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Peter #6
Hi, Cat!
On his way to hang out with the neighborhood kids, Archie very innocently greets a stray cat who follows him and gets in the way. The cat ruins everything - Archie's street show is a mess and his audience drifts away. But things aren't all bad: when Archie goes, the cat follows him all the way home, too!
40 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1970
8 people are currently reading
427 people want to read
About the author
Ezra Jack Keats
122 books373 followersEzra Jack Keats was an American writer and illustrator of children's books. He won the 1963 Caldecott Medal for illustrating The Snowy Day, which he also wrote. Many of Ezra’s stories are about a group of friends growing up in the city. The neighborhood they live in looks like the streets where Ezra grew up in Brooklyn, New York.
He was born Jacob Ezra Katz, the third child of Polish-Jewish immigrants Benjamin Katz and Augusta Podgainy. The family was very poor. Jack, as he was known, was artistic from an early age, and joyfully made pictures out of whatever scraps of wood, cloth and paper that he could collect. Benjamin Katz, who worked as a waiter, tried to discourage his son, insisting that artists lived terrible, impoverished lives. Nevertheless, he sometimes brought home tubes of paint, claiming, "A starving artist swapped this for a bowl of soup."
With little encouragement at home, Keats sought validation for his skills at school and learned about art at the public library. He received a medal for drawing on graduating from Junior High School 149. Although unimpressive-looking, the medal meant a great deal to him, and he kept it his entire life. Keats attended Thomas Jefferson High School, where he won a national contest run by Scholastic for an oil painting depicting hobos warming themselves around a fire. At his graduation, in January 1935, he was to receive the senior class medal for excellence in art. Two days before the ceremony, Benjamin Katz died in the street of a heart attack. When Keats identified his father's body, he later wrote, "I found myself staring deep into his secret feelings. There in his wallet were worn and tattered newspaper clippings of the notices of the awards I had won. My silent admirer and supplier, he had been torn between his dread of my leading a life of hardship and his real pride in my work."
His father's death curtailed his dream of attending art school. For the remainder of the Great Depression until he was drafted for military service in World War II, Keats took art classes when he could and worked at a number of jobs, most notably as a mural painter under the New Deal program the Works Progress Administration (WPA) and as a comic book illustrator. At Fawcett Publications, he illustrated backgrounds for the Captain Marvel comic strip. He spent his military service (1943-45) designing camouflage patterns for the U.S. Army Air Force. In 1947, he petitioned to legally change his name to Ezra Jack Keats, in reaction to the anti-Semitic prejudice of the time.
Keats spent most of 1949 painting and studying in Paris, realizing a long-deferred dream of working as an artist. After returning to New York, he focused on earning a living as a commercial artist, undoubtedly influenced by his father's anxieties. His illustrations began to appear in Reader's Digest, The New York Times Book Review, Collier's and Playboy, and on the jackets of popular books. His work was displayed in Fifth Avenue store windows, and the Associated American Artists Gallery, in New York City, gave him exhibitions in 1950 and 1954.
In his unpublished autobiography, Keats wrote, "I didn't even ask to get into children's books." In fact, he was asked to do so by Elizabeth Riley of Crowell, which brought out his first children's title, Jubilant for Sure, written by Elisabeth Hubbard Lansing, in 1954. To prepare for the assignment, Keats went to rural Kentucky, where the story takes place, to sketch. Many children's books followed, including the Danny Dunn adventure series, by Jay Williams and Raymond Abrashkin, and an ethnographic series by Tillie S. Pine and Joseph Levine, beginning with The Indians Knew. All told, Keats illustrated nearly 70 books written by other authors.
In 1983, Keats died at the age of 67 following a heart attack. His last projects included designing the sets for a musical version of his book The Trip (which would later become the stage production Captain Louie), designing
He was born Jacob Ezra Katz, the third child of Polish-Jewish immigrants Benjamin Katz and Augusta Podgainy. The family was very poor. Jack, as he was known, was artistic from an early age, and joyfully made pictures out of whatever scraps of wood, cloth and paper that he could collect. Benjamin Katz, who worked as a waiter, tried to discourage his son, insisting that artists lived terrible, impoverished lives. Nevertheless, he sometimes brought home tubes of paint, claiming, "A starving artist swapped this for a bowl of soup."
With little encouragement at home, Keats sought validation for his skills at school and learned about art at the public library. He received a medal for drawing on graduating from Junior High School 149. Although unimpressive-looking, the medal meant a great deal to him, and he kept it his entire life. Keats attended Thomas Jefferson High School, where he won a national contest run by Scholastic for an oil painting depicting hobos warming themselves around a fire. At his graduation, in January 1935, he was to receive the senior class medal for excellence in art. Two days before the ceremony, Benjamin Katz died in the street of a heart attack. When Keats identified his father's body, he later wrote, "I found myself staring deep into his secret feelings. There in his wallet were worn and tattered newspaper clippings of the notices of the awards I had won. My silent admirer and supplier, he had been torn between his dread of my leading a life of hardship and his real pride in my work."
His father's death curtailed his dream of attending art school. For the remainder of the Great Depression until he was drafted for military service in World War II, Keats took art classes when he could and worked at a number of jobs, most notably as a mural painter under the New Deal program the Works Progress Administration (WPA) and as a comic book illustrator. At Fawcett Publications, he illustrated backgrounds for the Captain Marvel comic strip. He spent his military service (1943-45) designing camouflage patterns for the U.S. Army Air Force. In 1947, he petitioned to legally change his name to Ezra Jack Keats, in reaction to the anti-Semitic prejudice of the time.
Keats spent most of 1949 painting and studying in Paris, realizing a long-deferred dream of working as an artist. After returning to New York, he focused on earning a living as a commercial artist, undoubtedly influenced by his father's anxieties. His illustrations began to appear in Reader's Digest, The New York Times Book Review, Collier's and Playboy, and on the jackets of popular books. His work was displayed in Fifth Avenue store windows, and the Associated American Artists Gallery, in New York City, gave him exhibitions in 1950 and 1954.
In his unpublished autobiography, Keats wrote, "I didn't even ask to get into children's books." In fact, he was asked to do so by Elizabeth Riley of Crowell, which brought out his first children's title, Jubilant for Sure, written by Elisabeth Hubbard Lansing, in 1954. To prepare for the assignment, Keats went to rural Kentucky, where the story takes place, to sketch. Many children's books followed, including the Danny Dunn adventure series, by Jay Williams and Raymond Abrashkin, and an ethnographic series by Tillie S. Pine and Joseph Levine, beginning with The Indians Knew. All told, Keats illustrated nearly 70 books written by other authors.
In 1983, Keats died at the age of 67 following a heart attack. His last projects included designing the sets for a musical version of his book The Trip (which would later become the stage production Captain Louie), designing
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 82 reviews
July 6, 2020
Another Great Ezra book with characters from Peter’s world. Willie the dog is there and a new character names Archie who has a flare for the dramatic. He is putting on an act and a cat spoils the show. Willie has to chase the cat.
The artwork is special and well done. These are beginning stories, simple and straight-forward. I did read this to the Nephew, but he’s too big for it and I knew that going in. The nephew likes Willie the dog as our family has a sweet spot for Dachshunds. This was too simple for him and he gave this 2 stars.
The artwork is special and well done. These are beginning stories, simple and straight-forward. I did read this to the Nephew, but he’s too big for it and I knew that going in. The nephew likes Willie the dog as our family has a sweet spot for Dachshunds. This was too simple for him and he gave this 2 stars.
June 18, 2020
I wasn't completely sure what was going on in this story. The plot is confusing and the illustrations aren't as nice as other in this series. Having read other reviews I realise that Pete's cat followed him into the street where he was doing a street performance which causes havoc with the performance. I thought they were going to a fancy dress party so it's really not clear what's happening.
Read on open library.
Read on open library.
March 29, 2024
Now I do indeed realise that Hi, Cat! is a Boston Globe/Horn Book award winner (1970), but that frankly, but that truthfully, I personally am having a sadly and unfortunately pretty much ho-hum reaction. And while author and illustrator Ezra Jack Keats' pictorial renderings in Hi, Cat! of Archie, of the cat he salutes and which then follows him around wreaking havoc, of the neighbourhood (as well as of Archie’s friends and companions) are colourfully expressive and descriptive (although I would also not consider these pictures as constituting aesthetic favourites either), Keats’ featured text of Hi, Cat!, well, it kind of feels a trifle strange and confusing (and also truly not all that interesting at least to and for me on a personal level, as I was kind of expecting and hoping for a bit more actual and verbal narrative regarding the cat that is following young Archie around, and that really, the only times the offending feline is even mentioned within the actual textual framework of Hi, Cat! is right at the beginning of the book, when Archie greets it and causes the cat to follow him and then right at the end of Hi, Cat! when Archie complains to both Peter and then to his mother about how the cat's antics have sabotaged his street clowning performance attempts).
And while I do understand that the feline in question is in fact present in almost all of the illustrations featured in Hi, Cat! (and I guess that readers and listeners could therefore also make up their own stories, their own narratives about said cat), I for one would much rather be reading and experiencing more printed words from Ezra Jack Keats, have more of an author conceptualised and penned, guided text regarding the cat's specific antics and how it manages to so completely sabotage Archie's day of hanging out with his friends, his playacting and fun. And thus, only a very low three stars for Hi, Cat! from me, as while I definitely have in no way despised Hi, Cat! I have also not really all that much liked my reading experience either (thus feeling a bit disappointed, only mildly amused and that my three star rating for Hi Cat! is also and in my humble opinion pretty generous on my part).
And while I do understand that the feline in question is in fact present in almost all of the illustrations featured in Hi, Cat! (and I guess that readers and listeners could therefore also make up their own stories, their own narratives about said cat), I for one would much rather be reading and experiencing more printed words from Ezra Jack Keats, have more of an author conceptualised and penned, guided text regarding the cat's specific antics and how it manages to so completely sabotage Archie's day of hanging out with his friends, his playacting and fun. And thus, only a very low three stars for Hi, Cat! from me, as while I definitely have in no way despised Hi, Cat! I have also not really all that much liked my reading experience either (thus feeling a bit disappointed, only mildly amused and that my three star rating for Hi Cat! is also and in my humble opinion pretty generous on my part).
February 27, 2018
Not as visually striking as some of Keats' books, such as the famous Snow Day, but very nice. The kids felt like real kids in a real neighborhood.
I would have liked a little more resolution for the cat, like him actually having a home, but I guess this is realistic.
I would have liked a little more resolution for the cat, like him actually having a home, but I guess this is realistic.
February 25, 2017
He doesn't end up adopting the cat?!
January 20, 2018
The 4 Stars for the illustrations, 3 Stars for the storyline.
November 15, 2009
Like most of Keats' books, this is less of a STORY story than just a retelling of a kid's day. I think that's what makes them so good, actually - they're very realistic.
So Archie is walking to play with the other kids, and he casually says "Hi" to a random cat. And the cat follows him. Archie goofs off for a bit, pretending that he has a beard instead of a popsicle stain on his chin, and that he's a monster in a giant paper bag (the cat ruins that by climbing around inside), and that the dog Willie is really very tall (the cat ruins that by hopping on the fence so Willie chases him). Actually, everything goes wrong because of the cat, as his friend notes! But Archie isn't so sure.
When he gets home, he tells the whole story to his mother, who thinks it's good that the cat left. What a pain! But we can see the whole scene - as Archie tells his mother that he thinks the cat just kinda of liked him, we can see the cat sitting on the stoop. Hee :)
There's not much that really happens in the story. There's no moral message, there's no zany slapstick humor, there's none of... any of that. It's just a simple story about a kid being a kid. You definitely want this (and most of Keats' books, for that matter) on your bookcase. Some 40 years after they were first published, and they're just as great now as they were then.
So Archie is walking to play with the other kids, and he casually says "Hi" to a random cat. And the cat follows him. Archie goofs off for a bit, pretending that he has a beard instead of a popsicle stain on his chin, and that he's a monster in a giant paper bag (the cat ruins that by climbing around inside), and that the dog Willie is really very tall (the cat ruins that by hopping on the fence so Willie chases him). Actually, everything goes wrong because of the cat, as his friend notes! But Archie isn't so sure.
When he gets home, he tells the whole story to his mother, who thinks it's good that the cat left. What a pain! But we can see the whole scene - as Archie tells his mother that he thinks the cat just kinda of liked him, we can see the cat sitting on the stoop. Hee :)
There's not much that really happens in the story. There's no moral message, there's no zany slapstick humor, there's none of... any of that. It's just a simple story about a kid being a kid. You definitely want this (and most of Keats' books, for that matter) on your bookcase. Some 40 years after they were first published, and they're just as great now as they were then.
April 12, 2014
So I read to the kids at the preschool when we go inside for play, and I picked up this book to read to one of the little girls there.
I was confused by it. I get that it is about how this kid runs meets a cat and it ruins the day, but I couldn't get over how choppy the whole story seemed. There was no fluidity.
I was confused by it. I get that it is about how this kid runs meets a cat and it ruins the day, but I couldn't get over how choppy the whole story seemed. There was no fluidity.
February 2, 2020
I picked this up following the author's work. I loved how the character here tries to entertain his neighbors, but manages to fall a little flat due to some unexpected help. The illustrations are cute and it would be a great book to read to a small child.
October 20, 2019
Another gorgeously illustrated book about a curious cat that makes a new friend and gets into mischief.
July 7, 2018
Interesting old book. It's one of those 'slice of life' style books. Archie meets a cat and says hello and then the cat follows him through the rest of his day. Archie is sort of a class clown sort who wants to entertain the other neighborhood children. All of his antics this particular day are sabotaged by a dog or a cat or sometimes by both animals combined. The book ends with Archie assuming the cat is gone, but, the reader can see the cat is right outside the door, waiting.
It was cute and appealing.
I will note that some people find Ezra Jack Keats problematic. Ezra Jack Keats changed his name in the 40's to escape from the rampant anti-Semitism of the time. He created quite a few children's picture books which featured black children because he thought that everyone should be able to see themselves in a story. However, a lot of people felt that he just did this for increased commercial success, an appropriation of sorts.
I didn't notice anything problematic in the book itself, just thought that anyone using the book in a program should understand some of the ideas that could come up. :)
It was cute and appealing.
I will note that some people find Ezra Jack Keats problematic. Ezra Jack Keats changed his name in the 40's to escape from the rampant anti-Semitism of the time. He created quite a few children's picture books which featured black children because he thought that everyone should be able to see themselves in a story. However, a lot of people felt that he just did this for increased commercial success, an appropriation of sorts.
I didn't notice anything problematic in the book itself, just thought that anyone using the book in a program should understand some of the ideas that could come up. :)
October 9, 2015
"When Archie says hi to a stray cat, it sets off a slapstick chain of events that add up to a wonderful character study of a funny, imaginative boy. Keats’s pictures show more than his words tell, and this allows young readers to fill in the details of the story. Archie tries one way and another to entertain his friends on a slow summer afternoon, and each effort ends in a small catastrophe. That darn cat following Archie around is often the cause of the trouble. But when he tells his mother about his day, he realizes the cat just wants to be his friend. For Archie, this is a very interesting possibility."
http://www.ezra-jack-keats.org/
Archie is Peter’s (the snowy day) best friend.
Age Range: 3 - 7 years
Grade Level: Preschool - 2
http://www.ezra-jack-keats.org/
Archie is Peter’s (the snowy day) best friend.
Age Range: 3 - 7 years
Grade Level: Preschool - 2
April 1, 2014
The story wasn't the strongest part of this book, but it was one of those parts of childhood many of us can relate to -- putting on a show for others. One hiccup in the plan is this adorable cat that tails our protagonist, the adorably bespectacled Archie, on his way to visit his friends and back home. The illustrations -- paint and newspaper collage -- are a beautiful, subtle, muted rainbow of colors found in the city. What's really cool about this? People of color in an everyday story in which race, culture, ethnicity, or skin color does not play a part. It's a cute story about kids, gorgeously illustrated, and a sweet little read.
February 1, 2018
I thought this story was a little odd. For one, I was having a hard time tracking the plot, and for another, I'm not sure what the message was.
Ages: 3 - 6
**Like my reviews? I also have hundreds of detailed reports that I offer too. These reports give a complete break-down of everything in the book, so you'll know just how clean it is or isn't. I also have Clean Guides (downloadable PDFs) which enable you to clean up your book before reading it! Visit my website: The Book Radar.
Ages: 3 - 6
**Like my reviews? I also have hundreds of detailed reports that I offer too. These reports give a complete break-down of everything in the book, so you'll know just how clean it is or isn't. I also have Clean Guides (downloadable PDFs) which enable you to clean up your book before reading it! Visit my website: The Book Radar.
September 7, 2008
of course, beautiful art but maybe i missed the point of the book as it didn't grab me. repetitive but what was the story?
February 5, 2018
Not my favorite but still a good story, it's about a boy named Archie who says Hi to a cat and the cat follow him all day ruining his, what I would call his "street performance." His first act was an old man, he used his ice cream to create a beard and mustache, and uses an umbrella as a walking stick. this act was actually ruined by Willie the dog. The next act was a paper bag big face. The cat went in the bag and ripped the bag to pieces. The next act was the tallest dog in the world. Willie is put on a kids shoulders and walked behind a fence but the cat then jumps on the fence and the dog chases it away. His crowd laughs and leaves. Archie goes home and tells his mom about his day and he says "all I said was Hi cat." But after thinking about it, he thought the cat just liked him.
March 11, 2022
This one is a fun story of Peters friend, Archie and a cat. Again, it has very vibrant illustrations and a simple fun story.
December 6, 2018
Keats is my favorite illustrator, and it's always good to return to an old favorite. I love how he shows a slice of daily life in the kids' neighborhood - with familiar friends from his other books, like Peter from The Snowy Day and the adorable Willie from A Whistle for Willie, putting on an impromptu play. Any child who grew up in the 1960s or 1970s, when most of Keats's work was published, will remember the joy and novelty of making costumes out of the large brown paper bags that we used to get at the grocery store, with holes for arms and eyes and our legs sticking out of the top (now the bottom) of the upside-down bag. Archie and Peter are full of the imagination and spontaneity of childhood.
July 6, 2020
"Hi, Cat!" With just those words begins the colorful, funny, thoughtful story of a boy who makes a new potential friend just by the power of a simple greeting. A couple of words of friendliness thrown out like a life preserver in a weary, watery world can sometimes be all it takes to make a person (or cat) look at you with a whole new set of eyes.
Author Ezra Jack Keats does a fine job capturing the rhythm of everyday life on a city street, with the kids providing their own entertainment by using the things that they have around themselves. The illustrations swirl in a wash of color that sets the tone very well for the narrative that accompanies them.
Author Ezra Jack Keats does a fine job capturing the rhythm of everyday life on a city street, with the kids providing their own entertainment by using the things that they have around themselves. The illustrations swirl in a wash of color that sets the tone very well for the narrative that accompanies them.
May 13, 2017
Peter and the gang put on a spontaneous play starring Willie and a cat! The picture of the scrawny cat perched on top of a trash can reminds me of a feline I met in a similar situation in Athens Greece.
November 26, 2018
I very much appreciated that the characters were of African heritage (though will point out the protagonists are all still male...). I very much enjoyed the expressive, multi-media illustrations. But, something about the book was just unsatisfactory to me (beyond the unsatisfactory ending).
October 24, 2007
This was one of my favorite books as a rich white Jewish kid.
April 19, 2014
#6 in the popular 'Peter Series'. As always, by Ezra jack Keats shows the brighter side of inner city living through the eyes of children.
March 7, 2017
Love the Peter Series. Another playful scene in the neighborhood.
March 25, 2017
3/24/17 Read with Naomi & Julia.
April 28, 2018
A group of kids and a stray cat putting on a play. Because there's nothing like imagination when you are a kid. Beautifully illustrated as you would expect from Keats.
August 5, 2018
A favorite fluff, both by story and picture.
September 9, 2018
Silliness. And the cat doesn't even have a happy ending.
November 19, 2019
I love all books by Ezra Jack Keats.
December 13, 2024
If my book reviews trend toward the younger reader end, a lot of that is from my plan to put a LOT of books into the local elementary's free library in a few days, since it always seems to empty out when I put anything in there (and anything anyone else puts in there sticks around, usually because it's the actual school's library's discards, which the students have already read)... and while I'm at it, why not read the books I'm donating?
Also, it's not like I spend time ONLY reading the books; I can get a LOT of used books for cheap, so I do, but I also often have to spend a LOT of time on clean-up/repair—usually more time than it takes to read, haha. (Can you spot the repair job?)
Is it worth it? I'd like to think so. While I try to get "popular" books like Dogman when I can, I also like to pick up books that just catch my eye, like this one. I mean... "Hi, Cat!" Why WOULDN'T I be curious about this one??
That said, it's a cute story about a boy (Peter) who sees a cat, says hi to it, then has it follow him around the rest of the day. The cat then pesters him when he tries to do things like dress up in a large paper bag and act for the other kids and generally ruins what he's trying to do.
I'm not really sure what the "point" of the story is, but that definitely seems like what cats do! It's very slice-of-life in that respect; sometimes life is just life, without any huge morals or anything. It has its own charms, though, so I like it, even if it's not exactly a book that will WOW the reader.
Also, it's not like I spend time ONLY reading the books; I can get a LOT of used books for cheap, so I do, but I also often have to spend a LOT of time on clean-up/repair—usually more time than it takes to read, haha. (Can you spot the repair job?)
Is it worth it? I'd like to think so. While I try to get "popular" books like Dogman when I can, I also like to pick up books that just catch my eye, like this one. I mean... "Hi, Cat!" Why WOULDN'T I be curious about this one??
That said, it's a cute story about a boy (Peter) who sees a cat, says hi to it, then has it follow him around the rest of the day. The cat then pesters him when he tries to do things like dress up in a large paper bag and act for the other kids and generally ruins what he's trying to do.
I'm not really sure what the "point" of the story is, but that definitely seems like what cats do! It's very slice-of-life in that respect; sometimes life is just life, without any huge morals or anything. It has its own charms, though, so I like it, even if it's not exactly a book that will WOW the reader.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 82 reviews