Fog Cat

by Marilyn Helmer, Paul Mombourquette (Illustrator)

A picture book for children

Genres: Cats, Picture Books, Childrens, Animals

32 pages, Hardcover

First published August 1, 1998

Reviews

[Tricia Douglas · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm a sucker for books about cats. This book not only had a beautiful story about a feral beach cat, but gorgeous pictures which added to the words. Hannah notices a cat at the beach and tries to entice it with food. After many tries the cat she names Fog Cat finally eats from her hand. The cat ends up having three kittens, two of which die. Hannah, of course, keeps the one that lives, naming it Misty. She never sees Fog Cat again though. It sounds sad, but the story proves that love and family are strong and important in our lives.

[Dolly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a wonderful tale about a family and a mysterious cat who comes into their lives. It was a melancholy tale, one with no clear answers at the end, and I liked that children could interpret it for themselves. I asked our girls what they thought happened to Fog Cat and they came up with two very different endings. I loved how the story tells of a life by the sea and of a somewhat unconventional family unit that is loving and nurturing.

With mention of the seashore and lobster traps, I imagined that this story was set in Maine. In fact, I had to read the dialogue by the Grandfather with a Maine accent. It just felt right. The illustrations had a misty appearance that really gave the impression of life on the seashore. Overall, we really enjoyed reading this book together.

This book was selected as one of the books for the July 2013 - Cats and Dogs discussion at the Picture-Book Club in the Children's Books Group here at Goodreads.

[SamZ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lovely illustrations and a good story of how a small girl and her grandfather befriend a wild cat. My favorite thing about this story is that it didn't shy away from hard things, choosing instead to tell a story that could happen in real life, and could prompt great conversations with little readers.

[Rena Sherwood · Rating 1 out of 5]

Stupid book teaching kids about how not to care for a cat. If you love a cat, you get her spayed and keep her indoors all of the time. You don't only feed her fish, since there aren't enough nutrients in fish to keep her healthy.

Since this was first published in 1998, it's now illegal in some areas to feed stray cats.

[C. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sadder than I expected, but sweetly true to the life of befriending stray animals and giving them gentle life for a bit.

[Joan Almond · Rating 5 out of 5]

Twenty Years ago Children’s Author Marilyn Helmer won the Mr. Christy Co. Award ( a division of Nabisco) Her story, Fog Cat won in the under 8 yrs. old category for picture books. The award was considered at the time to be The Giller Prize in Children’s Writing. Paul Mombourquette’s Illustrations are life- like and were painted using human models.

Beautiful picture book , worth owning in hard cover.

Fog Cat is published by Kids Can Press . The Christy Award was discontinued in 2004.

[Jenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hannah sees a beautiful but wild cat that is the color of fog. She wants to adopt her, but her grandpa warns that the cat may not want to be tamed. Slowly, slowly, Fog Cat warms up to Hannah. The book has a bittersweet ending. I like the relationship between Hannah and her grandfather (who is her caregiver). This may be sad for young readers.

[Krista the Krazy Kataloguer · Rating 3 out of 5]

A pleasant story about a girl who befriends a stray cat. Not much emotional impact, but interesting for the way she gets the cat to come to her.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cry every time I read it. Allyson and I love this sweet story.