I live far away from America, on the other part of the globe in Moscow. But Frank Asch and I made this book together, as if we lived on the same street, just across the fence. It is the first book in the world designed by an American an painted by a Russian. There is an old Russian proverb: 'One wise head is good; two are better.' As you can see, a Russian and an American can both be good friends and do one job. Turn the pages of our book and read about the big cat that came to a mouse settlement, and how it turned out that there was absolutely nothing to be frightened about."

[Fran · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every class I've read this book to has adored it! The children shout "Here Comes the Cat!" along with the rodents. We've learned to say it in Russian, because pronunciation is offered. We've translated it into Spanish and other languages as well.
This story relates to not making judgements about others until you get to know them, but in such a fun way!

[Barbara Brien · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this in Russian back in the early 1990s (?). The text was quite easy, rather repetitive, and I had to be convinced to finish reading up to the surprise ending.

[Kailiyah Knight]

The messages written by the authors are touching. This book is worth revisiting simply to read the thoughts they had at the time of their collaboration.

[What April's Reading · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely read the illustrator's note at the front of the book. One phrase, over and over, which is not what I expected when my curriculum suggested this book, but we got a kick out of it.

[Jeani · Rating 4 out of 5]

Surprise ending!

[Rachel B · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a really cute read!

[Megan Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one had such a fun surprise ending. It takes a lot to surprise me, and it actually made me smile and say out loud, to myself, "I was not expecting that."

[Alyse Liebovich · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unexpected twist at the end!

[Margaret Boling · Rating 4 out of 5]

6/27/11 ** Book-a-Day: D30, Bk 35 ** This is a re-release of the original. The cover is different, but the interior seems to be the same.

The text is the same as the title - speech bubbles of mice saying, "Here comes the cat," in both English and Russian. The real story is in the illustrations - the mice are initially terrified because they see the cat coming over the hill. Creatures panic. As the story concludes, we see that the cat actually brought a huge wheel of cheese, rather than the terror that had been grimly anticipated.

Can be read at the surface level as a simple picture book showing relations between cats and mice, or at a more complex level as an allegory of the cold war.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

What might save us, me and you, is if the Russians love their children too.

The lyrics to a song from the same era as this story, that gave my little girl self hope that we might not all end up in a mushroom cloud of our own making - I wish there was some way to transport myself back to that time and give that me this book.

The best part comes at the end, after the story is over where I learned that the book jacket folds out into a poster. woooo!

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mice run around charming towns and the countryside, exclaiming 'Here comes the cat!' When the cat shows up, he's first shown only with a large, whiskered shadow. It turns out that the cat is pulling a cart of cheese and the mice enjoy both the tasty treat and the cat's affection. Sweet and fun! The 'here comes the cat' exclamations get a bit tiresome, but the surprise is so much fun that it's worth it.

The text is presented in both Russian and English, and the forward includes a pronunciation guide for the Russian words.

[Jonathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This history of this book is one of its charms. As stated in the description, it was the first collaboration between an American author and a Soviet illustrator. As an adult, I find this aspect of the story fascinating. The story itself holds up well, and offers up a unique approach to the "things aren't always as they seem" theme. The text is a one liner, but is written in both English and Russian. Even though it may be a stretch, I could see this as a good early book for touching on the subject of diversity as well.

[Angela · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the amazing simplicity of this one. And, we certainly need more slavic language bilingual books. Will be perfect for storytime and I imagine older readers sharing it with younger readers in side by side anticipation of the suprise ending.

Great to have this one back in print.

Nice endnotes tell a little bit about the friendship that developed between the American author and Russian illustrator.

More to come.

Note: Review based on PDF review copy.

[Bobby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not much here in terms of text (just one line being repeated over and over)...but what makes it worthwhile are the awesome illustrations and the sweet surprise ending. The book is the result of a Russian and an American collaborating together back in the 1980s (I think) when this kind of teamwork was not common. The style of drawing seems to reflect different styles and IMHO it works really well here.

[Tobinsfavorite · Rating 4 out of 5]

My preschooler is reading to his little sister in Russian!

This book is cute; it mostly consists of one sentence, "Here comes the cat!", which is written in English and Russian. There's a phonetic pronunciation at the beginning, so I just read it in "Russian".

The authors' blurbs on the inside flaps are of as much interest or more, so don't skip those.

[Jobiska (Cindy)]

Really cool illustrations--the Cyrillic lettering (text is in both English and Cyrillic/Russian, all in word balloons) will intrigue kids, and the drawings sort of seem to have an exotic fliar, but it's the surprise ending that will really get you! Owned by my sister the children's librarian, so I don't need a copy.

[Readonkulous · Rating 4 out of 5]

In English and Russian, this adorable book builds vocabulary in two languages as well as word recognition. In a small town, the arrival of the cat creates drama, but things are not always as they seem. Great for early readers or adults trying to familiarize themselves with the Russian alphabet.

[Eric Summers · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great pictures but it would have been nice if all the Russian phrases had been written in the latin alphabet so kids could learn to pronounce them.

Cute twist at end of story but a very simple read that is made up of one single phrase.

[Chandra Fleenor · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book doesn't have much text but it does get the point of the book across in the end. The book has two languages, English and Russian, in it. This book has a surprise ending and I think children will like the book. A mouse goes all across the country it seems and warns of the cat coming.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun English-Russian collaboration! A cute book to read aloud--although due to the small intricate drawings, it's a better lap book than to read to a large group.

[Dodo P · Rating 5 out of 5]

MUCH better with visuals. I actually watched a movie with the musical soundtrack and it was a sweet and heartwarming story of a friendship forged of the unlikeliest group!

[D Nine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Learn to say "Here comes the Cat" in Russian

[Leticia]

This book is written in english and russian,

[Sara Fulkerson · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little tedious, but very cute.