What do you think?
Rate this book
Little Cat's Luck
From Newbery Honoree Marion Dane Bauer comes a heartwarming novel in verse that's a companion to the "wholly satisfying&" (Kirkus Reviews, starred review) Little Dog, Lost.
When an indoor calico cat named Patches spots a golden autumn leaf fluttering past her window, she can't help but venture outside to chase it. But soon, Patches feels something tugging at her, telling her to find a special place--one she won't know until she sees it. Why must she go on this search? She doesn't know yet.
Along the way, Patches finds herself in dire circumstances, but with the help of the other neighborhood animals, she faces off against the scariest dog in town and continues on her journey to her special place.
Beautifully told in verse and accompanied by adorable illustrations by Jennifer A. Bell, this heartwarming novel from Newbery Honor winner, Marion Dane Bauer, is a timeless, touching, and fulfilling story about finding your way home.
When an indoor calico cat named Patches spots a golden autumn leaf fluttering past her window, she can't help but venture outside to chase it. But soon, Patches feels something tugging at her, telling her to find a special place--one she won't know until she sees it. Why must she go on this search? She doesn't know yet.
Along the way, Patches finds herself in dire circumstances, but with the help of the other neighborhood animals, she faces off against the scariest dog in town and continues on her journey to her special place.
Beautifully told in verse and accompanied by adorable illustrations by Jennifer A. Bell, this heartwarming novel from Newbery Honor winner, Marion Dane Bauer, is a timeless, touching, and fulfilling story about finding your way home.
224 pages, Hardcover
First published February 9, 2016
24 people are currently reading
358 people want to read
About the author
Marion Dane Bauer
171 books186 followersMarion Dane Bauer is the author of more than one hundred books for young people, ranging from novelty and picture books through early readers, both fiction and nonfiction, books on writing, and middle-grade and young-adult novels. She has won numerous awards, including several Minnesota Book Awards, a Jane Addams Peace Association Award for RAIN OF FIRE, an American Library Association Newbery Honor Award for ON MY HONOR, a number of state children's choice awards and the Kerlan Award from the University of Minnesota for the body of her work.
She is also the editor of and a contributor to the ground-breaking collection of gay and lesbian short stories, Am I Blue? Coming Out from the Silence.
Marion was one of the founding faculty and the first Faculty Chair for the Master of Fine Arts in Writing for Children and Young Adults program at Vermont College of Fine Arts. Her writing guide, the American Library Association Notable WHAT'S YOUR STORY? A YOUNG PERSON'S GUIDE TO WRITING FICTION, is used by writers of all ages. Her books have been translated into more than a dozen different languages.
She has six grandchildren and lives in St. Paul, Minnesota, with her partner and a cavalier King Charles spaniel, Dawn.
-------------------------------------
INTERVIEW WITH MARION DANE BAUER
-------------------------------------
Q. What brought you to a career as a writer?
A. I seem to have been born with my head full of stories. For almost as far back as I can remember, I used most of my unoccupied moments--even in school when I was supposed to be doing other "more important" things--to make up stories in my head. I sometimes got a notation on my report card that said, "Marion dreams." It was not a compliment. But while the stories I wove occupied my mind in a very satisfying way, they were so complex that I never thought of trying to write them down. I wouldn't have known where to begin. So though I did all kinds of writing through my teen and early adult years--letters, journals, essays, poetry--I didn't begin to gather the craft I needed to write stories until I was in my early thirties. That was also when my last excuse for not taking the time to sit down to do the writing I'd so long wanted to do started first grade.
Q. And why write for young people?
A. Because I get my creative energy in examining young lives, young issues. Most people, when they enter adulthood, leave childhood behind, by which I mean that they forget most of what they know about themselves as children. Of course, the ghosts of childhood still inhabit them, but they deal with them in other forms--problems with parental authority turn into problems with bosses, for instance--and don't keep reaching back to the original source to try to fix it, to make everything come out differently than it did the first time. Most children's writers, I suspect, are fixers. We return, again and again, usually under the cover of made-up characters, to work things through. I don't know that our childhoods are necessarily more painful than most. Every childhood has pain it, because life has pain in it at every stage. The difference is that we are compelled to keep returning to the source.
Q. You write for a wide range of ages. Do you write from a different place in writing for preschoolers than for young adolescents?
A. In a picture book or board book, I'm always writing from the womb of the family, a place that--while it might be intruded upon by fears, for instance--is still, ultimately, safe and nurturing. That's what my own early childhood was like, so it's easy for me to return to those feelings and to recreate them.
When I write for older readers, I'm writing from a very different experience. My early adolescence, especially, was a time of deep alienation, mostly from my peers but in some ways from my family as well. And so I write my older stories out of that pain, that longing for connection. A story has to have a problem at its core. No struggle
She is also the editor of and a contributor to the ground-breaking collection of gay and lesbian short stories, Am I Blue? Coming Out from the Silence.
Marion was one of the founding faculty and the first Faculty Chair for the Master of Fine Arts in Writing for Children and Young Adults program at Vermont College of Fine Arts. Her writing guide, the American Library Association Notable WHAT'S YOUR STORY? A YOUNG PERSON'S GUIDE TO WRITING FICTION, is used by writers of all ages. Her books have been translated into more than a dozen different languages.
She has six grandchildren and lives in St. Paul, Minnesota, with her partner and a cavalier King Charles spaniel, Dawn.
-------------------------------------
INTERVIEW WITH MARION DANE BAUER
-------------------------------------
Q. What brought you to a career as a writer?
A. I seem to have been born with my head full of stories. For almost as far back as I can remember, I used most of my unoccupied moments--even in school when I was supposed to be doing other "more important" things--to make up stories in my head. I sometimes got a notation on my report card that said, "Marion dreams." It was not a compliment. But while the stories I wove occupied my mind in a very satisfying way, they were so complex that I never thought of trying to write them down. I wouldn't have known where to begin. So though I did all kinds of writing through my teen and early adult years--letters, journals, essays, poetry--I didn't begin to gather the craft I needed to write stories until I was in my early thirties. That was also when my last excuse for not taking the time to sit down to do the writing I'd so long wanted to do started first grade.
Q. And why write for young people?
A. Because I get my creative energy in examining young lives, young issues. Most people, when they enter adulthood, leave childhood behind, by which I mean that they forget most of what they know about themselves as children. Of course, the ghosts of childhood still inhabit them, but they deal with them in other forms--problems with parental authority turn into problems with bosses, for instance--and don't keep reaching back to the original source to try to fix it, to make everything come out differently than it did the first time. Most children's writers, I suspect, are fixers. We return, again and again, usually under the cover of made-up characters, to work things through. I don't know that our childhoods are necessarily more painful than most. Every childhood has pain it, because life has pain in it at every stage. The difference is that we are compelled to keep returning to the source.
Q. You write for a wide range of ages. Do you write from a different place in writing for preschoolers than for young adolescents?
A. In a picture book or board book, I'm always writing from the womb of the family, a place that--while it might be intruded upon by fears, for instance--is still, ultimately, safe and nurturing. That's what my own early childhood was like, so it's easy for me to return to those feelings and to recreate them.
When I write for older readers, I'm writing from a very different experience. My early adolescence, especially, was a time of deep alienation, mostly from my peers but in some ways from my family as well. And so I write my older stories out of that pain, that longing for connection. A story has to have a problem at its core. No struggle
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 142 reviews
May 4, 2019
This was an adorable book. The story was so cute and easy to follow. I read this a little everyday to my 7 year old daughter. She loves cats and loved this story. It talks to you and asks questions which helped me help my daughter pay attention and stay engaged in the story. It teaches about friendship and compassion and gentleness. All in all I found nothing wrong with this book and both me and my daughter enjoyed it very much.
January 4, 2017
I have to admit, at first I thought this book was going to be... not the best. But this book was SO good. Patches's adventure about meeting Gus was really good. And at the part where Gus "turns against" Patches, I hated Gus! But it turned out fine. This book was adorable, touching and the best book for animal lovers.
September 17, 2016
"How much gentler our world would be if only we knew how to listen to one another."
My granddaughter will love this book, just like I did.
My granddaughter will love this book, just like I did.
February 25, 2021
A cute novel in verse for all those cat (and dog) lovers out there. Patches, an indoor cat, feels the urge to get outside to find a cozy, special spot. She falls out of an open window, follows a blowing leaf, and ends up at the home of Gus, the meanest dog in town. Something unexpected happens as she's hidden away in Gus's doghouse, and now more than ever, she needs to be home with her girl. Patches hopes that Gus will have a change of heart and help her find her way back. A lovely story about friendship and helping those in need.
Find it today: https://ent.sharelibraries.info/clien...
Jayme A. / Milton Public Library #CheckOutMPL
Find it today: https://ent.sharelibraries.info/clien...
Jayme A. / Milton Public Library #CheckOutMPL
July 5, 2018
Patches spots a golden leaf and follows it from her house. The leaf leads Patches far away from her home, then it disappears from sight. She hasn’t eaten since breakfast that morning, so she asks the moon for help. Shortly after, a red squirrel appears. The squirrel gets the other animals. Meanwhile, Patches sneaks into the meanest dog in town, Gus’ doghouse. Her tummy made a rumbling noise, but she can’t figure out why. So she cries out,”Help!”. Gus heard her and started toward the doghouse. But when he got there, he saw an un-scared cat looking up at him. Then a small kitten popped out of the cat. Patches said to Gus,”Maybe you’d like to name him.” Gus named the kitten”Moonshadow”. The others were:Little Thomas and Gustina. Then they heard some sounds. The other animals had arrived. Patches described her house the best she could, but the other animals saw many houses that fit Patches’ description. So Patches left her babies and set off to find her house. Once they found it, the girl came out and took Patches. But the other animals made such a racket, the door flew open again, and and a mouse scared the girl, making her drop Patches. Patches ran to Gus’ doghouse and showed her owner her kittens. The girl got Patches back and had a happy ending.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 11, 2017
At first glance, this appears to be an epic poem. But read it aloud to your kid and you realize it's actually fairly normal prose with unusual line-breaks and some typographical tomfoolery. There is some poetic language, but otherwise, you might as well be reading a typical chapter book.
But while the appearance of being different on the page is little more than surface deep, this actually is an unusual story. I truly had no idea where this story was going. It bucks all conventions of children's storytelling and does its own thing.
None of that matters. It's a simple story about a cat. My kiddo liked it and it grew on me as well.
But while the appearance of being different on the page is little more than surface deep, this actually is an unusual story. I truly had no idea where this story was going. It bucks all conventions of children's storytelling and does its own thing.
None of that matters. It's a simple story about a cat. My kiddo liked it and it grew on me as well.
September 17, 2017
(poetry?) 211 pages. This is an interesting book. Beautiful words drip off the pages. It is well-written with lots of lovely language - adjectives and adverbs are well chosen. The physical movement of words on the page is fun. If you like cats, you will like it. I read 10 pages and it was wonderful so far...I would recommend it for Grades 2-5.
November 13, 2017
Patches is lead away from home by a golden leaf. She is lost and asks the moon for help and spots food in Gus’s doghouse. When she sneaks in, she suddenly feels a rumble in her stomach. She calls for help and Gus comes just when she has a baby...
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 13, 2018
Such a cute story. Loved it. Would make a great read aloud.
April 29, 2021
Very sweet book written in prose. My seven year old daughter loved the surprise in the middle.
November 4, 2021
100%
Everything about this was adorable and precious. It felt like a warm hug - a delightful read that left me grinning by the end!
Everything about this was adorable and precious. It felt like a warm hug - a delightful read that left me grinning by the end!
June 1, 2020
Marion Dane Bauer never fails as a story teller. Little Dog, Lost and Little Cat's Luck are just amazing tales. Marion is a great author, and her books are an absolute joy to read!
September 16, 2021
This is a sweet little story about a cat and a dog, written in poetry. My nine year old got this out of the library and recommended it to me. I'm glad she did.
March 16, 2020
A Little Cat’s Luck by Marion Bauer is a fantastic verse novel! In this story a Calico Cat goes on an adventure and with the help of friends finds her way back home. A truly touching story and a must read!
March 10, 2019
Little Cat’s Luck
(Novel in verse)
Summary:
A little cat named Patches chases a falling leaf out of her family’s window, and as she chases it, decides to take advantage of her freedom by exploring the world a little bit. She is searching for a warm, dark, cozy place that she has been unable to find in her house. She’s not sure why she feels so strongly that she needs to find a place like this, but she looks anyway. After she’s walked a long way and hasn’t yet found what she needs, she realizes that she is lost.
She meets a neighborhood dog named Gus who is feared because he barks at everyone who passes by his yard and is generally known to be mean (the meanest dog in town, in fact). However, he lets Patches come into his doghouse, mostly so that she can get out of the rain, but also because she has realized that it’s the perfect dark, warm, cozy place she’s been looking for. While she’s in there, her stomach starts to feel funny. It clenches and cramps, and suddenly there is something emerging from her! She quickly realizes that it’s a baby, and instinctively begins to lick and care for it. Gus sees this happen and contrary to what his reputation would lead her to believe, Patches is delighted to find out that he is very protective of her and her new babies (yes, two more arrived after the first surprise).
Patches realizes that she needs to go back home and bring her babies with her, because she needs food and better shelter, but she’s unsure how to find her way. She enlists a friendly mouse, a squirrel, and several other animals to help her. Eventually she does get back to her family, and a new friend unexpectedly follows her and joins the family as well. (Hint: it’s Gus.)
Why I chose this book:
I’m a sucker for animals. I think I’ve established that in my previous book lists. This one warmed my heart so much. It’s an adventure for sure, with drama and a bit of heartbreak. Yet it ends up on a happy note.
I liked that it talked about Patches’ kittens being born in a realistic way, but very age appropriate. It could lead to some questions and answers that this age group are starting to think about more and more, and hopefully spark that “talk” in a way that’s not too traumatizing for parents. (I say “traumatized” jokingly, but really, it can be scary!)
(Novel in verse)
Summary:
A little cat named Patches chases a falling leaf out of her family’s window, and as she chases it, decides to take advantage of her freedom by exploring the world a little bit. She is searching for a warm, dark, cozy place that she has been unable to find in her house. She’s not sure why she feels so strongly that she needs to find a place like this, but she looks anyway. After she’s walked a long way and hasn’t yet found what she needs, she realizes that she is lost.
She meets a neighborhood dog named Gus who is feared because he barks at everyone who passes by his yard and is generally known to be mean (the meanest dog in town, in fact). However, he lets Patches come into his doghouse, mostly so that she can get out of the rain, but also because she has realized that it’s the perfect dark, warm, cozy place she’s been looking for. While she’s in there, her stomach starts to feel funny. It clenches and cramps, and suddenly there is something emerging from her! She quickly realizes that it’s a baby, and instinctively begins to lick and care for it. Gus sees this happen and contrary to what his reputation would lead her to believe, Patches is delighted to find out that he is very protective of her and her new babies (yes, two more arrived after the first surprise).
Patches realizes that she needs to go back home and bring her babies with her, because she needs food and better shelter, but she’s unsure how to find her way. She enlists a friendly mouse, a squirrel, and several other animals to help her. Eventually she does get back to her family, and a new friend unexpectedly follows her and joins the family as well. (Hint: it’s Gus.)
Why I chose this book:
I’m a sucker for animals. I think I’ve established that in my previous book lists. This one warmed my heart so much. It’s an adventure for sure, with drama and a bit of heartbreak. Yet it ends up on a happy note.
I liked that it talked about Patches’ kittens being born in a realistic way, but very age appropriate. It could lead to some questions and answers that this age group are starting to think about more and more, and hopefully spark that “talk” in a way that’s not too traumatizing for parents. (I say “traumatized” jokingly, but really, it can be scary!)
June 28, 2018
“How much gentler our world could be if we only knew how to listen to one another.”
Patches, a little cat, has a need to find a special place. And though she’s been searching in the house, she can’t find the special place she needs. Until one day, a little yellow leaf wafts down in front of the watching window, and calls to Patches. And, as luck would have it, the screen is loose and Patches is able to get outside and chase the leaf.
Now, Patches is ill-equipped for this journey. “The truth was, she knew as much about living outside on her own as you and I would know about living on the moon.” When she hears the dog barking, Patches figures this dog would know where to find her special place.
But Gus is known as the meanest dog in town. He is constantly chasing people away with this bark as he prowls along his chain link fence all day long. Is Gus really mean? Or is he lonely? After all, he never gets to go in the house to be with his boy. “You see, the main ingredient for happiness - for dogs as well as for humans - is having someone to love.”
Together these two animals break through stereotypes and find a way to help each other. A wonderful story with many nuggets of truth for all. The voice is charming, addressing the reader at times to make it sound like we’re friends with the narrator. “Cats, as you may have noticed, are not much inclined to take responsibility for their own mistakes.”
Patches, a little cat, has a need to find a special place. And though she’s been searching in the house, she can’t find the special place she needs. Until one day, a little yellow leaf wafts down in front of the watching window, and calls to Patches. And, as luck would have it, the screen is loose and Patches is able to get outside and chase the leaf.
Now, Patches is ill-equipped for this journey. “The truth was, she knew as much about living outside on her own as you and I would know about living on the moon.” When she hears the dog barking, Patches figures this dog would know where to find her special place.
But Gus is known as the meanest dog in town. He is constantly chasing people away with this bark as he prowls along his chain link fence all day long. Is Gus really mean? Or is he lonely? After all, he never gets to go in the house to be with his boy. “You see, the main ingredient for happiness - for dogs as well as for humans - is having someone to love.”
Together these two animals break through stereotypes and find a way to help each other. A wonderful story with many nuggets of truth for all. The voice is charming, addressing the reader at times to make it sound like we’re friends with the narrator. “Cats, as you may have noticed, are not much inclined to take responsibility for their own mistakes.”
January 12, 2017
I was pleasantly surprised. I am generally not a fan of cat books, but this was a surprising sweet story about friendship. I love that it is written in prose; it is a great way to get reluctant readers interested in "longer" books. It looks long, but it is actually a short read. Much of the book is written from the point of view of animals. It shows the relationships between animals, as well as between animals and people. It has some very cute, unexpected twists.
It is a very good choice for a Bluebonnet nominee.
It is a very good choice for a Bluebonnet nominee.
September 11, 2017
What a wonderfully satisfying story and one of the 2017-2018 Texas Bluebonnet books! This narrative poem tells the story of a calico cat, Patches, and her search for the perfect "special place." Sprinkled throughout are areas of concrete poetry that flow in and out of the text seamlessly. The figurative language abounds and the strong characterization of Patches and the meanest dog in town, Gus, will provide plenty of material for ELA teachers in all elementary grades. This librarian highly recommends "Little Cat's Luck" to readers of all ages.
May 24, 2016
This is a fairly charming book aimed at younger readers. I found it an enjoyable break from the more "serious" reading I've been doing. The one thing that wasn't immediately clear to me was that Patches was a full grown cat and not a kitten as I had initially thought, which will become evident in later chapters.
All in all, it was a good read and for its relatively short length managed to wrap things up well. It's a nice, fanciful read.
All in all, it was a good read and for its relatively short length managed to wrap things up well. It's a nice, fanciful read.
May 6, 2016
4.5 stars. I know - a cat book! Cute and charming easier chapter book due to the novel in verse poetry format, little bits of tension/suspense and little gems of wisdom sprinkled throughout.
pg. 116: "You see, the main ingredient for happiness - for dogs as well as us humans - is having someone to love." pg. 200: "Humans have a way of complicating happy endings, especially those of the animal kind."
pg. 116: "You see, the main ingredient for happiness - for dogs as well as us humans - is having someone to love." pg. 200: "Humans have a way of complicating happy endings, especially those of the animal kind."
March 21, 2017
My last Bluebonnet nominee to read. I am not a huge fan of poetry, so I put this off till last. And the first two chapters did nothing to make change my opinion. And then we meet Gus. And then we meet the red squirrel and then the mouseling and suddenly I can't put the little story down. There is so much to this little story, a brief mention of another cat playing one day at Patches house is the foreshadowing for us adults. But the big, awesome, just wants to be loved, Gus is my favorite.
March 2, 2016
I loved everything about the thIs book: the cat, Patches, is so perfectly a cat. The softly written words feel like I'm being included in a special circle of knowing. The placement of the letters add just enough concrete poetry. The story itself shows how just a little bit of live can make all the difference.
February 21, 2016
This book was simply adorable. I loved everything about it, but there was one line that summed it all up for me. "How much gentler our world would be if only we knew how to listen to one another."
Patches is a purr-fect heroine for this sweet story about seeing beyond the outward and reputation to appreciate what's inside. I can't wait to recommend this to kids at my library.
Patches is a purr-fect heroine for this sweet story about seeing beyond the outward and reputation to appreciate what's inside. I can't wait to recommend this to kids at my library.
May 15, 2016
I'm not the biggest fan of poetry, but certain poetry books do receive my stamp of approval (such as Love That Dog, Mirror Mirror, If the Shoe Fits, and Gone Fishing, to name a few)...this was just not one of them. I liked the story itself, but the whole novel-in-verse-thing did not do it for me this time.
December 8, 2016
Oh my, such a cute emotional gem! This was one book that I didn't honestly have high hopes for as I am not a huge fan of animal books. Let's just say that books about pets don't tend to end so well. Anyway, I am so glad I read this book. It is short, cute, humorous, and emotional. I think this will be a wonderful book to use as a read-aloud. I am sure this will be a popular Bluebonnet next year.
January 5, 2017
A cute story told in a whimsical and visual way where the words take on shapes and create movement. Patches is a cat who is lost and looking for a cozy place. Little does she know she is about to have babies in "the meanest dogs" doghouse. The animals and dog Gus help her.
Favorite line from the book, "How much gentler our world would be if only we know how to listen to one another."
Favorite line from the book, "How much gentler our world would be if only we know how to listen to one another."
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 12, 2017
A sweet story about an indoor cat who is looking for a special cozy place. When she chases an autumn leaf, she ends up too far from home. She finds herself in dangerous circumstances and has to figure out how to get a long with a scary dog and get back home with her special surprises. Written in a unique lyrical style.
July 8, 2017
Another story in verse, and as I've pointed out in other reviews, not my favorite but this book just kept me intrigued enough to keep reading. While the beginning was not my favorite part, I did not predict why Patches wandered off in search of a better place. Loved the ending. I believe you will too. Again, as I stated in another animal story, we humans need to be kinder.
November 14, 2017
My kid read this book within half an hour so I thought I’d give it a try. I ended up crying towards the end. It’s such a heart warming story. Filled with lots of fun facts about cats and dogs. I echo along the way with the author who must be a cat lover too. Thank you for writing it. I’m going to purchase a copy to keep.
November 22, 2017
This is an adorable early chapter book. It will be hard to get it in the hands of the right kiddos because it looks thick even though there aren't many words per page. It is written in verse and the words dance around the page a little to add excitement which could definitely help young children visualize the story. I could see myself reading this aloud to a group.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 142 reviews