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Ladybird Books for Grown-Ups
How it Works: The Cat
THE PERFECT GIFT for those who value elegance, affection, cold hearted killing and expensive, clawed to death furniture. __________________________________'A pet can be great fun.Cats are warm and fluffy, like cuddly toys, and their owners give them lots of time and affection. And, just like cuddly toys, they do very little in return.'__________________________________'Over thousands of years, we have developed a special relationship with the animals that share our homes.Dogs have evolved to serve many sorts of human needs.And humans have evolved to serve many sorts of cat food.'__________________________________This delightful book is the latest in the series of Ladybird books which have been specially planned to help grown-ups with the world about them. The large clear script, the careful choice of words, the frequent repetition and the thoughtful matching of text with pictures all enable grown-ups to think they have taught themselves to cope. Featuring original Ladybird artwork alongside brilliantly funny, brand new text. 'Hilarious' StylistOther new titles for Autumn 2017:How it The BrotherHow it The SisterThe Ladybird Book of the ExThe Ladybird Book of the NerdThe Ladybird Book of the New YouThe Ladybird Book of BallsThe Ladybird Book of the Big Night OutThe Ladybird Book of the Quiet Night InPeople at The Rock Star Previous titles in the Ladybirds for Grown Ups How it The HusbandHow it The WifeHow it The MumHow it The DadThe Ladybird Book of the Mid-Life CrisisThe Ladybird Book of the HangoverThe Ladybird Book of MindfulnessThe Ladybird Book of the ShedThe Ladybird Book of DatingThe Ladybird Book of the HipsterHow it The StudentHow it The CatHow it The DogHow it The Grandparent The Ladybird Book of Red TapeThe Ladybird Book of the People Next DoorThe Ladybird Book of the SickieThe Ladybird Book of the Zombie ApocalypseThe Ladybird Book of the Do-Gooder
51 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 20, 2016
9 people are currently reading
195 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 119 reviews
November 21, 2019
I gifted this book to my daughter, who is a self-professed "crazy cat lady"! I always love the illustrations in these hilarious books - I recognize some illustrations from some of my favourite Ladybird fairy-tale books! A great gift for anyone who is a cat lover!
December 25, 2016
If you are a cat lover and/or owner you cannot help but laugh at some of these observations on our feline friends. I especially like the following, the one about stocking up on food, the one about how cats read and the the one about "Tibbles-Ra".
I am sure all cat lovers will recognise this behaviour, it's why we love them.
I am sure all cat lovers will recognise this behaviour, it's why we love them.
February 4, 2022
The 'How it works' series uses beautiful vintage ladybird book illustrations with the addition of funny text in a style of the old ladybird books but with added sarcasm. Here we meet all sorts of cats from different walks of life, get to know a bit about their owners and their funny quirks (cats and owners)
Out of this series The Dog and The Cat are the ones I have found the most funny. Rereading these two today I think The Cat is probably even better. Lots of beautifully amusing cat illustrations with equally funny observations on their personalities.
A lovely picture of Bach being pestered by his cat whilst composing and a mouse impersonating Elton John to escape Elton's cat. The cat wasn't fooled.
Out of this series The Dog and The Cat are the ones I have found the most funny. Rereading these two today I think The Cat is probably even better. Lots of beautifully amusing cat illustrations with equally funny observations on their personalities.
A lovely picture of Bach being pestered by his cat whilst composing and a mouse impersonating Elton John to escape Elton's cat. The cat wasn't fooled.
December 30, 2017
Tongue-in-cheek descriptions sit opposite 1950s-style drawings. Cat owners will certainly get a chuckle from lines like “Dogs have evolved to serve many sorts of human needs. And humans have evolved to serve many sorts of cat food.” (However, “It is a good idea to buy a lot of your cat’s favourite food. That way, you will have something to throw away when she changes her mind.”) Makes a good coffee table book for your guests to smile at.
[I purchased this as a bargain book from Aldi and haven’t checked yet whether the U.S. release (The Fireside Grown-Up Guide to the Cat), which I have on my Kindle, has the same text, but I presume so.]
[I purchased this as a bargain book from Aldi and haven’t checked yet whether the U.S. release (The Fireside Grown-Up Guide to the Cat), which I have on my Kindle, has the same text, but I presume so.]
February 6, 2017
Cats
Furry, cuddly, decorative ne'er do wells. They don't actually do anything. They are generally self centred and yet we love and adore them.
This adult guide focuses on cats and their owners, and basically shows how we are wound round their little paws and controlled by them.
Even a non-cat owner such as myself can be drawn into this silent adoration of the felines and spend hours watching them on Youtube.
We are all drawn to them and they basically rule things and we know this but ignore it.
Cats rule the world!
This guide ignores this no longer and explores the behaviours and expectations of cats, and with the help of illustrations from Ladybird books, shows how they get what they want from us every single time.
As with all the adult guide books this one is real fun and entertaining.
Copy provided by the publishers via Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review.
Furry, cuddly, decorative ne'er do wells. They don't actually do anything. They are generally self centred and yet we love and adore them.
This adult guide focuses on cats and their owners, and basically shows how we are wound round their little paws and controlled by them.
Even a non-cat owner such as myself can be drawn into this silent adoration of the felines and spend hours watching them on Youtube.
We are all drawn to them and they basically rule things and we know this but ignore it.
Cats rule the world!
This guide ignores this no longer and explores the behaviours and expectations of cats, and with the help of illustrations from Ladybird books, shows how they get what they want from us every single time.
As with all the adult guide books this one is real fun and entertaining.
Copy provided by the publishers via Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review.
January 1, 2017
I've been noticing these Ladybirds for Grown-Ups books all over the place lately, and was secretly hoping I'd receive one (or a Five on Brexit Island!) for Christmas. So imagine my delight when I tore open the paper to discover The Cat.
Never a truer word on the feline condition has been written. Cats are selfish, self-centered, semi-homicidal tiny maniacs, and I want to cuddle them all. Of course mine love me to pieces, but the cats featured in this enlightening tome are surely more reflective of the species.
Genuinely, the authors do a fantastic job of merging Ye Olde Ladybird pictures with humorous, chuckle-out-loud text. I finished it inside five minutes, but I'm sure everyone present on Christmas day enjoyed giving it a read. I'd definitely gift others in the series in future.
Never a truer word on the feline condition has been written. Cats are selfish, self-centered, semi-homicidal tiny maniacs, and I want to cuddle them all. Of course mine love me to pieces, but the cats featured in this enlightening tome are surely more reflective of the species.
Genuinely, the authors do a fantastic job of merging Ye Olde Ladybird pictures with humorous, chuckle-out-loud text. I finished it inside five minutes, but I'm sure everyone present on Christmas day enjoyed giving it a read. I'd definitely gift others in the series in future.
December 28, 2016
It's hard to review a book this short! This is basically a mish mash of illustrations plucked from old Ladybird books with some modern text about a particular subject put against it.
I would give this a 3 star, but as it had some funny pages but not a laugh a page, so I'd say it is probably 2-2.5 stars.
I would give this a 3 star, but as it had some funny pages but not a laugh a page, so I'd say it is probably 2-2.5 stars.
November 21, 2017
'How it Works: The Cat' opens with the irrefutable statement 'A pet cat can be great fun' and it goes on to explain the joys of owning a cat together with some historical incidents in the lives of more famous cats.
We are told that although cats are ''warm and cuddly' they 'do very little in return' ... it begs the question, 'do they need to?' Surely just being our pets is sufficient?
We are advised to always buy 'a lot of your cat's favourite food' because often they change their mind and suddenly won't eat what they previously enjoyed ... how very true that is. And it is true that there are two sorts of things in a cat's world, things they are scared of and things they plan to climb inside. All cat owners know the latter is definitely true for a box put down or a carrier bag casually and temporarily placed on the floor soon reveals the cat comfortably settled down inside! And isn't it always the case that the owner doesn't want to disturb the cat so lets it stay there until it decides to move?
I particularly like the illustration that shows two kittens looking puzzling at a book. And the accompanying caption is amusing in that we are told they are too young to know that cats cannot read like humans. Instead a cat waits until its owner has indicated which books and magazines might be interesting by opening them and then the cat 'sits on the item and reads through its bottom'. Very funny but oh, so true!
Equally amusing is the illustration that shows a cat rolling around on a duvet with feathers flying everywhere. And we are told that cats may seem selfish and pampered but that they can be 'very useful around the house'. The explanation for this is simple, 'If Zara [the lady of the house] did not have a cat, she would have had to shred this duvet herself'!!
And from the historical side of things, Bach's cat used to keep sitting on his keyboard and despite Bach telling his pet that he was trying to finish a fugue, the cat kept returning. My daughter can testify to this but using her computer keyboard as an example; she often finds when Salvador sits alongside her while she is working, the capital's lock suddenly comes on and on one classic occasion he even managed to remove a key from the keyboard! Well, if he hadn't been there she might have had to do it herself!
This new series of Ladybird books 'for grown-ups' is illustrated just as well as all its predecessors but in many instances uses more modern language in telling its tale.
We are told that although cats are ''warm and cuddly' they 'do very little in return' ... it begs the question, 'do they need to?' Surely just being our pets is sufficient?
We are advised to always buy 'a lot of your cat's favourite food' because often they change their mind and suddenly won't eat what they previously enjoyed ... how very true that is. And it is true that there are two sorts of things in a cat's world, things they are scared of and things they plan to climb inside. All cat owners know the latter is definitely true for a box put down or a carrier bag casually and temporarily placed on the floor soon reveals the cat comfortably settled down inside! And isn't it always the case that the owner doesn't want to disturb the cat so lets it stay there until it decides to move?
I particularly like the illustration that shows two kittens looking puzzling at a book. And the accompanying caption is amusing in that we are told they are too young to know that cats cannot read like humans. Instead a cat waits until its owner has indicated which books and magazines might be interesting by opening them and then the cat 'sits on the item and reads through its bottom'. Very funny but oh, so true!
Equally amusing is the illustration that shows a cat rolling around on a duvet with feathers flying everywhere. And we are told that cats may seem selfish and pampered but that they can be 'very useful around the house'. The explanation for this is simple, 'If Zara [the lady of the house] did not have a cat, she would have had to shred this duvet herself'!!
And from the historical side of things, Bach's cat used to keep sitting on his keyboard and despite Bach telling his pet that he was trying to finish a fugue, the cat kept returning. My daughter can testify to this but using her computer keyboard as an example; she often finds when Salvador sits alongside her while she is working, the capital's lock suddenly comes on and on one classic occasion he even managed to remove a key from the keyboard! Well, if he hadn't been there she might have had to do it herself!
This new series of Ladybird books 'for grown-ups' is illustrated just as well as all its predecessors but in many instances uses more modern language in telling its tale.
January 2, 2017
So funny; my first 'Ladybird for Grownups' and it won't be the last. A series of cats provoke a series of insightful comments. Only someone who is allowed to share their house with a cat or two would understand the humour. Loved it. A great Christmas present.
January 10, 2017
For all cat lovers. Very funny.
September 23, 2017
Review to follow.
February 16, 2017
The Fireside Grown-Up Guide to the Cat
was the first Fireside Grown-Up Guide I'd ever read (or even heard of), and I had also never heard of the apparently very historic Ladybird children's series on which they are based (were they a British thing?). But it was the obvious one for me to start with, since I am a lifelong servant of the feline species and have come to know them very well. Clearly, so have the authors, although I don't think they are particularly fond of them.
As novelty books go, it's quirky enough, but it is so short! And the illustrations are a little odd – not that a little odd isn't appropriate here – but if there is some inside joke about them being the same as or in the same style as old Ladybird books, I was not privy to the humor.
2.5 stars.
I received an advance electronic copy of this book via NetGalley, courtesy of publisher Touchstone Books (an imprint of Simon & Schuster), in exchange for my honest feedback and review.
As novelty books go, it's quirky enough, but it is so short! And the illustrations are a little odd – not that a little odd isn't appropriate here – but if there is some inside joke about them being the same as or in the same style as old Ladybird books, I was not privy to the humor.
2.5 stars.
I received an advance electronic copy of this book via NetGalley, courtesy of publisher Touchstone Books (an imprint of Simon & Schuster), in exchange for my honest feedback and review.
January 7, 2018
Most adults remember the Ladybird books from childhood. Zoom forward 20 odd years (Give or take) and you now have the collection for adults.
How it Works: The Cat was my first in the collection bought for me as a Christmas Gift (Please note I requested it). I am cat crazy with 5 felines in my house which I'd like to say are mine, but in honesty I think they own us. This book is for those with a sense of humour who have ars**ole cats - perfect for me as most my cats are male and act like gods gift to women!
This book is a 10 minute read if that but it had me laughing out loud through most page turns. Quite, witty and humorous these books are expensive and make great books for stocking fillers or little presents. 4 stars, I love cats and loved this book!
How it Works: The Cat was my first in the collection bought for me as a Christmas Gift (Please note I requested it). I am cat crazy with 5 felines in my house which I'd like to say are mine, but in honesty I think they own us. This book is for those with a sense of humour who have ars**ole cats - perfect for me as most my cats are male and act like gods gift to women!
This book is a 10 minute read if that but it had me laughing out loud through most page turns. Quite, witty and humorous these books are expensive and make great books for stocking fillers or little presents. 4 stars, I love cats and loved this book!
June 3, 2017
Another cute Ladybird Book for Grown-Ups full of cynical and sarcastic humour, in this case abounding with clichés about pet cats. As with other books in the series, illustrations on diverse subjects culled from the original Ladybird series, which was intended for children, are juxtaposed with new text but in the same large, easy-to-read print of the originals.
Good for a few a few minutes' worth of chuckles (and for helping to rapidly meet your annual reading challenge)!
Good for a few a few minutes' worth of chuckles (and for helping to rapidly meet your annual reading challenge)!
Read
January 29, 2017Most of the jokes revolve around cats being disloyal, awkward and unrewarding, so this turns out to have been ideal propaganda disguised as a thoughtful present for someone who keeps suggesting we should get a cat.
December 25, 2016
Amusing little Ladybird book! Thanks Faith.
February 2, 2020
It's a ladybird with cats. What else do you need
November 5, 2022
Cute book.
March 5, 2024
Highly amusing and very cleverly done. A delight and a chuckle for any cat owner.
February 16, 2018
Over the years, I’ve read numerous parody books and the majority have been seriously lacking, adding very little to the source material and, in most cases, not really being particularly amusing. Whilst the modern-day versions of Ladybird books are perhaps more homage than parody, in some cases, the same can be said of them and “How It Works: the Cat” is one of the more serious offenders.
The style is a perfect homage, with the large text and stock pictures being put together in the same way as the children’s versions, but with the words containing more humour and sarcasm than ever appeared in the younger versions. The stock pictures have also been expertly chosen so that the text can refer to them in a perfectly mocking way.
The problem with jokes about cats is that they are one of the pillars on which the internet stands, which makes it very difficult to find any original material. There are some decent moments here, particularly the joke about Elton John’s cat and the feral cats in Greece, but so much of the rest of the content revolves around jokes about cats being aloof, asleep, inside a box or sitting on something.
This is the main failing of this book, in that there’s very little here that can’t be found on the internet without having to pay for a book. Whilst buying the book does give you a few cat jokes with which to amuse cat-loving acquaintances in any easy format, it’s nothing that an internet search and some bookmarking wouldn’t achieve just as effectively. Many of the modern Ladybird books for adults have been a triumph, but in taking on the internet’s favourite animal, this attempt has proved a little less successful.
The style is a perfect homage, with the large text and stock pictures being put together in the same way as the children’s versions, but with the words containing more humour and sarcasm than ever appeared in the younger versions. The stock pictures have also been expertly chosen so that the text can refer to them in a perfectly mocking way.
The problem with jokes about cats is that they are one of the pillars on which the internet stands, which makes it very difficult to find any original material. There are some decent moments here, particularly the joke about Elton John’s cat and the feral cats in Greece, but so much of the rest of the content revolves around jokes about cats being aloof, asleep, inside a box or sitting on something.
This is the main failing of this book, in that there’s very little here that can’t be found on the internet without having to pay for a book. Whilst buying the book does give you a few cat jokes with which to amuse cat-loving acquaintances in any easy format, it’s nothing that an internet search and some bookmarking wouldn’t achieve just as effectively. Many of the modern Ladybird books for adults have been a triumph, but in taking on the internet’s favourite animal, this attempt has proved a little less successful.
April 25, 2017
I wondered why on earth I'd been given this (apparently) kids book for Christmas. Then I started reading it, and it got funnier and funnier. The tongue-in-cheek simple narrative is accompanied by appropriate 1960s-school-reader style illustration. Take, for example: "This door does not have a cat flap, so it is hard for animals to get into the house. Dead voles, dead birds, dead rats and front halves of mice all have to stay on the door step, along with the cat."
By the time I'd finished reading this short book, I'd had the best belly laugh I've had in ages.
A great gift for cat lovers and cat-haters alike!
By the time I'd finished reading this short book, I'd had the best belly laugh I've had in ages.
A great gift for cat lovers and cat-haters alike!
October 30, 2018
I am not a fan of cats so I don't think this book was really for me.
I found it to be an odd book as it seems to be written for very small children (ones who have just started learning to read) yet I don't think children would get all of the jokes in this. I don't see how they would find it funny.
I ended this book feeling confused about who the target audience for this book was.
The pictures and text really reminded me of the Peter & Jane books.
I found it to be an odd book as it seems to be written for very small children (ones who have just started learning to read) yet I don't think children would get all of the jokes in this. I don't see how they would find it funny.
I ended this book feeling confused about who the target audience for this book was.
The pictures and text really reminded me of the Peter & Jane books.
November 5, 2016
Cat owners have long known that they're not in charge of their cat. It's the other way around. And if you love cats you'll find yourself nodding wryly at every page of this amusing book.
December 27, 2016
I think there's people who like cats and people who don't. I like cats. This book fully encompasses the knowledge that cat people love cats and that cats also love cats. It looks s funnily accurate.
January 16, 2017
A must have for any cat lover who is nostalgic for the better quality of children's books us gen x-ers had
January 24, 2017
I was given this book as a fun Christmas present, and although a couple of pages made me chuckle, not many did. I don't think whoever wrote this is a cat lover, to be honest. 2 stars
November 9, 2017
This book made me smile and gave me the warm fuzzies. It’s a tongue-in-cheek guide to cats – and described my cat perfectly. Worth having!
November 22, 2017
Well and truly hilarious. As someone who is owned by a cat (because we all know we don't own them) I found it so relatable. A quick, funny read guaranteed to amuse cat lovers.
July 31, 2018
Read for the BookTubeAThon lol
Displaying 1 - 30 of 119 reviews