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The Fat Cat: A Danish Folktale
A cat grows fatter and fatter as he eats everyone he meets.
28 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1971
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206 people want to read
About the author
Jack Kent
128 books46 followersJohn Wellington "Jack" Kent (1920 – 1985) was an American cartoonist and prolific author-illustrator of children's books. He is perhaps best known as the creator of the comic strip King Aroo. In addition to his own books, he illustrated more than twenty books by other authors.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 50 reviews
March 14, 2020
This book is story time magic! If you want to hear a classroom of pre-K to third graders roar with laughter, this is the book.
The first time I heard The Fat Cat was in the library at my son's school when a visiting public librarian was reading it as a flannel board story. As the cat grew fatter and fatter after gobbling up the characters in the book including the old woman, Skohottentot, Skolinkenlot, five birds in a flock, seven girls dancing, the lady with the pink parasol and the parson with a crooked staff, the uproarious laughter of the first graders could be heard throughout the school. The principal and parent volunteers soon gathered in the back of the library delighting in the children's laughter as the cat grew bigger and bigger.
That was it; I had to have this book and I had to have the flannel board story. Ami, the public librarian, was kind enough to give me a pattern for all the characters and that was my first experience with flannel board stories. That summer my son and my friend's daughters worked tracing the characters on pellon and then coloring them with fabric markers. To this day, thirty-five years later, the Fat Cat flannel characters look like they jumped right out of the book even though I have used them for story time again and again over the years.
This book has all the elements of a fantastic read aloud for story time - it is simple with only a few lines per page; it is colorfully and whimsically illustrated; it is repetitive (soon the children are participating and chanting lines like, "And now I am going to eat you!"); it sets up an air of anticipation as the cat grows fatter and fatter, and even after the cat meets a "woodcutter with an axe," it has a happy ending for the "little" cat and all the other characters. The woodcutter with an axe cuts a hole in the fat cat's tummy (not shown) and all the characters jump out. After I told the story a few times with the flannel board, it was easy to ad lib, amend or delete wording. For instance instead of "He took his axe and cut the cat open," I changed the wording to, "He cut a hole in the cat's tummy and out came the parson with a crooked staff, the lady with the pink parasol," etc. At this point the children joined in naming all the rest of the characters in reverse order, taking the emphasis off the cat's tummy being cut open!
The last wordless page shows the woodcutter putting a band-aid on the "little" cat's tummy. I always added the words, "The woodcutter put a band-aid on the little cat's tummy and after that, the little cat was not so greedy anymore!"
As I said, this book is story time magic for a group. I'm not sure if it has quite the same effect when read one-on-one. I think it is best read to a group of pre-K to third graders. Listen to the children feed off of each other's laughter and see if you don't feel happy the rest of the week!
There are several versions of this book; I highly recommend the one by Jack Kent.
With many thanks to Michael, Gillian, Roisin and Maura for helping me create the flannel board version!
The first time I heard The Fat Cat was in the library at my son's school when a visiting public librarian was reading it as a flannel board story. As the cat grew fatter and fatter after gobbling up the characters in the book including the old woman, Skohottentot, Skolinkenlot, five birds in a flock, seven girls dancing, the lady with the pink parasol and the parson with a crooked staff, the uproarious laughter of the first graders could be heard throughout the school. The principal and parent volunteers soon gathered in the back of the library delighting in the children's laughter as the cat grew bigger and bigger.
That was it; I had to have this book and I had to have the flannel board story. Ami, the public librarian, was kind enough to give me a pattern for all the characters and that was my first experience with flannel board stories. That summer my son and my friend's daughters worked tracing the characters on pellon and then coloring them with fabric markers. To this day, thirty-five years later, the Fat Cat flannel characters look like they jumped right out of the book even though I have used them for story time again and again over the years.
This book has all the elements of a fantastic read aloud for story time - it is simple with only a few lines per page; it is colorfully and whimsically illustrated; it is repetitive (soon the children are participating and chanting lines like, "And now I am going to eat you!"); it sets up an air of anticipation as the cat grows fatter and fatter, and even after the cat meets a "woodcutter with an axe," it has a happy ending for the "little" cat and all the other characters. The woodcutter with an axe cuts a hole in the fat cat's tummy (not shown) and all the characters jump out. After I told the story a few times with the flannel board, it was easy to ad lib, amend or delete wording. For instance instead of "He took his axe and cut the cat open," I changed the wording to, "He cut a hole in the cat's tummy and out came the parson with a crooked staff, the lady with the pink parasol," etc. At this point the children joined in naming all the rest of the characters in reverse order, taking the emphasis off the cat's tummy being cut open!
The last wordless page shows the woodcutter putting a band-aid on the "little" cat's tummy. I always added the words, "The woodcutter put a band-aid on the little cat's tummy and after that, the little cat was not so greedy anymore!"
As I said, this book is story time magic for a group. I'm not sure if it has quite the same effect when read one-on-one. I think it is best read to a group of pre-K to third graders. Listen to the children feed off of each other's laughter and see if you don't feel happy the rest of the week!
There are several versions of this book; I highly recommend the one by Jack Kent.
With many thanks to Michael, Gillian, Roisin and Maura for helping me create the flannel board version!
August 3, 2011
I know this book is considered politically incorrect for a number of reasons--none of which I intend to deal with here; the fact is that I love this book in spite of all the reasons I "should not" love it.
It has a fantastic rhythm, quirky characaters, a delightfully naughty cat, who gets his comeuppance at the end-- and it has stayed with me over 40 years as a pleasant childhood memory. It is a terrific read-aloud, with Jack Kent's stylized cartoon renderings of old ladies, birds, little girls, and odd little characters with snouts and Danish-sounding, giggle-inducing names.
It has a fantastic rhythm, quirky characaters, a delightfully naughty cat, who gets his comeuppance at the end-- and it has stayed with me over 40 years as a pleasant childhood memory. It is a terrific read-aloud, with Jack Kent's stylized cartoon renderings of old ladies, birds, little girls, and odd little characters with snouts and Danish-sounding, giggle-inducing names.
July 20, 2016
Years ago, I made this book into a felt-board story. I stick closely to Jack Kent's words, although I changed "gruel" to "soup". I especially like that on his last, wordless page, the woodcutter patches up the cat's tummy, and they seem to become friends.
However, I am not comfortable reading this story. In real life, I know that when I eat much more than I need, I put on weight. I also know that some people weigh more than others, and it isn't becuase they are eating more than they need.
Does reading a book to preschoolers, about an enormously fat cat, who gobbles up people as well as other creatures diminish their empathy for real human beings who weigh more than they do? Or is this just simple math. (eat some, weigh some; eat more, weigh more; eat MUCH more, weigh MUCH more.)
I"m still thinking. I would like to hear what others think.
However, I am not comfortable reading this story. In real life, I know that when I eat much more than I need, I put on weight. I also know that some people weigh more than others, and it isn't becuase they are eating more than they need.
Does reading a book to preschoolers, about an enormously fat cat, who gobbles up people as well as other creatures diminish their empathy for real human beings who weigh more than they do? Or is this just simple math. (eat some, weigh some; eat more, weigh more; eat MUCH more, weigh MUCH more.)
I"m still thinking. I would like to hear what others think.
June 3, 2020
Amazing. Just fabulous. One of the best books of all time. A work of art
January 18, 2019
“Skohottentot” and “Skolinkenlot” are my new favorite names. Try saying them! So fun! I want to get a cat and a boat just so I can name them Skohottentot and Skolinkenlot
April 8, 2025
my favorite book, has a major plot twist that makes you rethink life
February 21, 2019
Read to confirm my thought that it's just a fun story, nothing to do with obesity. This is a fat cat because his torso becomes a big fat circle, and because 'fat' and 'cat' rhyme and help emergent readers. As soon as the woodcutter cuts the hole in the tummy and everyone leaves, he's a normal cat again. (And the woodcutter patches him up, so it's all HEA.)
Ridiculous on so many counts, both unbelievable and hilarious to most children. A child who takes it seriously needs to see a counselor* with his entire family* before they give him an eating disorder.
My library's copy loved to pieces but still circulating... in this very conservative community.
Ridiculous on so many counts, both unbelievable and hilarious to most children. A child who takes it seriously needs to see a counselor* with his entire family* before they give him an eating disorder.
My library's copy loved to pieces but still circulating... in this very conservative community.
September 16, 2012
It's been a long time since I've read this book. My wife and I were babysitting our niece, and we discovered the book on her bookshelf. I actually yelled out "Fat Cat!", because I instantly got excited about seeing the book. So, I grabbed it and started reading it. It was just as entertaining as I remember it. The cat eats everyone! I know, sounds morbid. But what kid doesn't like a story of a cat that eats townsfolk? I definitely recommend this book to kids across the globe... It's an old Danish folktale.
September 11, 2019
I don't think this book would appear "as is" today, and that's a good thing. The story concludes with a woodcutter chopping open the fat cat to free all of the people he's gobbled up along his walk. The final, wordless page shows the cat with a bandage on his belly, perhaps to soften the blow of this unpleasant imagery.
There are elements of "the old lady who swallowed a fly" and Little Red Riding Hood in this story.
There are elements of "the old lady who swallowed a fly" and Little Red Riding Hood in this story.
March 12, 2022
The Fat Cat- A Danish Folktale by Jack Kent- Children’s Illustrated Colour Picture Book- The book narrates the story of her pet cat who resides with her owner, an old lady in a house. One day, the old lady was cooking porridge, she remembered that she need to talk to her neighbor lady. She instructed the cat to take care of the porridge while she will talk to her neighbor and return back. As the cat was hungry, she ate the porridge and the utensil in which porridge was being cooked. As the cat eats more, she puts on weight. Cat gets fat. When the old lady returns, she enquires about the porridge, but instead of replying, the cat eats the old lady. On the way, the cat meets a pig, a duck, a group of five birds, 7-dancinggirls, a lady with a pink parasol, a Parson, who question her about her getting fat, but she eats all of them. Last she meets a wood cutter with his chopper. When the cat utters that she will eat him, he cuts cat open with his chopper. All come out of the stomach of the cat and happily get themselves busy with the work they were doing. Coloured illustrations help the reader in relating to the story. I have read the Hindi language translation of this book.
May 25, 2024
A**hole cat eats everyone until he meets a woodcutter who frees them all, intact and undigested, with an axe... cat is shown bandaged afterwards.
These ones always bother me for biological reasons (i.e. eating a watermelon seed and then growing a watermelon in your stomach... they bug me to no end), and I'm pretty sure a predatory cat with the feeding habits of a boa constrictor (again, sans low pH gastric juices and enzymatic digestion) eating little girls and then getting hacked open with an axe is nightmare fodder for developing minds.
You can traumatize them for free by borrowing this from OpenLibrary. ;)
These ones always bother me for biological reasons (i.e. eating a watermelon seed and then growing a watermelon in your stomach... they bug me to no end), and I'm pretty sure a predatory cat with the feeding habits of a boa constrictor (again, sans low pH gastric juices and enzymatic digestion) eating little girls and then getting hacked open with an axe is nightmare fodder for developing minds.
You can traumatize them for free by borrowing this from OpenLibrary. ;)
January 19, 2025
"The Fat Cat" delivers an engaging lesson about overindulgence in a way that's both entertaining and thought-provoking for children. The story's whimsical nature reminds me of how we sometimes recognize patterns in the world—like spotting familiar birds in a garden or hearing their distinct songs. The imagery is vivid, and the humor is undeniable (yes, even when the cat eats the "weed"). It makes you reflect on restraint and consequences in a fun, approachable way. Overall, it's a delightful tale with just the right mix of humor and wisdom, perfect for kids and adults alike. A great pick for storytime!
August 5, 2024
As a speech therapist of young children, this book was like gold. An attention-getting theme, rich language, a stimulant for imagination, repeated lines, numerous rhymes, and that all the children and I had so much fun with it caused me to use it over and over. I need to find that old, tattered book and start reading it to the grands.
December 29, 2025
Ain't no way in hell y'all read the same book as me. This one is going straight back to the bookstore, because it was so odd and violent I can't fathom anyone truly justifying reading it to their kids. If you like cats eating little girls and then being sliced open with a bloody axe, you're in luck!
May 4, 2017
What did I just read? And Why?
*Spoiler*
The cat lives. "Would have been 1 star if he died." -- Laura Ryan
I can't give it 5 stars though because the cat living seems to define biology. There would definitely be more blood.
*Spoiler*
The cat lives. "Would have been 1 star if he died." -- Laura Ryan
I can't give it 5 stars though because the cat living seems to define biology. There would definitely be more blood.
March 30, 2018
This is a tale of a serial killer who went around town eating everything and everyone in sight only to meet his demise when he encounters the local axe wielding woodcutter.
December 23, 2018
I've loved this story my whole life and still own the copy I got in second grade from Scholastic Book Service.
Read
October 16, 2019This book reminds me a bit of "I Know an Old Woman Who Swallowed a Fly."
November 3, 2019
Read many times!
February 1, 2020
This book is great for a chronological order game. You just have to be careful who you are reading it to. The end might upset some parents if you are reading to a small group. lol
January 28, 2021
Very funny. 1-2 grade level
Cat eats everything in sight.
Cat eats everything in sight.
March 6, 2023
A clever little folktale.
December 4, 2023
that is one fat cat. Puts Garfield to shame
December 19, 2024
I distinctly remember reading as a wee child and being so tickled and enchanted by this folk tale.
May 17, 2010
Another of my favorite read-alouds in the library for preschoolers and early readers. Kent follows the wake of an extremely hungry cat who procedes to eat everyone in sight who spies him and comments that he "is SO fat." It's a tour de force for Jack Kent and his marvelous illustrations, and perhaps in the right hands a cautionary tale for the rude among us. Cat does have his come-uppance in the end. But ... does cat survive? Read The Fat Cat to find out!
June 18, 2016
The love I have for this book is endless. It's the first book I really remember picking out of the Rosedale Library, my mother started taking me when I was very young. The first book I remember being able to read without any help. It is the book, out of all books, that started my love of reading.
I only wish I could get my hands on a copy for my children. Well, for myself too!
I only wish I could get my hands on a copy for my children. Well, for myself too!
May 2, 2018
A Danish folktale about a cat that eats everyone in sight. Kind of like the wolf in little red riding hood or the woman who swallowed a fly, everyone is unharmed in the end. Some of the word choose is not typical modern English like "gruel" or "my little cat" but overall a 2nd grader like the rhymes.
December 1, 2021
This one was a bit of a cheat to make my yearly reading goal as I don't count rereads towards my progress I had to cheat a little with a kids book.
Variation of the big bad wolf and perhaps the little old lady who swallowed a fly, or perhaps they were a variation of this, who knows. The funny Danish names were worth reading this alone.
Variation of the big bad wolf and perhaps the little old lady who swallowed a fly, or perhaps they were a variation of this, who knows. The funny Danish names were worth reading this alone.
April 28, 2020
FUN to read this book again!
February 18, 2020: I bought this book, which is a Danish folktale, to celebrate my Danish heritage on my biological father's side of the family. I had given a copy to my nephew and wanted to record me reading it to him on family search "memories". Delightful, fun book.
February 18, 2020: I bought this book, which is a Danish folktale, to celebrate my Danish heritage on my biological father's side of the family. I had given a copy to my nephew and wanted to record me reading it to him on family search "memories". Delightful, fun book.
June 6, 2013
A childhood favorite! This book is so worn and loved. Lots of great memories. It's a fun repetition book about a hungry little cat. Now with 3 cats and a little girl on the way, it will again be a favorite bedtime read.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 50 reviews