The Curious Demise of a Contrary Cat

by Lynne Berry, Luke LaMarca (Illustrator)

On a pale gray night
with a bright full moon,
Witch is preparing for a bash.
She asks her cat
for a little help,
but Cat's too busy chasing Rat
or eyeing Bat
or stalking Ghost.

And all we can say to that
is WATCH OUT, CAT!

Genres: Picture Books, Cats, Childrens, Halloween, Witches, Fiction, Humor

32 pages, Hardcover

First published August 1, 2006

Reviews

[Abigail · Rating 2 out of 5]

Witch throws a party for all the ghosts and ghouls of the neighborhood one "pale gray night with a bright full moon," asking her cat for assistance at each step. The cat is more interested in his own pursuits, and refuses to help, eventually leading to his own demise, as his magical mistress eventually gets tired of his attitude...

The Curious Demise of a Contrary Cat is the second picture-book I have read from author/illustrator team Lynne Berry and Luke LaMarca, following upon their subsequent Squid Kid the Magnificent . That later book was done in a completely different style, both textually and artistically, and I think I prefer its silly fun to this visually appealing but textually flawed work. Although I enjoyed the illustrations here, done in black and white and featuring stylized figures that are both spooky and fun, the repetitive text just did not work for me. It didn't read well, and the repetition felt overdone, rather than natural. Tastes vary, so picture-book readers who enjoy witchy tales might still want to give it a try, but I do not strongly recommend it.

[Michael Fitzgerald · Rating 2 out of 5]

Tedious repetition to no effect.

[Andréa · Rating 2 out of 5]

This one has way too many -tch sounds for me to read aloud, due to my speech impediment.

[Gina · Rating 2 out of 5]

The problem with this book is that the author is not a cat lover. It's not so much that she doesn't understand them, because there are certainly things about the story that ring true, but you just can't feel the appreciation that cat lovers would want. I guess the title hints at it.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very fun story of a witch and her contrary cat.

[Cat Fithian · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fun, rhyming story. Would make a fun flannel.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loved everything about the book but the end. The rhymes are great, the illustrations are charming.

The title should have clued me in.

[Lori · Rating 3 out of 5]

Repetition that makes it fun for an early reader.

[Jennifer Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this for nephew who loved the drawing details and the cat, especially its ending!

[skcocnaH · Rating 2 out of 5]

I just *really* don’t care for books that repeat the same line over and over on every page.

[Bobby · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story is ok (3-stars) but the illustrations are very impressive (5-stars), especially since this was/is the first book Luke LaMarca ever illustrated. There is a lot of background action going on almost every panel so kids (3-7 years recommended by the book company) should be able to enjoy this book multiple times by focusing on various characters. The style of the illustrations a bit Gorey-esque and the cover is in soothing dark purple and light yellowish colors. The illustrations themselves are black and while with a bit of light yellow, a color scheme that works very well in this case (I think too many colors would have actually distracted from the all the action going on). Looking forward to seeing more works by the illustrator.

[Jessica Jones]

Word Count: 428
Reading Level: 1.9
Interest Level: P-2
Accelerated Reader: reading level: 1.9 / points: 0.5 / quiz: 108599 (10/05/06) / grade: Lower Grades

Through the book the witch tries to make several requests form her cat who is refusing to do what she acts he does nothing but contrary what she says. We begin to worry for this cat as to what the witch will do to her defiant cat. This book has a little mystery and can be used to teach using context clues to find the meaning of the word contrary.

[CRC Washburn · Rating 3 out of 5]

A great read for early phonics work with the word family '/at'. The title of the book is quite different from the cute halloween-y story at a first-step reading level. A+ illustrations, great halloween theme (fun spooky) and a page-turning story. (Many early word family books fall into the 'Dick and Jane' fun level. This one is a refreshing surprise. I dub it the best halloween book for kindergartners and first-graders.

[Dolly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a funny tale with some slightly dark humor about a disobedient cat who frustrates his owner, a witch. The illustrations are fairly simple black and white drawings and the narrative is repetitive and engaging.

Our girls enjoyed this story and were able to finish the sentences and dialogue halfway through the book. It's a fun book to read aloud, especially during Halloween, even though it's not specifically about the holiday.

[Lesli · Rating 4 out of 5]

My kids absolutely love this book, they want to read it night after night all through October. The book is just the right amount of repetitive rhyme to really appeal to small kids, and make it bearable for parents to read. I mostly like the illustrations, I but I'm not a fan of the cat's unibrow. Other than the cat and the ugliness of the witch, I like the monochromatic of the book, but the cat makes me not want to buy the book.

[Judy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The illustrations in this book are rich with harmless fairy-tale creatures whom Witch invites to her party. While she is a gracious hostess, Cat ignores all of her requests for help and terrorizes the guests. The witch finally has had enough and, when Cat ignores her need for a toad, is turned into the needed animal. Kids who don't require color illustrations to enjoy a book will love these drawings.

[Anne Marie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book, I really did, but the book was literally quite a flop to me. I honestly fail to see how these black-and-white pictures drawings were meant to capture the attention of young readers. The prose, too, fails to charm me. The rhyming prose doesn't flip easily off the tongue. The story falls flat, I believe, because the witch continually calls upon her cat to help her, even though it's obvious from the beginning that he's not interested in helping her.

[Cassie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ages 3-7. The story is repetitive enough that it can help children feel involved in the reading process. This book could help expand a child's vocabulary because there were a few words that probably aren't in a 3-5 year olds vocabulary. Some of the text is larger in certain repeating places that can help with print motivation.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good Halloween book for little kids--not really focused on Halloween, but there are witches and trolls and bats and ghosts. Cool B&W pictures, repetitive phrases tie the story together. Satisfying ending with the cat getting what's coming to him.

[Heather · Rating 2 out of 5]

24 months - the illustrations are fun, artistic and complex. The story is just mediocre although the ending did make me laugh. I just wasn't thrilled with the repetitive story, some authors can provide the repeat kids like yet not bore the adults to death... This one just didnt succeed for me.

[Mary Kopec · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love, love, love this book! It's so cute for Halloween or any other time. This contrary cat should be more attentive to his owner's (a witch) wishes and demands ... :) The artwork is fun and good for playing "do you see?/can you find?" games with your kids.

[Megan M · Rating 3 out of 5]

A repetitive story, possibly too repetitive, but with a cute ending and excellent illustrations. A witch asks for something, her cat says no, so she does it herself. The illustrations are very detailed and fun to look at more closely, as there is so much doing on in the background.

[Lesley Looper · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ha, pretty darn cute story that's especially fun around Halloween! I'm a big fan of pen-and-ink, so I really enjoyed the illustrations, which helped me bump this book's rating from three to four stars..

[Portia H. · Rating 1 out of 5]

Illustrations are definitely top rate (5 of 5 stars), but regardless of repetition that is good to hold attention of young readers, the vocabulary is too advanced for the audience age group and the story is too flat to engage.

[The Brothers · Rating 3 out of 5]

A story of a witch who asks her cat to help her with a party. The cat always declines, which upsets the witch. A tad repetitious to be really good.

Fun, kooky illustrations get it the three star rating.

[ChrisHughes · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an adorable picture book if you're the kind of kid (or adult) who's into ghosts, witches, and other spookables. It has repeating sections that are great for interacting with kids as well as helping beginning readers.

[Heidi-Marie · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story is OK. There are lots of things to see in the pictures which could keep a child busy. However, the format is kind of confusing. Perhaps a good lap-sit novel, but not for story time.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cool illustrations, nice repetition without being annoying. Both my 2 year old and 4.5 year old are enthralled by it.

[Katherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you expect to be waited on by a cat, you are a moron.

What a dumb witch. Better illustrations than story.

[Dianna · Rating 3 out of 5]

My three-year-old son liked all the repetition in this book.