Five Creatures

by Emily Jenkins, Tomek Bogacki (Illustrator)

Three humans and two cats

Five creatures live in our house.
Three humans, and two cats.
Three short, and two tall.
Four grownups, and one child (that's me!).

In this book of lighthearted comparisons, simple text and warm pictures work together to depict various scenes in a happy household where each member is distinct but also has something inn common with one or more of the others. The fun comes from sorting out the similarities and the differences.

Five Creatures is a 2001 Boston Globe - Horn Book Award Honor Book for Picture Books.

Genres: Picture Books, Family, Mathematics, Childrens, Fiction, Counting, Cats

32 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2001

About the author

Emily Jenkins is the author of many books for children, including the recent picture books Tiger and Badger, illustrated by Marie-Louise Gay, and Princessland, illustrated by Yoko Tanaka. Her chapter books include the Toys series, illustrated by Paul O. Zelinsky; she is co-author of the Upside-down Magic series. Emily Jenkins lives in New York City.

Reviews

[Kaethe · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the only Jenkins book on the library shelf that I didn't know I had read, so I had to check it out. As expected, it is adorable without being smarmy. But it was just the first of several Whovian observations, that the mom looks like Amy Pond and the dad looks like Rory. Both daughters proceeded to point out to me people on dust jackets who looked like River Song.

Yes, this is what passes for amusement in my family.

Anyway, a cute little book showing three people and two cats, and counting who likes what, so that sometimes there are five who like fish, or only one who likes beets. Yes, well, we are cat people.

Library copy.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Innocent looking book about a family of three and two cats. However, a strong resource for teaching kids about numbers and counting.

[Adassa Delgado · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 out of 5

The book is realistic where students can relate their lives to the characters and talk about their own families. The pictures made it seem more modernized. I did enjoy seeing the parents of the book be more inclusive and non-stereotypical.

“Five Creatures” is narrated by a little girl in her home with her parents and 2 cats. She lists these categories that fit some or all her family members. The pictures of the book do explain the story a little bit more, otherwise some of the statements could have been unanswered.

I gave this book a 2 out of 5 for the book wasn’t my favorite. I want to clarify that all children’s books are good, but there are more that do better than other, and I do not think this one did its justice. I enjoyed learning more about the character and her life, but I did notice the involvement of my siblings as we read. It was not a book that satisfied the needs of a student.

[Jaelyn Stock · Rating 2 out of 5]

The illustration in this book reminds me of something a child could relate to, as if they could draw it as well. I do find the structure of the text placement fun and wild. However the voice I hear through out this story is a younger child that is learning how to talk, very simplistic word structure. I feel that the storyline is a little all over the place which may signify the chaos/ homey feel in the house. I feel the story is common thoughts and less imagination in this piece. More empathy/ understanding of the world is being displayed.

[Rose Rosetree · Rating 5 out of 5]

SIMILAR and DIFFERENT: These essential concepts are the true stars of this story. Although the fun involves comparing the five members of the family.

According to the author, the two cats are equally members of the family... along with a pair of parents and their little girl.

Comparisons are cute. And the book undoubtedly helps children to play with the concepts of... SIMILAR and DIFFERENT.

I do have one caveat but I'll reserve that for a COMMENT below. Meanwhile I'll give FIVE STARS to this effective teaching tale, both written and illustrated by Emily Jenkins.

[Viviane Elbee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excellent math picture book, which can be used to discuss fractions, percentages, and graphs of all sorts. Both preschoolers and elementary students could enjoy this book, which is relatively short to read - and teachers in both pre-k and elementary classes could use this book to make graphs and do math problems.

Kids enjoyed this book.

[Zoraida Rivera Morales · Rating 3 out of 5]

Through this educational text,children will learn about humans and house pets and the characteristics that distinguish them. It can be used to introduce kids to different topics in math, science, reading and writing. It can serve as springboard to talk about families and identify significant themes for kids.

[Rochelle Autler · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this book was boring and the illustration style was not my favorite. But, this book would be good for beginning readers. It included many activities and items that involve homes, and it incorporated numbers. I think those would help children while learning how to read.

[Lynn Davidson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Five creatures live in one household - three people, two cats. This is an interesting and fun way for the reader to look at how the 'creatures' are the same and how they are different.

[Teresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very clever way to present the idea of subsets. Would be a fun book to use with learning about Venn Diagrams.

[AMY · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting comparison story. Recommended for Grades K-2

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short, simple, easy, sweet.

[Tara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the creativeness of this book. I love that it shows there are lots of ways to see things and people and animals. The pictures are also awesome!

[Tonja Graham · Rating 5 out of 5]

A cute book that shows all how the five creatures that live in a house are the same and different. It will definitely cause laughs from littles.

[Anne with Violets · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not the best but cozy.

[Caitlin W. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This cute picture book would be a fun read to share with your child. The text, whimsically drifting along the borders of the full-page illustrations, details common characteristics of five creatures, namely a little girl, her mother, her father, and their two cats. The erasure of the line that separates humans and animals in this family is very interesting, and the different groups that they split into can provide good conversational material for a parent and child. It's funny how many likes and hobbies the humans share with the cats, though in slightly different ways. For instance, of the five, there are "Four who have a knack with yarn." The picture shows the mother and daughter knitting scarves as the cats play with balls of yarn on the floor. The art is childlike and simple, with faces with dots for eyes and lines for noses, soft borders between colors and skewed perspectives. Recommended for grades K-2, especially for children in households with cats or other pets.

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Presents different ways of looking at the five inhabitants of a house: "Three humans, two cats./Three short, and two tall./Four grownups, and one child. [That's me!]" Probably better for one on one sharing so the reader has a chance to find the different attributes in each picture, as perspectives vary. Some attributes are about how they are alike "Three who don't like taking baths" while others accentuate differences. A clever concept that will encourage children to think about things from different perspectives/points of view.

[Tracey · Rating 4 out of 5]

children's picture book. This title was mentioned in an article that talked about teaching Venn diagrams, and the geek in me thought, "wow! a picture book about venn diagrams! I've got to see this!" So when my request arrived at my library I was mildly disappointed to find out it did not mention Venn D's at all--but you could easily use its content as data for creating them once you'd already taught about Venn D's. And math aside, it's not a bad picture book on its own either.

[Yuyingchao · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a charming, lovely picture book.
love the simple story of a family ( also 2 cats), and the illustrations in this book.
the text and illustrations work together in concert to create meaning. Children can seek to interpret the author's words through the arts, and enrich their imaginations and arts.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Told from a young girl's perspective, five members of a family (three humans, two cats) are identified by their similarities and differences. This book would be an especially good read aloud for children just learning to count.

[Jo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Three humans and two cats. Two that can read, two that can't and one who is learning. Four who can open cabinets. Five who like birds (but not all in the same way). One who sings at night, and one who sings in the morning.

Lovely classifications and reclassifications, with sweet drawings.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the type of book that I really enjoyed as a child. It turns out that I still enjoy this type of book as an adult too. Cute sorting and patterning with clever illustrations to go with the text.

[Liz Todd · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked this book. It was great for inferring "who" and "not who."

For my math purposes, I wish it had kept with the pattern of showing ways to make 5..just a note for myself, not really a fair critique.

[Cws]

JEPIC-Jen

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three people and two cats, hence five creatures, live in one house. They all don't have the same colors, likes, or size.

[Kate Hastings]

sorting/classification

[Matthew · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this book could be good for a number of lessons on data collection and venn diagrams. I just don't know which one would work best yet. Nice discovery though.

[Adrianne Rosal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ms. Lara's 1st grade class loved it!!!! I enjoyed it myself.

[Candy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Simple illustrations and text made this a slightly boring read. Kids with an affinity for cats may enjoy the story, but most will find it a little repetitive.

[Elaine Fultz, Teacher Librarian, MLS · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant. My family has six creatures. Six of us like Emily Jenkins' books. Four like JK Rowling. Two won't forgive her for that despicable Mrs. Norris.