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The Valentine Cat

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A lonely painter has given up on his life's work—until he takes in a half-starved kitten. Soon he decides that the heart-shaped mark on the kitten's face must be lucky. The little cat gives the painter new belief in his art, and his paintings get better and better. Then the cat is stolen, and the painter finds himself lonelier than ever. But where a Valentine cat in concerned, things have a way of ending happily after all. Especially once the little cat makes his way to the palace, where a kindhearted princess puts everything right again.

This charming story pairs Clyde Robert Bulla's masterful storytelling with dramatic art from Caldecott Medalist Leonard Weisgard. In paperback for the first time, this classic has been meticulously reproduced using the original illustrations.

52 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1959

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About the author

Clyde Robert Bulla

103 books99 followers
Born to be a Writer
Almost as far back as he can remember, Clyde Robert Bulla wanted to write. Born on a farm in a small town in Missouri, Mr. Bulla's first school was a one-room country schoolhouse. One day his teacher asked each first grade student what he or she would do with a thousand dollars. Young Clyde answered that he would buy a table. His classmates laughed heartily, and his teacher was puzzled. “What I really meant,” says Mr. Bulla, “is a desk or other flat surface on which to write my stories!”

First Stories
Mr. Bulla's first piece of writing was titled, “How Planets Were Born.” The ambitious opening sentence was, “One night old Mother Moon had a million babies.” All through school, Mr. Bulla continued to write stories mostly, but plays and poetry, too. After years of gathering editor's rejection slips, Mr. Bulla sold a magazine story, then several more. Soon after, Mr. Bulla wrote a novel and a publisher accepted it.

The Difficult Years
In the excitement of publishing a novel, Mr. Bulla wrote two more books. Unfortunately, no one wanted to publish them. His luck took a turn for the worse when the publisher of his first book went bankrupt. For several years, he worked at a local weekly newspaper where he struggled with linotype, kept books, collected bills, and wrote a weekly column.

Success!
A couple of Mr. Bulla's weekly columns caught the attention of a well-known author and illustrator of children's books. She wrote to Mr. Bulla, suggesting that he try writing a children's book. He immediately sent her a manuscript for a children's book he'd written a year before. Within one week, an editor of a New York publisher read the manuscript,and it was accepted. The book was The Donkey Cart, published in 1946. Since then, Mr. Bulla has written over twenty books for children, as well as the music for several children's song books.

About The Chalk Box Kid
“When I was young,” explains Mr. Bulla, “I sometimes found it hard to cope in new surroundings, and I was apt to get off on the wrong foot. This is the story of a boy who got off on the wrong foot in a new school and how he tried to cope.” In describing the chalk garden, Mr. Bulla says, “I gave Gregory something I've always wished for: a big, blank wall that I could cover with my own drawings.”

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5 stars
51 (40%)
4 stars
54 (42%)
3 stars
14 (11%)
2 stars
7 (5%)
1 star
1 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
Profile Image for Hilary .
2,294 reviews491 followers
February 6, 2020
This is such an enjoyable story! The illustrations are wonderful, much better than the cover, I love the 60s style and the simple use of blue and red. The story was very good too, told like a fairytale and longer than your average picture book. The story was interesting and certainly held my attention. This is a book I would definitely buy if I came across it.

Read on open library
Profile Image for Margie.
464 reviews10 followers
February 7, 2020
I found this charming picture book from the late 50s in my Friends of the Library store just in time for Valentine's Day.  I would have loved this book as a child, but I am glad it finally found me.  Some might find it dated, but I found it wonderfully nostalgic.

The Valentine Cat tells the tale of a small black stray with a white heart in the middle of its forehead, a young man named Tell, a princess named Florinda and an evil chimney sweep named Ketch.  Tell is an artist who has given up his dreams and works as a shoemaker to make ends meet.  He walks home sadly every day to his lonely existence in a small room.  One cold evening he spies a very small black cat in an alley near his home.  The little cat is so frozen it allows Tell to pick it up and take it inside.
 
Tell's kindness to the little cat results in companionship and love for both of them.  Tell begins to paint again using the Valentine Cat as his model and the walls of his room as his canvas.  Soon his room is covered with beautiful pictures of the little cat.

Midway through the book, Ketch, the evil chimney sweep, enters the story. Fairy tales can have cruel scenes and this one has the chimney sweep harnessing the little Valentine Cat and dropping it down chimneys so that it frantically twists and turns and dislodges soot.  But as in most fairy tales, evil is ultimately thwarted and there is a happy ending for all except the evil Ketch.
 
The illustrations are typical of art in children's books in the 50s.  The color palate is muted and only four colors are used, red, aqua, black and white.  The illustrator, Leonard Weisgard, was a well-known writer and illustrator of children's books and won the Caldecott for his illustrations of The Little Island written by Margaret Wise Brown.  Weisgard and Brown collaborated on fourteen books and Weisgard illustrated more than 200 children's books.

The author, Clyde Robert Bulla, was a newspaper columnist and author of more than fifty books for children.  The New York Times said of him, "Clyde Robert Bulla's mastery of the fine tale told in simple language has made his name a by-word in easy-reading circles."

I am not familiar with most of Bulla's books, but as a lover of cats and fairy tales I found this delightful tale a small treasure.
Profile Image for Abigail.
8,011 reviews265 followers
February 1, 2021
A little black kitten with a white heart on his forehead is abandoned in the forest in this original fairy-tale from Clyde Robert Bulla, eventually finding his way to the city, where he is adopted by Tell, a talented painter who had given up on his art in despair. Inspired by his new feline companion, Tell takes to painting again, and creates a beautiful room dedicated to his Valentine Cat. But when the cat is stolen by the devious chimney-sweep Ketch, and made to climb down sooty chimneys, it seems that neither will be happy again. Fortunately, the cat finds its way to Princess Florinda, and in turn leads her to Tell, changing both of their fortunes forever...

A delightful story from Bulla is paired with lovely vintage illustrations from Leonard Weisgard in The Valentine Cat, a simple six-part chapter-book first published in 1959. Whether the beginning chapter-book reader enjoys stories in which homeless animals find a family and home, or loves fairy-tales featuring princesses, this book is sure to please! The only other Bulla title I have read, The Wish at the Top , was also a fairy-tale of sorts, and both stories are enough to convince me that I should seek out more from this author. Recommended to children who are just getting going with longer fiction, and who enjoy animal stories and/or fairy-tales.
Profile Image for Josiah.
3,488 reviews158 followers
October 23, 2022
Clyde Robert Bulla has created some of the loveliest, most charming stories I've ever read. He produced dozens of good books with surprising staying power, still in publication long after their debut, as well as many that went out of print much sooner, to our loss. In The Valentine Cat, Clyde Robert Bulla joins forces with famed illustrator Leonard Weisgard to turn out a sweet book I hope continues to find a home in the hearts of readers for years to come. This gentle, timeless story has so much to offer.

When a black kitten with a heart-shaped white mark on its forehead and blazing blue eyes is born in a woodcutter's barn, the tiny animal soon finds himself out on the street looking for a new home, much to the chagrin of the woodcutter's kindhearted daughter. The kitten eventually stumbles upon a poor shoemaker named Tell who is on his way home from work, and Tell adopts the cat into his home without a second thought. At heart, Tell is an artist, but the period of his life that he spent trying to sell his artwork to prospective buyers turned out to be fruitless; they just weren't buying what he had to offer, and so he wearily consented to relinquish his vision of being an artist and open up shop as a shoemaker in order to make ends meet. Nevertheless, his dreams lie not dead but dormant, and on a sudden whim one day he paints a picture of the kitten on the wall of his house. The sight of his artistic talents in use again stirs the old longing inside of Tell; he realizes that he's fully capable of making a better drawing of his kitten than this first hesitant attempt, and now that he knows that he still has all of his old ability, he wants to see exactly how how much better he can do. With his faithful kitten companion by his side, Tell paints pictures of his pet all over the walls of the house, and the beauty of his unique finished creation is evident. There's something more to making art than just earning a living, something about it that is eminently worthwhile even if not a head turns in notice. "I had forgotten how good it is to paint," Tell says. "If I can't be an artist to please the world, I'll be an artist to please myself." And that is what he does.

As so often happens when one has found a source of inspiration, though, the selfish schemes of one who covets the artist's kitten work to steal away the innocent animal, and Tell is left on his own again without a means by which to reclaim his artistic renaissance. But in classic Clyde Robert Bulla style, all comes together in a fitting conclusion to demonstrate the lasting influence that even a tiny kitten can have on so many, and the sweetness that a true happy ending can deliver when dreams deferred are finally brought to reality. Even if that reality is different from the one that we had originally imagined.

At first glance, the illustrating work of Leonard Weisgard in The Valentine Cat may appear fairly rudimentary, but a closer look reveals the rich depth and dimension that he has captured in the book's artwork. One could hardly ask for a more appealing author/illustrator duo than Clyde Robert Bulla and Leonard Weisgard, and The Valentine Cat is a good example of the magic that they are capable of producing together. I would give it two and a half stars, and that rating balances right on the brink of going up instead of down. The Valentine Cat is undoubtedly a book to treasure.
Profile Image for Luisa Knight.
3,223 reviews1,215 followers
October 27, 2022
This is either a very long picture book (with chapters), or a very short chapter book. You’ll have to decide.

What a fun and altogether different story to read on Valentine’s Day. There’s a cat, a down-on-his-luck artist, a bad guy who thinks outside of the box, a castle and a princess. And the ending won’t be what you expect!

Be sure to add this to your Valentine’s reading list! It’s Bulla and Weisgard so you know it’ll be a winner!

Ages: 4 - 10

Cleanliness: nothing to note.

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Profile Image for J.
3,957 reviews33 followers
March 5, 2018
This is one book that I enjoyed as a child and loved since of course there are cats. Unfortunately it has been quite a long time since I read it while lately it has been one of those ghostly reads that have been begging to be reread again just as long as I could find another copy of it, which fortunately I have.

The story is more meaningful to me as an adult since of all the trials that I have gone through and how I can compare my own life with the Valentine Cat. Although there were definitely good times and wonderful homes there were also the bad experiences that shadowed the little cat for just a while and even though he cried he still never lost sight of what home was. At the same time the story is about the rejoining of lost ones, sharing one's talents, being truthful and also being kind to all including the animals that are in your life.

With so many great messages to find and enjoy one would think that this wasn't a great book for children but the author has a beautiful way that Scholastic has supported on making the story easy-to-understand while enjoyable. There are barely any large words and although the physical book is big the writing is evenly spaced while there are plenty of illustrations that allow the reader a break if it is needed. And the pace of the story is well provided so the reader doesn't get lost or easily distracted from the telling.

One of my most favorite things about this particular book are the illustrations. Unlike many other illustrations these ones are only given a very small range of colors but in doing so they touch the reader as they probably wouldn't have otherwise. At the same time the details nicely catch the eyes and provide to the reader while providing a wonderful co-story.

This is most definitely a wonderful book to share with those who love cats no matter the age and also those who enjoy an alternative forms of fairytales.
Profile Image for Michael Fitzgerald.
Author 1 book64 followers
February 22, 2017
A good story told in six short chapters. Young listeners are able to follow the action and keep track of the different characters. It's perhaps a bit easier than most fairy tales.
Profile Image for Nikki in Niagara.
4,391 reviews175 followers
August 18, 2013
A fairy-tale story of a stray little cat with a white heart-shaped mark on his forehead. A painter finds him and is inspired to paint again after he has given it up and paints pictures of the cat on the walls of his rooms. An evil chimney-sweep steals the kitten for a while but he eventually ends up in the arms of the local princess. Needless to say the painter and the princess eventually meet for a happily ever after.

This is a picture book sized chapter book of six chapters. Easily read to small children and readable at about a grade 2/3 level. Lovely heart-warming story, with a genuine Valentine's Day feeling that isn't mushy and enjoyable for both boys and girls. the illustrations are gorgeous and the palette of black, red and turquoise is beautiful to behold. Profusely illustrated. A story of friendship that is a perfect Valentine's Day read for something a little different than the usual books. Well, worth searching for this out-of-print title.
Profile Image for Cindy.
1,885 reviews13 followers
January 17, 2018
Copyright 1959, I have the reissue of 1987.

Tell is a young artist who can't make it doing only that. So he has to work for a shoemaker in a job that crushes his soul.
The cat, who is referred to as Cat has an unusual heart shaped marking on his head. He is a stray & trying to survive on the streets.

Tell & Cat find each other & Tell begins to paint Cat. He paints him on the walls of his apartment.
One day Cat is gone. Tell tries to find him, but is unable. Cat has been catnapped by an evil chimney sweep who uses Cat to clean chimneys.

While cleaning a chimney at the palace, the chimney sweep falls off the roof & Cat falls in the chimney. The Princess finds & adopts him. Eventually, he finds his way back to Tell.

This is a nice story. My kids enjoyed it (so did I!). Rather wordy for younger than 6.
Profile Image for Gina.
230 reviews1 follower
December 11, 2018
The Valentine Cat is by turns dark and hopeful. This unusual story is about a homeless cat with a white valentine mark on his forehead, who finds a young artist to live with. The illustrations rendered in bright contrasting green and orange, enhance the visual appeal of this picture book.
Profile Image for Erika Powers.
370 reviews
January 31, 2019
What a sad little story, kitty has a really hard life right up til the end of the story. I wouldn’t recommend it at all. The farmer abandons him in the woods, no one helps him, he’s cold and hungry and afraid for years. One day a guy takes him home but after a short while he’s stolen by a chimney sweep who abuses the kitty by dropping him chimneys. The kitty is afraid so he claws and this the chimneys get clean. He throws kitty in his cellar at night. Then a princess gets the kitty, blahdy blah valentine parade, kitty recognizes his old home with the nice guy so he runs away from the parade to his home. Then the princess catches up and they live happily ever after in the palace. Nope, I do not like it at all. Written in 1959; today many of us plain and simple see these things as animal abuse. Even if it is ‘just a story’, why bring it into your life when there are pleasant books to read. I don’t like the happily ever after endings either. A story can end well without it.

The 2nd star is for the illustrations, the length of the story, and the varied scenes in the kitty’s life - lots of (bad) things happen. Could have been a great adventure story.

Oh, he’s a Valentine kitty bc of his white heart shaped mark on his cute little head.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Melissa -Crazy Lucky Book Nerd.
171 reviews11 followers
February 24, 2023
A very adorable story of a black cat with a heart-shaped white mark and how he was found by a painter who brought love to him and a princess. This is a picture book that also works as a chapter book. I really love this sweet story. The artist of this book uses only three colors. Black, red, and teal with white as the majority background. So the pictures are simplistic but when the colors are used wisely, the pictures give amazing expressions! For example, the cat's teal-blue eyes are so striking against the cat's black fur! It works like a fairy tale, where you have a villain who steals the cat from the painter. And then a princess finds the cat and loves it. Then the cat reunited with the painter and the princess makes him the royal painter. I love the fact the painter gets a long-term job as opposed to the traditional fairy tale reward which would be to marry the princess.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for James Greening.
190 reviews
February 10, 2025
The Valentine Cat is a beautifully illustrated book in a modern-style, but medieval-influenced, which is an interesting combination and makes for a great read. The story itself is wonderful and teaches loss, honesty, and hope, which are truthful ideas to teach children. In my humble opinion, the story rushes itself towards the end, when it should have shortened the first chapters and elongated the ending chapters (which is the only reason for a four star review instead of a five). All in all, a truly wonderful story to read!
Profile Image for Mary.
72 reviews6 followers
February 15, 2021
Cute book to read aloud to the kids on Valentine’s Day. Longer than most picture books, but easily read in one sitting! The kids loved the storyline and most of all - the ending! Such a charming little read with lovely illustrations. We will return to this one each Valentine’s Day and even before then too, I’m sure! ❤️
1 review
January 12, 2021
this was my favorite book as a kid i read it almost everyday
Profile Image for Karie.
392 reviews2 followers
January 24, 2021
A little gem from 1950. Black kitten + Valentines = 😍
Profile Image for Sasha.
1,400 reviews11 followers
October 8, 2022
The lush scenery typical of Weisgard could not save this harsh plotline. So unnecessarily cruel. A cat forced into chimney sweep servitude? Really? Ugh.
Profile Image for Laura Pickles.
14 reviews
January 20, 2025
Cute book with chapters. Long enough to split between a couple of days. The content allows a small side lesson on the dangers of strangers and how they may use niceness to kidnap. We enjoyed it.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews

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