The Last Little Cat

by Meindert De Jong, Jim McMullan (Illustrator)

The winner of the 1954 Newbery Award for The Wheel on the School, Meindert DeJong wrote this story originally published nearly four decades ago. The Last Little Cat is now back in print to delight both children and adults. The last little cat was born in a kennel, surrounded by dogs and dog cages and dog noises. The little cat was always half cold and half hungry - until the day it fell into the cage of the old, blind dog. Then, for a while, the last little cat was warm, and the last little cat was well fed. But how could such a small cat know that barn doors are closed at night and that there are people in the world who do not want to help a helpless kitten? This story of how the last little cat found a home, and not only a home, but the perfect home, again confirms DeJong's place among the finest writers of this or any day.

Genres: Childrens, Animals, School, Fiction, Chapter Books, 2nd Grade, Cats

71 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1961

About the author

Meindert De Jong was an award-winning author of children's books. He was born in the village of Wierum, of the province of Friesland, in the Netherlands.

De Jong immigrated to the United States with his family in 1914. He attended Dutch Calvinist secondary schools and Calvin College, in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and entered the University of Chicago, but left without graduating.

He held various jobs during the Great Depression, and it was at the suggestion of a local librarian that he began writing children's books. His first book The Big Goose and the Little White Duck was published in 1938.

He wrote several more books before joining the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II, serving in China. After the war he resumed writing, and for several years resided in Mexico. He returned for a time to Michigan. After settling in North Carolina, he returned to Michigan for the final years of his life.

Reviews

[Clara Ellen]

What an adorable little story about a little black kitten looking for a home. Nothing too scary or bad happens, and there is a perfectly satisfying ending!

[Katt Hansen]

A book about the unlikely friendship between a dog and a cat. I read this out loud to my daughter for school and she loved it. Chapter breaks would have been nice to give us places to pause, but it really didn't take all that long to read and was an adorable story.

[Reader]

it is abuot a little cat that can't find its mother for a long time it is not scared of dogs and in the end it finds a home.

[Bonnie]

Not the best, but ok.

[Sharon]

Such a sweet story of a lonely kitten and an old blind dog.

[Stacy Atherton Johnson]

At first, I wasn't a huge fan of the repetition in this book, but as I read further it began to feel more like poetry. My daughter (7 years old) loved this book and gave it 5 stars.

[Patricia Ann]

I loved this little book... just for myself and what I hear in De Jong's words. The illustrations, the writing, resonated in my soul. To me, it's a story of loving and caring, looking at differences and disabilities with compassion, kindness, caring about each other....and being family. The last paragraph "And the old blind dog had the little cat. And they both had a man and a house of their own. A good man, and a whole house! They were Home!! The last little cat at last was home. ""
It's a wonderful book for all, but I believe it would be an excellent book for kids in the Foster Child System.

[Jenni Jex]

This was a great read a loud for my kindergartener who is just getting used to listening to chapter books without many pictures. It’s an old story… I’m confused about the dog kennel and why all these dogs are in the barn. My daughter was really sad for the little cat who is the runt of the litter and kicked out of the nest by her family. However, the old, blind dog is such a sweetheart…. So sweet! Love how this book shows how families can be formed in unique ways.

[Jeannette]

Very sweet but also somewhat sad story of the friendship between a cat and a dog told with the author’s characteristic pathos. The descriptive writing serves to put the reader in the place of the animal characters.

[Jake Merris]

Es un buen y adorable cuento para los niños, la linda historia de un gato muy pequeño y todas sus aventuras y desventuras, muy adorable y relajante.

[Shofam]

My 7yo gave it four stars because of the sharp-voiced woman and the sad parts.

I thought it was a delightful book!

[Jamie Erin]

Read for my son's 3rd-grade homeschool curriculum.

[Cecilia]

It wasn’t what I expected, but it was a pretty good book especially how it tried to make all the animals it met on it’s journey happy on its way home.

[Nichole Ostrander]

I wish I could say liked this book, but honesty, it was repetitive and kinda boring. This one also had a lot of symbolism and As nice as that could be it was written for a much younger audience. I love that this symbolism could be introduced to a younger audience, but I do not think they would understand ethier.

[Darlene]

I read this book aloud to my children.

My children and I have soft spots in our hearts for animal stories, so we fell in love with this book! In particular, I love stories that feature unlikely friendships, such as the one between the cat and the dog in this book.

This is the second book by DeJong that we have read, with the first one being The Wheel on the School which was the winner of the 1954 Newbery Award. We enjoy this author!

The illustrations by McMullan are adorable!

MY RATING: 5 stars!! We loved it!!

[Jacque Eddy]

A child's book that made me cry. Found out the author grew up and lived in Grand Rapids. Heart warming story. An easy read. If you are a child or all grown up it can be enjoyed.

[Bree]

Notes:
really long story that would benefit from chapter breaks
cute friendship adventure sort of book
simple and sweet illustrations

[WSL Library]

x4

[Melanie]

Cute little story. We all enjoyed it.

[Julie]

Cute story, but moved slow. Chapter breaks might have helped with the pacing. Probably best as a read aloud for early elementary.

[Rebecca]

Enjoyed the story of the friendship between the kitten and the dog and the happy ending. It was a little slow to read and even though we broke it up into chunks it was a push to finish.

[Lady reading under the Willow]

This book is adorable! N and I both loved it (we read it separately).

[Jamey]

This sweet little story is about a lost little cat who is just looking for a home. It is written in a creative way that suggests it would be a good book to read out loud to kids.

[Bryan Spahr]

read for school in 2nd grade

[vvanyaa1234]

3.5 stars

Sweet little book I read with my younger brother.