What do you think?
Rate this book
Cat Poems
A collection of poems about cats by a variety of poets.
New and old poems by Karla Kuskin, John Ciardi, and others describe cats hunting, washing, sleeping, and playing. Tomcats, kittens, "jellicle" cats, cats that turn into princesses - this book is a celebration of all kinds of cats!
New and old poems by Karla Kuskin, John Ciardi, and others describe cats hunting, washing, sleeping, and playing. Tomcats, kittens, "jellicle" cats, cats that turn into princesses - this book is a celebration of all kinds of cats!
32 pages, Library Binding
First published May 1, 1987
4 people are currently reading
78 people want to read
About the author
Myra Cohn Livingston
95 books14 followersMyra Cohn Livingston was born in Omaha, Nebraska. Her family moved to California when she was 12 years old. She studied the French horn from age 12 to age 20, becoming so good that the Los Angeles Philharmonic invited her to join them when she was 16 years old. She had other plans. She knew she wanted to write.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
December 11, 2019
Have you ever been so excited to pull a book out of an envelope that you were shaking as you did it? That was me this morning, baby, when Cat Poems arrived.
Thanks to my friend Cheri, I have found thriftbooks and thanks to thriftbooks, I have found a precious cache of reasonably priced, hard-to-find and/or out-of-print books, and that includes several by my favorite illustrator, Trina Schart Hyman.
Ms. Hyman (I know, tough name) was a goddess, possibly a real witch, and she had a career as a writer and an illustrator that spanned 40 years. She passed away in 2004, but she worked with some impressive writers during her time, and her artwork was almost always attached to writing that was particularly creative or rich in archetypes. Whenever she illustrated poetry, it was always good poetry, not the cheesy stuff, so, when I saw the envelope this morning, that's when I got the shakes.
And, Cat Poems? It's lovely.
I could include any of the poems here, selected by Myra Cohn Livingston, to illustrate the quality, but I'll use this one:
Cats sleep fat and walk thin.
Cats, when they sleep, slump;
When they wake, pull in--
And where the plump's been
There's skin.
Cats walk thin.
Cats wait in a lump,
Jump in a streak.
Cats, when they jump, are sleek
As a grape slipping its skin--
They have technique.
Oh, cats don't creak.
They sneak.
Cats sleep fat.
They spread comfort beneath them
Like a good mat,
As if they picked the place
And then sat.
You walk around one
As if he were the City Hall
After that.
If male,
A cat is apt to sing upon a major scale:
This concert is for everybody, this
Is wholesale.
For a baton, he wields a tail.
(He is also found,
When happy to resound
With an enclosed and private sound.)
A cat condenses.
He pulls in his tail to go under bridges,
And himself to go under fences.
Cats fit
In any size box or kit;
And if a large pumpkin grew under one,
He could arch over it.
When everyone else is just ready to go out,
The cat is just ready to come in.
He's not where he's been.
Cats sleep fat and walk thin.
“Catalog” by Rosalie Moore
Thanks to my friend Cheri, I have found thriftbooks and thanks to thriftbooks, I have found a precious cache of reasonably priced, hard-to-find and/or out-of-print books, and that includes several by my favorite illustrator, Trina Schart Hyman.
Ms. Hyman (I know, tough name) was a goddess, possibly a real witch, and she had a career as a writer and an illustrator that spanned 40 years. She passed away in 2004, but she worked with some impressive writers during her time, and her artwork was almost always attached to writing that was particularly creative or rich in archetypes. Whenever she illustrated poetry, it was always good poetry, not the cheesy stuff, so, when I saw the envelope this morning, that's when I got the shakes.
And, Cat Poems? It's lovely.
I could include any of the poems here, selected by Myra Cohn Livingston, to illustrate the quality, but I'll use this one:
Cats sleep fat and walk thin.
Cats, when they sleep, slump;
When they wake, pull in--
And where the plump's been
There's skin.
Cats walk thin.
Cats wait in a lump,
Jump in a streak.
Cats, when they jump, are sleek
As a grape slipping its skin--
They have technique.
Oh, cats don't creak.
They sneak.
Cats sleep fat.
They spread comfort beneath them
Like a good mat,
As if they picked the place
And then sat.
You walk around one
As if he were the City Hall
After that.
If male,
A cat is apt to sing upon a major scale:
This concert is for everybody, this
Is wholesale.
For a baton, he wields a tail.
(He is also found,
When happy to resound
With an enclosed and private sound.)
A cat condenses.
He pulls in his tail to go under bridges,
And himself to go under fences.
Cats fit
In any size box or kit;
And if a large pumpkin grew under one,
He could arch over it.
When everyone else is just ready to go out,
The cat is just ready to come in.
He's not where he's been.
Cats sleep fat and walk thin.
“Catalog” by Rosalie Moore
August 5, 2019
Cat
By the fire, like drifting reddish goldfish,
the cat dozed, within itself.
If, by mischance, I were to stir,
the cat might change to something else.
The spinning-wheel of ancient magic
must never be allowed to stick:
and changing itself into a princess
is, for the cat, a minor trick.
— Jean Cocteau
By the fire, like drifting reddish goldfish,
the cat dozed, within itself.
If, by mischance, I were to stir,
the cat might change to something else.
The spinning-wheel of ancient magic
must never be allowed to stick:
and changing itself into a princess
is, for the cat, a minor trick.
— Jean Cocteau
October 23, 2012
“Cat Poems” is a collection of poems selected by Myra Cohn Livington and illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman. This collection has many cute little poems about felines that any cat lover would enjoy. The pictures were a little scary at times and might not appeal too much to kids. A lot of famous poets are featured in this book that would be good to get kids exposed to such poets. Poetry is important for kids to appreciate and by starting with easy poetry collections such as these; it will be a great way to get kids interested.
July 16, 2019
A collection of cat poems from T S Eliot to Valerie Worth to warm your heart.
March 12, 2017
These poets understand cats, as much as anyone can understand a cat. Warning some of these poems will break your heart but most of them will remind you of your delightful, finicky, puffy love.
December 5, 2018
I liked one or two of these poems, but the rest were boring. Or just bad.
The pictures were very nice though, so kudos to the illustrator.
The pictures were very nice though, so kudos to the illustrator.
November 26, 2019
This a collection of cat poems written by many differing authors. Students who loves cats or pets will enjoy the lighthearted tone and adventures of the feline protagonists.
April 1, 2021
Beautiful illustrations and great cat poems including “The Song of the Jellicles” by T.S. Elliot. Also loved “The Open Door” by Elizabeth Coatsworth.
July 25, 2021
Honestly the best purchase I have ever made. Thank you thrift store.
May 21, 2024
Don’t like the poems in this book but the illustrations are really nice.
July 16, 2016
If you like all kinds of cats, this book is for you! The poems are short and descriptive of the different kinds of cats, especially their emotions. The black-and-white drawings help the reader feel the emotions that the poem elicits.
Nearly anyone from upper elementary through adults can identify with the poems in this book. The reader may be able to think of cats like the ones described in this book.
Nearly anyone from upper elementary through adults can identify with the poems in this book. The reader may be able to think of cats like the ones described in this book.
April 8, 2014
So many of the writers in my workshops are writing cat poems; I discovered this book on my library's shelf and just had to use it for one group's prompts. Not only are the poems well written, but the drawings accompanying the poems add an enriching layer. The poems in this book definitely capture the essence of "the cat."
January 8, 2015
This is an entertaining collection of cat poems by different authors, beautifully illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman. The poems are short and most of them rhyme - they offer different perspectives on cats and really capture their essence. We really enjoyed reading these poems together.
April 13, 2008
This sweet book is lovingly illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman, and the playfulness of her cat illustrations make them jump off the page! Trina clearly has a cat or two at home, and the loving nature of the book makes this wonderful to share with the younger pet lover. Fun to read aloud together!
March 11, 2011
since I am already a cat lover this book was even better for me. Most of them were fun jumpy good poems about of course cats. There was only one sad one but I still liked it. For a book about furry whiskery friends I really liked this book.
April 19, 2011
This book has a lot of funny, sad and happy poems. Almost all of then include fluffy cats and the poets might surprise you if you herd some of their writing before. This book really remind me of all the cats in the world. It's just really sweet and you cat lovers really need to get this book.
March 9, 2008
What could be better-- cats AND my favorite illustrator, Trina Schart Hyman?
April 12, 2009
Great poems for the cat lover in all of us.
March 27, 2011
This was one of the best anthology poem book I've ever read. There was even one by Eve Merriam, writer of "How to Eat a Poem"!
February 6, 2014
This would be good for a poetry lesson because most household have animals that they bond with that they have and can write about easily
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews