The Pawed Piper

by Michelle Robinson

米歇尔·罗宾森文的《呼唤我的猫(精)》是一个小女孩和猫相遇的暖心故事，和插画家李瑾伦一起潜入猫咪的世界！ 胖猫，斑点猫，条纹猫，摆臭脸的猫，还有调皮捣蛋追着鞋带玩的猫……只可惜，这些都是别人家的猫，小女孩能拥有自己的猫吗？

Genres: Picture Books, Cats, Childrens, Family, Animals, Fiction, Humor

42 pages, Hardcover

First published July 9, 2019

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.

When I'm not up to my knees in nappies, I write children's books. I also spend a fair amount of time eating chocolate. I try to write funny, read-aloud books that parents will enjoy as much as children - after all, if you have to share the same stories umpteen times, you may as well enjoy them.
I hope you like my books enough to read them umpteen times. Thank you - Michelle.

Reviews

[Kaethe · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are so many books about kids wanting pets, and still, never enough. All the happy endings. I especially love the art: Chinlun Lee did a marvelous job of creating so many distinctive cats, so many of them evoking fine cats I have been privileged to know. The endpapers! Thank you for this blessing.

Library copy

[Capn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Child would like a cat. Child decides to attract cats to her house, inadvertently steals every cat in town, has to relinquish army of fur. Silver (and tortoiseshell, black, and cream) lining in sock drawer...

[Liw · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely the most stunning art and such a sweet and funny story. I love cats 😭

[Abby Oldnettle · Rating 5 out of 5]

so cute :') man i love cats...

[Becky · Rating 5 out of 5]

First sentence: I wanted a cat to cuddle. A great big furry fluff ball, like the cat in my book.



Premise/plot: A little girl REALLY wants a cat of her own. She comes up with a plan that seems sure to work...

So I laid a trail. Balls of wool, ribbon...bowls of milk...tiny balls that jingled...and soft cushions. Now, what else do cats like?

But will her plan work? Will a cat turn up at her house, in her room? How many cats will she "catch" in her "trap"? What if ALL the cats in town come?!



My thoughts: One of my favorite books growing up was MILLIONS OF CATS. The Pawed Piper could easily be its successor. I found it to be a delightful read and one that I can't wait to share with the cat-lovers in my life.



The end papers do some foreshadowing on this one! Readers see dozens of LOST CAT posters on the opening end papers.



Text: 5 out of 5

Illustrations: 4 out of 5

Total: 9 out of 10

[Vera Godley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is such a sweet book about a caring child and kitties. I think this perfect for the home that has children and that adores kittens and cats. Beware, if you don't have a kitty and have a sweet child and if you bring this adorable book into your home, you may soon be on the receiving end of having a new kitty in your home.

This little girl plans to lure kitties into her home by various means and does so with the help of her granny's cat, Hector. In the end she discovers that all the lured cats belong to others and seeks to return them. But happily, she finds one has remained behind to be hers, forever.

Cute book.

DISCLOSURE: I received a complimentary copy to facilitate a review. Opinions are mine, alone and are freely given.

[Mel Leigh · Rating 5 out of 5]

EVERY CAT OWNER SHOULD READ THIS!

So, this is an absolutely adorable book about a girl who wants a cat and sets everything she could possibly think a cat would like in her bedroom in hoping a cat would choose her. (Don't they always do?) But instead of one, she gets a bunch and a problem arises.

SPOILER ALERT: A kitten ends up choosing her and she gets her cat in the end after all.

The illustrations are adorable and the story is just perfect to anyone who loves cats.

[Gee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Adorable book about a little girl living out my lifelong dream.
edit: bumping this up to five stars because I can't stop thinking about it and don't want to return it to the library

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

The lovely watercolor and pencil illustrations are striking and clearly painted by someone who loves cats. The story itself touched me because of its uniqueness. While many youngsters can relate to the narrator's wish to have a cat of her own, especially when she watches her parents hug their other child, few of them will go to the extremes she does to entice a cat into their homes. Catnip, boxes, newspaper, and food are all part of her cunning plan. Despite her efforts, nothing happens for awhile. But then, her grandmother's cat Hector shows up as do all the cats in the neighborhood, sixty-seven of them in total. Delighted, the girl plays with the cats all day, but then as she is taking Hector back home, she sees lost cat flyers posted everywhere, and realizes that those cats aren't really lost at all. They've just been visiting her. Although she wants to keep them, she knows that there are some broken hearts out there as the cat owners are missing their furry friends. But readers shouldn't feel too sorry for the narrator since the quiet cat she loved so much has a surprise for her waiting in her sock drawer. The little kitten that becomes her very own looks just like the one from the book about cats she was reading at the start of the story. The endpapers feature those missing flyers, stamped with a found marker on the final pages. This adorable book might prompt conversations about pet responsibility and doing the right thing. No matter how much the narrator might have longed to keep all those cats for her very own, she also knows that they have other homes where their humans are waiting for them. I'd love to have been inside all those houses when she started bringing those cats back.

[sweet orange books · Rating 1 out of 5]

A little girl desires more than anything to have a cat. She prepares her bedroom with all the favorite things a cat might like, catnip, boxes, balls... and waits with the window open. When she wakes up, surprise!

The little girl ends up caring for dozens of cats, and they all start to live together. There is absolutely no input from the parents, no talk about possible hygiene and disease issues, either for the girl or for the granny's cat. And worst of all, the cats actually belong to actual owners and have been missing from their dear homes. In the end, all the cats go back to their owners, except one kitten, who stays with the little girl. Even this part is wrong. We saw that the mama cat gave birth to her kitten days ago and the kitten is not at all ready to be separated from her mom! It's so wrong!
Regarding the illustrations, I find that the illustrator didn't put enough effort into drawing correct volumes, shapes and perspectives for most of the cats, which makes them look funny or as big as foxes.

In the end, I feel like the message is very confusing to kids. Are they going to learn that it's okay to welcome cats without checking if they are not lost? That parents just should watch and say nothing? That you can just adopt a kitten without checking if it is old enough to be separated from its mom?

It would have been so much better for the girl to want a cat and for the parents to go to a shelter with her! And then show the vet visits, the daily care of a cat, the ups and downs of caring for cats... I do not recommend this book.

Read and reviewed: 2019-11-27

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

For lovers of cats, for young people who wish they had a cat to cuddle, as this little girl wishes, "a big furry fluff ball", this is the book! She decides to lay a trail with those things she knows cats love--"bowls of milk, tiny balls that jingled, soft cushions." After wondering what else, she learns a few tricks from her Granny and Granny's cat, Hector. Catnip and boxes fill in all the other things in her room, but sadly, NO CAT! until–something warm and soft wakes her. Oh, my, wait until you see what Hector brought. He is the "Pawed Piper", causing loads of smiles and cuddles until. . . Well, the endpapers offer a hint. Chinlun Lee has filled them with lots of "cat missing" posters. Before that, however, her illustrations of the crowd of cats in the little girl's room is for every cat lover to adore. Beautiful and fat and skinny and mini cats fill up the room. The story holds a lot of furry whimsy, not quite realistic, but it made me smile all the way through. It will make a wonderful read-aloud! Thanks to Candlewick Press for the copy.

[Anthony Burt · Rating 5 out of 5]

All the little girl in this wonderful picture book wants is a cat of her own to cuddle. Lots of other people in her street – including her granny – have furry balls of cuddliness, but she hasn’t.

So she goes on a mission to find out all the things cats love – like balls of wool, bells, cosy cushions, and catnip – and brings them all to her bedroom. And then she waits. For cats to arrive.

When she gets more cats than she bargained for, she sets off some major problems in her street and surrounding community...which is dealt with in a slightly sad and emotional manner...but is thankfully resolved with a lovely ending.

Michelle Robinson writes so deliciously curly and heartfelt words to create this story and the gorgeously quirky cat illustrations of Chinlun Lee bring this purr-fect story to life!

[Sarah Threlkeld · Rating 4 out of 5]

This sweet picture book will get a big "awwwwww" from young readers and would make a lovely read aloud in lower elementary grades. A young girl is desperate for a cat of her own and decides she will try to lure one to her room with everything cats love - catnip, balls of yarn, empty boxes, bowls of milk, and more. She waits and waits for a feline friend, but no one shows up...until the morning when she is woken up by her grandma's cat, Hector, and over 60 other cats. Oh, how delightful. The girl spends all day with her pets, but then realizes all of the cats already belong to other people. She must return them. But what about that quiet cat tucked away in her sock drawer? The ending is a delight, and the story lends itself to making lots of text connections. A strong addition to any library that serves cat-loving patrons.

[J.L. Slipak · Rating 5 out of 5]

MY THOUGHTS:

I received this book in exchange for my honest review.

Cats, lots and lots of cats! If you ever wanted a pet, or your child ever wanted a pet... then this book is for you. What a nice read filled with wishes, dreams, pets, and a little girl wanting a pet cat of her own. There's a lesson about not being selfish and sharing, and being responsible even at a very young age.

I love the MC's thoughtfulness, and her ingenuity! The artwork compliments the story and uses a watercolor pallette. It's a beautiful book with a wonderful story. The sentences are short as are the paragraphs and the words are not hard but in a large font for easy reading. This is a great book for the more advanced picture book reader.

[Roben · Rating 4 out of 5]

A young girl wants a cat of her own - just like the one in her book. So she creates a space inviting to cats. She also asks her grandmother for advice since she has a cat Hector.

But no cats come and she falls asleep cuddling her book rather than a real cat. When she wakes up - there is Hector! With 67 friends!! Just like the Pied Piper in fairy tales, she (and Hector) have managed to enchant all the kitties in the neighborhood.

She is, of course, thrilled to have all these cats invade her room. However, once she discovers those kitties belong to other people - and that they are missed - she sets about returning them. All except one pretty calico with a special surprise.

I love cats so I thought this was delightful!

[Diane · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a delightful tale about a little girl who desperately wants a cat of her own, just like Hector, her granny's cat.

She comes up with an idea to attract cats and it works. Sixty-seven cats have made their way to the young girl's house. She never anticipated this would happen, what will she do? Of course, everything works out well in the end including one happy little girl with a cat of her own.

Regardless if you are a little (or big) cat lover, you are going to adore this gem - utterly delightful and such sweet illustrations as well.

RECOMMENDED

[James Roberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

Attention cat lovers, pet lovers! Adorable book about a young girl who wants a cat of her own. The author takes the reader on a sweet and quite humorous journey from no cats to too many cats to the perfect resolution. The illustrations are warm and inviting and wonderfully capture the essence of the book and cats in general. The "missing" posters are heartwarming. This book is perfect as a bedtime story or as a read alone for early readers. Just beware, your child will definitely want a cat after reading this! Very well done.

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

PRECIOUS. I loved this book so much! It is so cute. Plus, I really love cats and related to the little girl wanting her own cat. I wanted a cat when I was little too and received one, but in a different way than she did. It made me so sad when she hugged her cat book since she didn't have a real cat to hug, but it does have a happy ending! I recommend this book, especially if you love cats! It won't disappoint you. There is a LOT of cats in the book. All different kind of cats.

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just the cutest! A little girl who dreams of owning a cat suddenly finds herself over run with them! But then she discovers they are all missing from their homes, so she reunites them - all except one!

[Cara Byrne · Rating 4 out of 5]

For my cat-loving (but non-cat owner) kindergartner, this story gives a dream scenario: just know what cats like, attract cats, and maybe - just maybe - you get to keep one at the end. A sweet story.

[Yvette Mendez]

Sweet story of a girl who wants a cat of her very own. She put out cat nip, but end up attracting 77 cats. She has to return all of them. One cat hangs around because she gave birth to kittens. The girl keeps one kitten and finally gets a cat of her own.

[Aeicha · Rating 5 out of 5]

So. Much. Sweetness! The Pawed Piper, with its engaging rhymes and clever tale is utterly delightful. Little readers will be charmed by the endearing story and absolutely love the perfectly rendered illustrations. Simply purrfect!

[Edward Sullivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cat-loving girl who longs for one of her own, attracts too many to handle.

[Miss Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

A young girl really wants a cata nd sets up her hopuse for one and wishes for one but what happens when everybody's cat comes her way? Preschool and up. Cute ending

[Marg Corjay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute illustrations, fun story line, lots of cats and a happy ending.

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little girl wants a cat, so she puts out all kinds of things she think might attract one. But she gets more than one.

[Danielle Hammelef · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clever with excellent rhyme and true cat humor and cuddles inside.

[Lacy · Rating 5 out of 5]

“ALL THE CATS!”

😻😹🙀😺😸😼😽🐱🐈

[Syntha Green · Rating 3 out of 5]

Adorable little girl REALLY wants a cat of her own

[Engel Dreizehn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super cute and good choice for kitty lovers...yep all these items mentioned will excite kitties very much!