おりこうねこ

by Peter Collington

"Every morning Tibs waited by his front door. And waited... And waited... And waited... And waited..." until finally someone notices him and begrudgingly lets him inside, where he has to wait some more before getting his breakfast. Things proceed in this manner for a long time, until finally one day the orange tabby becomes fed up with all this waiting around. Much to his human family's astonishment, he climbs to the cupboard, gets down his own cat food, and opens the can with a can opener. Impressed (and somewhat relieved), the Ford family soon gives Tibs carte blanche around town. He shops with the family credit card, hangs out in cafés, goes to movies, plays tennis--until the Fords get their monthly bank statement. It's time for Tibs to earn his keep. And suddenly, Tibs isn't sure his cleverness is such a boon after all. Feline fans--especially older ones--will laugh out loud at this not-so-hard-to-believe fantasy. Most cat owners have wondered at times just how helpless Fluffy really is. Peter Collington's adroitness matches that of Tibs, especially in his priceless illustrations of the cat opening his first can, and strolling by the "less gifted" cats on the stoop. (Ages 6 and older) --Emilie Coulter

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

JP Oversized

First published April 6, 2000

Reviews

[Hilary · Rating 4 out of 5]

I remember getting this out of our library when my children were small, we really enjoyed this and it was really good to revisit it today.

When Clever Cat's family realise he can do certain things for himself they start to do less and less for him and before he knows it he has all the stress of the adult world upon his small furry shoulders. We thought this was a really fun story and we loved the idea of a clever cat, perhaps many clever cats that can do things but wisely choose not too. This was a very enjoyable read and fun idea for a story. The illustrations are lovely, we didn't like Clever Cat's family much, hopefully he will find another who are more appreciative of him.

Read on open library.

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tired of waiting around for his neglectful family to feed him, Tibs the cat eventually feeds himself one day, much to the astonishment of his humans. Given more and more responsibility as a result, Tibs eventually ends up with a job and plenty of adult stress. The neighborhood cats watch it all in bemusement, and finally agree that Tibs is a 'clever cat' when he goes back to waiting on his humans to do things for him...

I enjoyed the exploration of the idea of cleverness here - how Tibs was called clever by the humans for knowing how to do human things, while his fellow cats clearly thought otherwise, believing that cleverness lay in allowing the humans to do all the work. That said, I really did not like Tibs' human family in Clever Cat, with their constant nastiness. The way they made him wait a LONG time for everything, the way they called him names like "stupid," their generally dismissive and unloving attitude - it all rubbed me the wrong way, and greatly decreased my reading pleasure. The artwork here was lovely - it was a surprise that the book wasn't wordless, like the two other titles from Peter Collington ( On Christmas Eve and The Tooth Fairy ) that I have read - but I still finished it with a bad taste in my mouth. I ended up giving this three stars for the artwork and the story idea, but it could easily have been two, given how mean-spirited the treatment of poor Tibs was.

[Bentley&Lou · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this book is great and I pictures make me really laugh. It's a good book to teach a cat a lesson, but if kids try and use the lesson from it then they'll all end up as 40 year old unemployed couch potatos living at home still with no plans to ever move out. I still like it though.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's perfect. One of my favorites.

[Catherine Austen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is funny and intelligent, hence ideal for cat lovers (naturally attuned to things funny and intelligent). It tells the story of a a seemingly extraordinary cat who learns just how clever all the lazing, tinned-food-eating felines around him really are. Collington’s detailed pictures capture every emotion on the hero’s sweet face and match his text perfectly. A good choice for readers of all ages, especially older ones.

[Olivia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hands down my favorite picture book of all time.

[Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Masterpiece that's enjoyable by both adults & children. It isn't easy to illustrate the differences between intelligence & wisdom but this book has certainly done so. Brilliant!

[R. G. Nairam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Horrified laughter ensued.

[Cat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Funny story od cat that is too smart for it's own good! I love cats and this story is an original! Kids and cat lovers are going to love this story. Illustrations are a hoot!

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Is clever cat so clever? He learns to do things for himself- feed himself, shop, use his own keys to the house, and everyone says how clever his is. Then comes the responsibility lesson from his owners- paying rent, getting a job. Most people over 25 can relate to the responsibilities we take on as be become clever adults.

[Sam · Rating 1 out of 5]

Problem #1--The family in this story is rude toward, and lazy when it comes to responsibly feeding, their cat.
Fun element to story--Cat turns out to be clever, able to take care of himself. With a key to the house, the family's bank card, and a job, his family and the reader alike are impressed.
Problem # 2--The grand finale is the cat deciding he is better off to act incapable and laze about, gaining the approval of the street cats. Once again, he is called dumb by the owners and waits and waits for handouts. Only this time he's quite pleased with this. Terrible message to send to the young audience of this book.

[Siskiyou-Suzy · Rating 1 out of 5]

What in the world is this crap? All right, I get what it's trying to say. Cats are really capable of taking are of themselves, but they've duped us humans into taking care of them while they laze around! It's supposed to be cute. But I kinda hate the story. What in the world is wrong with the family? Why do they have a cat if they hate it so much? Tibs got too expensive because he was doing stuff each day -- going out and eating and spending money. But once he got a job, he was suddenly had rent and bills?

[The Brothers · Rating 2 out of 5]

I would like to give this book a higher rating because it's a cute story about a cat that decides he's tired of waiting to be fed and takes things into his own paws, but the Ford family calls the cat "stupid" and "dumb" and I didn't want Asher (4 years old) to get ideas about names he could call his brother.

The illustrations were quite engaging.

[Lucy · Rating 2 out of 5]

the kids really liked this one, I personally found it a little odd, didn't really like the illustrations & the story had a peculiar point.
I think the kids liked the idea of the cat opening cans & using the front door key....

[Netanella · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very clever book, but I think it will be enjoyed by adults more than children.

[Marshmallowlemonade · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cat starts to fend for himself and gets more and more responsibility as a result.

[Debby Baumgartner · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cat is tired of waiting for his breakfast and discovers he can do it for himself. He should takes on other tasks for the household but is it worth it?

[Heather McLaughlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very cute.