Shakespeare Cats

by Susan Herbert

For her latest book of cats in costume, Susan Herbert turns from masterpieces of the fine arts to the masterpieces of Shakespeare. Painting in her familiar and highly popular style, this imaginative artist presents an irresistible array of well-known characters in the great Shakespearean plays, from the tragic Romeo and Juliet, to the mischievous Titania; from the beautiful Cleopatra to the roguish Falstaff.
In thirty-two entrancing paintings, Susan Herbert opens up an unsuspected world of Shakespeare interpreted by cats with all their winning ways. Her many devoted admirers will find this new collection full of the charm, humor and sensitivity of her earlier books; and newcomers to her art will be surprised and enchanted by the finesse she brings to her latest portrait-gallety of cats in unusual guises.

Genres: Shakespeare, Cats, Art, Picture Books, Animals, Theatre, Childrens

64 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 1996

Reviews

[Jellie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ich kann gar nicht glauben, was für ein süßes Buch mir da in die Hände gefallen ist. Es sind ausgewählte Szenen aus Shakespeares Werken... aber mit Katzen!
Die Illustrationen sind so putzig, ich bin dahingeschmolzen. Ich werde dieses Buch hüten und eines Tages meinen Kindern daraus vorlesen. Oder meinen Katzen.

[Miss Jools · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super cute illustrations and nicely chosen quotes 🐈🐈‍⬛🐈🐈‍⬛

[Carolyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an entertaining concept and I wanted to love it, but Herbert did not pull it off. The art was just… off. She got the cats’ proportions and general shapes wrong, and their heads were on sort of sideways and frequently cross-eyed, and all their expressions were wooden. If you’re going to draw dramatic cats in Elizabethan outfits, they need to BE dramatic.

[Lisa Macklem · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really had a hard time categorizing this book! It is beautifully illustrated with passages from the plays. Fun for any fan of cats and Shakespeare....

[Catherine Mason · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cats playing Shakespeare. A bit tabby-centric. More variety in the cats' coats would have been nice.

[Darlene]

THIS IS THE BEST! 🐈

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

HANNAH
I love you so much for this present this the best combination ever!!!!
So much fun

[Dominick · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's hard to know what to say about this odd picture book, of realistically-rendered and lovingly-detailed cats in scenes from Shakespeare's plays. It seems too committed to its conceit to be considered whimsical or satirical, and indeed Herbert rarely seems to look for ways to play on cat cliches and Shakespearean roles. While Iago may be an obvious figure to depict as a cat, for instance (and Herbert does), others seem much less so. It's just a book of cats, doing Shakespeare, and as such, it is a beautifully-illustrated and delightful way to pass some time, especially for those who appreciate both cats and Shakespeare.

[Cole · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this book because it was funny while still being able to be taken seriously without the pictures. I also chose this book because I was in a play of Macbeth at my old school. I enjoyed looking at scenes I already knew from me being in that play. I really enjoyed this book for its comedy and serious lines from Shakespeare mixing.

[Dasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Technically this book is less reading and more enjoying the adorable artwork which depicts cats as characters from Shakespeare's plays but I still wanted to review because of how adorable and pleasant it is. I could see this maybe being a simple introduction to his plays for children as well.

[Nicola · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rather sweetly done.

[Patti Flanagin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Simply delightful for this cat and Shakespeare lover!

[g · Rating 5 out of 5]

cats. it was cute 10/10.

[Tom · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short and sweet. Delightful!

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, that was an absolutely purrfect Venn diagram of my interests.

[Siti · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely adorbs!

[Joshua P. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Totally awesome.

[Jess · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! Ok there isn't too much to read apart from some quotes on each page to do with the images but it was just such a feel good book. The images are amazing with I think 'The Taming of the Shrew' image being my absolute favourite.

This book is a very quick read but don't read it too quick enjoy the gorgeous pictures as well. A great book for cat lovers, that I highly recommend.

[Daniel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think that this book actually fared somewhat better than the Medieval Cats book by the same author/artist. This could be, perhaps, because I have a more than slight interest in Shakespeare, but I think it has more to do with the ability to give at least some of the paintings some character.

Finally some of the animals seem to show an emotion or feeling: "Kate" in the Taming of the Shrew; "Shylock" in the second Merchant of Venice picture; "Falstaff" in the Merry Wives of Windsor; and a few of the others.

The paintings are slightly more interesting but still somewhat dull. It barely offers more than a cursory glance through the book.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

These charming illustrations are sure to delight even the non-Shakespeare fans who discover it. This book does not tell the story of any of Shakespeare's plays; rather, it illustrates specific scenes from many of them, accompanied by relevant quotes from Shakespeare's text. The result is a series of tableaux vivantes, a collection of a few key images from a variety of the Bard's comedies, histories, and tragedies. Recommended to all Shakespeare fans and cat lovers.

[Maple · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an adorable look at some of Shakespeare's most popular works. The drawings are beautifully done, and fit well with the piece they are representing. Plus they're cats dressed as humans. This would be a good introduction for children to the world of Shakespeare.

[Jiw Sirirat · Rating 4 out of 5]

She painted cats that can express various of human feelings through Shakespeare's plays.

[Callie · Rating 4 out of 5]

***Goodreads First Reads Winner**** This is a great take on Shakespeare's works in a fun and interesting way.