Baker Cat

by Posy Simmonds

Nominated for the coveted Kate Greenaway Medal, this ingenious tale of triumph over adversity is Posy Simmonds at her absolute best.

All day long, the baker's cat toils in the bakery - mixing dough, baking bread, sweeping up - and all night long, he's expected to catch the mice that run riot in the storeroom. If he doesn't catch any mice, the beastly baker tells him, he won't get any food. Too exhausted to chase after the rude and frisky rodents, the baker's cat becomes thin and sad and weepy ... until the mice take pity on him and, together, they concoct a clever plan. Rendered in exquisite detail, every spread is a delight.

Genres: Cats, Picture Books, Childrens, Animals

32 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2004

About the author

Rosemary Elizabeth "Posy" Simmonds MBE is a British newspaper cartoonist and writer and illustrator of both children's books and graphic novels. She is best known for her long association with The Guardian, for which she has drawn the series Gemma Bovery (2000) and Tamara Drewe (2005–06), both later published as books. Her style gently satirises the English middle classes and in particular those of a literary bent. Both of the published books feature a "doomed heroine", much in the style of the 18th- and 19th-century gothic romantic novel, to which they often allude, but with an ironic, modernist slant.

Reviews

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

This reminded me a lot of the Church Mice series by Graham Oakley. The protagonist is a ginger cat who, like Cinderella, does all the behind-the-scenes work but gets none of the credit from the harsh couple who run the bakery where he lives. All they want Tiger to do is catch the mice that plague the bakery; they threaten to keep cutting his rations until he shows them the evidence of his effectiveness – dead mouse tails. By teaming up with the mice that are supposed to be his enemies, Tiger outwits his owners and comes up with a solution that suits all the furry creatures involved.

[Gerry · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this for my daughter (a 35-year-old cat lover!) but couldn't resist reading it for myself before I gave it her!

It is a delightful book, beautifully illustrated about the baker's cat who has a difficult time until helped out by his mice friends. Charming!

[Matti Karjalainen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sarjakuvataiteilijanakin tutun Simmondsin kuvitukset ovat mainioita.

[Adrian · Rating 4 out of 5]

You know the deal:
The bigger your catch,
the bigger your meal!

Tania loves a Posy Simmonds and I have quite a few to catch up on. This one is a charming children's tale, part illustrated book, part more classic comic book/graphic novel. A combination that works rather well.

The ginger cat at the local bakery is a downtrodden soul. Working his fingers to the bone for the grumpy owners during the day he has little energy left to chase mice during the night to earn his breakfast.

You know the deal:
The smaller the catch,
the smaller the meal!

Eventually the mice take pity on the poor cat, who doesn't even have a name, and agreeing a ceasefire they hatch a plan to make sure there is always enough breakfast for everyone!

A fun and charming read. 4 stars.

[Cherish · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was another book that I discovered at the Posy Simmonds exhibition. Just like the children's book Fred, I really enjoyed reading this volume. I found myself laughing a lot more than usual.

[Jbondandrews · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite a sweet story.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

DELIGHTFUL

BAKER CAT is an icon, a legend, the moment

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute British book about a cat who does all the work for the lazy baker and his wife but doesn't get fed much until he catches some mice. So the mice decide to help him and eventually he gets his own bakery.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mrs Weber's Diary takes me back to my Guardian reading days and I've retained a fondness for Posy Simmonds' style. It works just as well it seems in a picture book for children, a tale of modern slavery in the form of cat who does all the work at the bakery and the mice who take pity on him.

[Emjy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Avec cet album, Posy Simmonds nous montre une fois encore qu'elle a une affection toute particulière pour les chats (et comme je la comprends ...) ! :)

[Glen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like "rattatouiue" but with cats.