What do you think?
Rate this book
Rocky: The Cat Who Barks
Rocky the dog has a difficult life when he first moves into a house with five cats, but when his stouthearted bark stops the naughty, teasing kids in their tracks, Rocky earns the respect of the felines and his place as an honorary cat.
32 pages, Hardcover
First published February 18, 2002
16 people want to read
About the author
Donna Jo Napoli
141 books1,112 followersDonna Jo Napoli is both a linguist and a writer of children's and YA fiction. She loves to garden and bake bread, and even dreams of moving to the woods and becoming a naturalist.
At various times her house and yard have been filled with dogs, cats, birds, and rabbits. For thirteen years she had a cat named Taxi, and liked to go outside and call, "Taxi!" to make the neighbors wonder. But dear dear Taxi died in 2009.
She has five children, seven grandchildren, and currently lives outside Philadelphia. She received her BA in mathematics in 1970 and her Ph.D. in Romance Languages and Literatures in 1973, both from Harvard University, then did a postdoctoral year in Linguistics at MIT. She has since taught linguistics at Smith College, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Georgetown University, the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, and Swarthmore College. It was at UM that she earned tenure (in 1981) and became a full professor (in 1984). She has held visiting positions at the University of Queensland (Australia), the University of Geneva (Switzerland), Capital Normal University of Beijing (China), the University of Newcastle (UK), the University of Venice at Ca' Foscari (Italy), and the Siena School for the Liberal Arts (Italy) as well as lectured at the University of Sydney (Australia), Macquarie University (Australia), the University of the Witwatersrand (South Africa), and the University of Stellenbosch (South Africa) and held a fellowship at Trinity College Dublin. In the area of linguistics she has authored, coauthored, edited, or coedited 17 books, ranging from theoretical linguistics to practical matters in language structure and use, including matters of interest to d/Deaf people. She has held grants and fellowships from numerous sources, including the National Science Foundation, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Mellon Foundation, the Sloan Foundation.
At various times her house and yard have been filled with dogs, cats, birds, and rabbits. For thirteen years she had a cat named Taxi, and liked to go outside and call, "Taxi!" to make the neighbors wonder. But dear dear Taxi died in 2009.
She has five children, seven grandchildren, and currently lives outside Philadelphia. She received her BA in mathematics in 1970 and her Ph.D. in Romance Languages and Literatures in 1973, both from Harvard University, then did a postdoctoral year in Linguistics at MIT. She has since taught linguistics at Smith College, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Georgetown University, the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, and Swarthmore College. It was at UM that she earned tenure (in 1981) and became a full professor (in 1984). She has held visiting positions at the University of Queensland (Australia), the University of Geneva (Switzerland), Capital Normal University of Beijing (China), the University of Newcastle (UK), the University of Venice at Ca' Foscari (Italy), and the Siena School for the Liberal Arts (Italy) as well as lectured at the University of Sydney (Australia), Macquarie University (Australia), the University of the Witwatersrand (South Africa), and the University of Stellenbosch (South Africa) and held a fellowship at Trinity College Dublin. In the area of linguistics she has authored, coauthored, edited, or coedited 17 books, ranging from theoretical linguistics to practical matters in language structure and use, including matters of interest to d/Deaf people. She has held grants and fellowships from numerous sources, including the National Science Foundation, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Mellon Foundation, the Sloan Foundation.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
August 10, 2011
I seem to go back and forth with Napoli's books - some I really love and some I don't care for at all.
This we both really liked a lot. I wish Napoli would have had the Mother of the mean kids come in and beat their little asses but besides that it was pretty good. (I can't stand bad kids. Especially if they're allowed to run wild and not reprimanded.)
I really liked that Julia is so very different from these kids that she was in awe looking at the pictures and listening. She just couldn't believe that any kids would act like these two. One of Julia's favorite things in this entire world is her pets and all animals so the actions of these two were mind-boggling for her.
I kind of didn't like that Rocky was having to tolerate all he did and then to finally be "accepted" by the other animals he had to "prove" himself. That kind of didn't sit well with me. It worked for the story but just left a bad taste in my mouth.
And I don't know if I'm just a lot dumber than I always thought or what but I honestly don't see where the barking comes into the story as being important. Because he barked to get attention there at the end? Couldn't he just have easily meowed loudly? I don't get it....
But it's not a bad book and I'm glad we did read it - if only so Julia can see what a great kid she is. :)
This we both really liked a lot. I wish Napoli would have had the Mother of the mean kids come in and beat their little asses but besides that it was pretty good. (I can't stand bad kids. Especially if they're allowed to run wild and not reprimanded.)
I really liked that Julia is so very different from these kids that she was in awe looking at the pictures and listening. She just couldn't believe that any kids would act like these two. One of Julia's favorite things in this entire world is her pets and all animals so the actions of these two were mind-boggling for her.
I kind of didn't like that Rocky was having to tolerate all he did and then to finally be "accepted" by the other animals he had to "prove" himself. That kind of didn't sit well with me. It worked for the story but just left a bad taste in my mouth.
And I don't know if I'm just a lot dumber than I always thought or what but I honestly don't see where the barking comes into the story as being important. Because he barked to get attention there at the end? Couldn't he just have easily meowed loudly? I don't get it....
But it's not a bad book and I'm glad we did read it - if only so Julia can see what a great kid she is. :)
July 23, 2024
Rocky was a happy dog who lived with Old Nini until he had to move in with two bratty kids and five mean cats, and his life became living nightmare. Then one day Rocky did something remarkable and his life took a turn for the better.
March 9, 2021
This book was so cute. I only read it since my dog was named Rocky, but it did not disappoint.
May 20, 2012
This is a sweetly funny book about a dog who joins a household of cats. I loved the different personalities of the cats and the very real description of the 'monsters.' The story is a good one especially for families who are adding a new pet to the household. The illustrations are humorous and cartoonish. We enjoyed reading this story together.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews