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Garfield #32
Garfield Thinks Big
BIG THOUGHTS FROM AN EVEN BIGGER CAT
GARFIELD is a true Aristotle of cats, pondering such tough questions How many plates of lasagna can a cat consume in a single sitting? That's a lot of food for thought, but you can bet this feline philosopher will gobble his way to an answer--and still find room for dessert! It's nothing less than side-splitting fun, so don't miss out as GARFIELD thinks (and eats) BIGGER than ever before!
GARFIELD is a true Aristotle of cats, pondering such tough questions How many plates of lasagna can a cat consume in a single sitting? That's a lot of food for thought, but you can bet this feline philosopher will gobble his way to an answer--and still find room for dessert! It's nothing less than side-splitting fun, so don't miss out as GARFIELD thinks (and eats) BIGGER than ever before!
128 pages, Paperback
First published October 7, 1997
About the author
Jim Davis
2,368 books642 followersJames Robert "Jim" Davis is an American cartoonist who created the popular comic strip Garfield. Other comics that he has worked on are Tumbleweeds, Gnorm Gnat, Slapstick, and a strip about Mr. Potato Head.
Jim Davis was born in Fairmount, Indiana, near Marion, where he grew up on a small farm with his father James William Davis, mother Anna Catherine (Carter) Davis, brother Dave, and 25 cats. Davis' childhood on a farm parallels the life of his cartoon character Garfield's owner, Jon Arbuckle, who was also raised on a farm with his parents and a brother, Doc Boy. Jon, too, is a cartoonist, and also celebrates his birthday on July 28. Davis attended Ball State University. While attending Ball State, he became a member of the Theta Xi fraternity. He earned the dubious honor of earning one of the lowest cumulative grade point averages in the history of the university, an honor incidentally shared with Late Show host David Letterman.
Davis as of 2007 resides in Muncie, Indiana, where he and his staff produce Garfield under his company, Paws, Inc., begun in 1981. He was married to Carolyn, a singer and elementary teacher whom he met while both were attending college, and has a son named James with her. However, the couple divorced, and Davis since 2000 has been married to Jill, Paws' senior vice president of licensing, who has worked there approximately 25 years.
Ironically, Davis did not own cats when he started Garfield because of Carolyn's allergies, but they owned a Labrador retriever named Molly. With Jill, the family has expanded to include children Ashley and Chris; three grandchildren, Chloe, Carly and Cody; cats, Spunky and Nermal; and a dog, Pooky.
Jim Davis was born in Fairmount, Indiana, near Marion, where he grew up on a small farm with his father James William Davis, mother Anna Catherine (Carter) Davis, brother Dave, and 25 cats. Davis' childhood on a farm parallels the life of his cartoon character Garfield's owner, Jon Arbuckle, who was also raised on a farm with his parents and a brother, Doc Boy. Jon, too, is a cartoonist, and also celebrates his birthday on July 28. Davis attended Ball State University. While attending Ball State, he became a member of the Theta Xi fraternity. He earned the dubious honor of earning one of the lowest cumulative grade point averages in the history of the university, an honor incidentally shared with Late Show host David Letterman.
Davis as of 2007 resides in Muncie, Indiana, where he and his staff produce Garfield under his company, Paws, Inc., begun in 1981. He was married to Carolyn, a singer and elementary teacher whom he met while both were attending college, and has a son named James with her. However, the couple divorced, and Davis since 2000 has been married to Jill, Paws' senior vice president of licensing, who has worked there approximately 25 years.
Ironically, Davis did not own cats when he started Garfield because of Carolyn's allergies, but they owned a Labrador retriever named Molly. With Jill, the family has expanded to include children Ashley and Chris; three grandchildren, Chloe, Carly and Cody; cats, Spunky and Nermal; and a dog, Pooky.
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
January 11, 2025
This one deserves special mention, as it has a comic strip drawn by "Blondie" cartoonists Young and Drake as part of the Comic Strip Switcheroo on April Fool's Day 1997.
May 13, 2020
Pretty good collection of Garfield comic strips.
February 13, 2022
Bueno, qué decir de los Garfields, uno de los compañeros de nuestra infancia (y adolescencia y parte de la vida adulta, recuerdo haberlos leído hasta bien después de acabada la carrera). Recuerdo haberme encontrado el primero en casa de un amigo y habérmelo devorado de una sentada, con 5-6 años, sin entender varios de los chistes pero disfrutando mucho de los más obvios. Hoy en día, en casa, a los ojos entrecerrados con mezcla de desprecio y aburrimiento los seguimos llamando ojos de Garfield:
Esta sensación de saber que siempre iba a encontrar unos cuantos graciosos la tuve durante las dos décadas posteriores en las que Garfield iba apareciendo periódicamente en mi vida. No es una obra culmen de la literatura, pero nos ha alegrado muchos momentos.
Esta sensación de saber que siempre iba a encontrar unos cuantos graciosos la tuve durante las dos décadas posteriores en las que Garfield iba apareciendo periódicamente en mi vida. No es una obra culmen de la literatura, pero nos ha alegrado muchos momentos.
September 11, 2020
Still excellent after all these years. Just like the 31st book, there were quotes I’ve been using for years and they were punchlines from Garfield. So that’s really saying something about the quality of this strip and the staying power it had in the mind of a young boy to an adult. A lot of other comedic tv and films and readings have come and gone, but somehow Garfield and The Far Side and Calvin & Hobbes will always have a place in my long-term memory. If you forgot about Garfield or didn’t read the strip as a kid, definitely give him a go. And even better if you’re a cat owner and can REALLY relate to poor Jon.
July 24, 2022
Wonderful Content
I just could not get too much of Garfield! Especially with gems like the strip where Garfield hangs some mistletoe on a mirror! Unfortunately this book did force me to always read in portrait mode, which was a bit frustrating.
I just could not get too much of Garfield! Especially with gems like the strip where Garfield hangs some mistletoe on a mirror! Unfortunately this book did force me to always read in portrait mode, which was a bit frustrating.
June 8, 2025
Garfield hatches more plans with the mice, lands in the toilet, wears scary Halloween masks, gets stuck in a tree, spends time with Pooky, and dresses up as a big spider in an attempt to catch a bird.
August 10, 2020
Lots of laugh-out-loud moments in this one. And I can currently hear Mini-Me upstairs giggling away at it herself. 😁
September 16, 2022
Another funny Garfield book. Great for fans of the comic strip Garfield.
Want to Read
January 12, 2024SM
January 18, 2024
A nice quick jaunt through a half year of Garfield from 1997. These are always fun to zoom through late at night or when in need of a laugh.
November 18, 2015
Garfield Thinks Big is another collection of humorous comic strips by that master of cat funnies, Jim Davis. Garfield popularity has continued to grow, kind of like the size of his feet (which are huge now), all over the world. With the help of Jon and Odie, Garfield fills these 128 pages with droll and physical humor, usually at the expense of his master and best friend. After all, Garfield is a cat that is fat, lazy, mean, selfish, and always hungry. I guess these are the things that make him entertaining.
Personally, my favorite character is Odie, as I am a dog person rather than a cat person. Sure, he is portrayed as the dumb dog of the house, but is he really stupid? He often has moments of pure brilliance. He has outsmarted Garfield many times, even if he does get kicked off the table by that cat, and can sure take a lickin' and keep on tickin'. As I have said before, I just wish Odie had thought bubbles like Garfield. I bet that would make the comic strip even more entertaining.
Overall, Garfield Thinks Big is a nice collection of Garfield comic strips that made me smile a could of times. There were a few storylines, most of them only lasting one week. I personally like the ones that last multiple weeks, take Jon, Garfield, and Odie out of the house, and stick them in a different environment. We need more of those types of storylines, Mr. Davis.
Personally, my favorite character is Odie, as I am a dog person rather than a cat person. Sure, he is portrayed as the dumb dog of the house, but is he really stupid? He often has moments of pure brilliance. He has outsmarted Garfield many times, even if he does get kicked off the table by that cat, and can sure take a lickin' and keep on tickin'. As I have said before, I just wish Odie had thought bubbles like Garfield. I bet that would make the comic strip even more entertaining.
Overall, Garfield Thinks Big is a nice collection of Garfield comic strips that made me smile a could of times. There were a few storylines, most of them only lasting one week. I personally like the ones that last multiple weeks, take Jon, Garfield, and Odie out of the house, and stick them in a different environment. We need more of those types of storylines, Mr. Davis.
May 21, 2018
I don't ever remember laughing at Garfield. Reading it was like re-watching an episode of a sitcom you've already seen ten times and know all the plot threads and punchlines. There's a bland comfort to it and, for a stretch in early Middle School, bland comfort was preferable to none.
I consumed all the Garfield books in the Middle School library, idly wondering when something new would happen to shake up the Groundhog Day-esque loop in which they lived their lives, for a character to maybe grow or change. As the library's stock dwindled, so to did my desire to wade through any more of Garfield's doldrums.
In some ways the world of Garfield seems to represent some primal desire to keep everything safe by maintaining the conformity of each new day to the mold fixed by the last, but such a life seems more like death by whimper.
I consumed all the Garfield books in the Middle School library, idly wondering when something new would happen to shake up the Groundhog Day-esque loop in which they lived their lives, for a character to maybe grow or change. As the library's stock dwindled, so to did my desire to wade through any more of Garfield's doldrums.
In some ways the world of Garfield seems to represent some primal desire to keep everything safe by maintaining the conformity of each new day to the mold fixed by the last, but such a life seems more like death by whimper.
March 2, 2010
Funny worth a read.
This book is funny. I don't remember everything that happened. When I read this book it was with a lot of other Garfield books. I love these comic type books because they are easy to read, and quite funny. I think everyone should read these books. So read them now!
~Bookworm~
This book is funny. I don't remember everything that happened. When I read this book it was with a lot of other Garfield books. I love these comic type books because they are easy to read, and quite funny. I think everyone should read these books. So read them now!
~Bookworm~
December 16, 2008
funny is not always the answer
May 11, 2010
Garfield watches Jon play golf.
April 25, 2012
Book #32. Includes an April Fool's gag where Jon and Garfield temporarily move into the Bumsteads' home.
February 16, 2014
Lots of laughs.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews