Feathers for Lunch

by Lois Ehlert

An escaped house cat encounters twelve common birds in the backyard but captures only feathers for lunch. Includes bird guide. “Destined to become an uncontested favorite with many children and adults.”--The Horn Book

Genres: Picture Books, Animals, Birds, Childrens, Cats, Storytime, Fiction

36 pages, Paperback

First published September 12, 1990

About the author

Lois Ehlert has created numerous inventive, celebrated, and bestselling picture books, including Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, Holey Moley, The Scraps Book, Mice, Ten Little Caterpillars, RRRalph, Lots of Spots, Boo to You!, Leaf Man, Waiting for Wings, Planting a Rainbow, Growing Vegetable Soup, and Color Zoo, which received a Caldecott Honor. She lived in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Reviews

[Melki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Look out, birds! The cat's out of the bag house, and he's looking for a snack!

Luckily, he's wearing a bell, so all our feathered friends have time to scatter before they become lunch.

Ehlert's art is bright and colorful, and her collage technique works well with her subject matter. There's also a nifty bird identification guide at the back.

[Jesa Burgoyne · Rating 5 out of 5]

September's Wheel of TBR 2022
Prompt: Read a short book

[Crissy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this with a brief bit of info on the birds.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

My kids loved having this book read to them and the wonderful illustrations add to the story. I have saved it to read to my grandchildren!

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a ex-library copy I picked up. Lu loves the cat because he looks so much like our cat. He also enjoyed hearing all the "bird words".

(October 2019)

[Ronan Crutchfield]

I liked learning about all the types of birds

[Tracy Schillemore · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cat escapes and goes on the hunt for tasty bird. This is really fun. I love the pictures too.

[Mother Goose Librarian · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love how Elhert blends information with a simple tale through her amazing art. This is a fun and simple exploration of various types of birds, as well as a delightful little tale of an escaped cat that is desperately trying to catch a wild treat for lunch! It was a joy to discuss types of birds seen in our own backyards with kinders and then create a little picture of a bird! Hmmm, now I'm thinking that this would be a beautiful addition to a collection of bird books to share when having kids select their own bird to learn about and share research findings!

[Dolly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting story about a frustrated cat, but one that teaches different kinds of birds along the way. I was happily surprised at the number of birds our girls could recognize. This has the same style of illustration as the "Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf" book we also read today. (The library was highlighting her stories.)

[Diana · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one is turning out to be a classic for a reason! The story is very simple and easy to read aloud to even the youngest kids. But as the children get older, they will start to appreciate the lovely illustrations and the variety of birds that are depicted. Then, as they get even older, they can read the book for the introduction to the different bird species, which are both shown throughout the book (complete with labels!) and detailed at the end as part of a simple nature guide. There's even a checklist to help kids look around their own neighborhood for the various types of birds! I really appreciate books like this that can grow with the kids, and it made a wonderful addition to our unit on birds.

[Jamie · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 year old and baby both really liked it. Simple, fun rhymes. Story is about a cat who wants to eat a bird for lunch, but his bell always gives him away and the birds get away. Each page has labels for the different birds that are on each page too. Made me want to start bird watching in our backyard. At the end of the book there's a section for "The lunch that got away" and it shows all the birds, their size, what they eat, where they live (thickets, marshes...) and then geographical home, like Eastern US. I read it with the labels and I don't recommend that for the first time since the complete rhyme isn't just on one page, so you might miss the rhymes (like I did).

[E & E’s Mama · Rating 5 out of 5]

Elliot has been obsessed with this book! I feel bad returning it to the library! He’s loved birds since he was 6 months old and now can point to a variety of them using this book as well as a quick reference pamphlet on birds I found at the check-out register of our grocery story. The story is about a cat who tries to catch a bird for lunch, but they all get away. Each page has a different bird, illustrated in Ehlert’s unique style, which is fun for Elliot to match with the real photographs in his reference guide.

* read at 21 months

[Evelyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great picture book with vibrant illustrations. Touches on the reality of "the circle of life"-- the cat is out there prowling for birds-- but does so with light touch and emphasizes strength of the prey (the birds can fly, they hear the car's bell etc). Our 3/4 year olds have been studying birds and this is so perfect for them. All through the book, Ehlert labels the specific bird (i.e. ruby-throated hummingbird) and the kids are so excited to see "their" birds in the book (each child in our class has chosen a bird). Love the long, rectangular shape of the actual book. Highly recommend.

[Kylie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is fun story about a cat that snuck out and is trying to catch different birds for lunch. They all get away and he is just left with their feathers. This is a great introduction to the different birds toddlers are likely to see in their yard or at a park. And as Ehlert’s other books, all the birds and plants are labeled.

[Sam W · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very similar in style to Eric Carle, this smooth flowing story about a cat that escapes his house to unsuccessfully hunt birds. The book includes different types of birds and flowers with their names to help children learn to identify them in their own neighborhood.

[Ancilleno Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful art and great content.
I really like the scientific and Spanish common names of the birds in the book.
This would be a great first bird book for any Spanish or English Spanish bilingual child.

[Evianrei · Rating 4 out of 5]

My son loved the illustrations, probably because they remind him of Eric Carle. This book was cute, and I loved the little bird information added near the end. Will be looking forward to checking this out again from the library, might even look for a physical copy for home sometime.

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely book! I love the flow and the rhyming. The illustrations remind me of Eric Carle's pictures and it's wonderful. It's about a cat trying to catch a bird for lunch. I like how there are facts about the birds at the end of the book and how throughout the book it names the type of birds too.

[Sandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adore this book for the simple delivery and introduction to both birds and botany offered to small children. My kids already know many of the birds covered in this book, so I really liked quizzing them as we went through the book.

[Casandria · Rating 2 out of 5]

A cat tries to eat birds, but only catches feathers.

[Marti (Letstalkaboutbooksbaybee) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Lois Ehlert’s books because they’re so informative while not being boring for kids!

[J · Rating 4 out of 5]

The kitty is so cute!

[Lu's Reviews · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a ex-library copy I picked up. Lu loves the cat because he looks so much like our cat. He also enjoyed hearing all the "bird words".

(October 2019)

[Lindsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved that all the birds were drawn to size and the back had facts about each one. Lots to like--rhymes and a sneaky cat looking for food, flora drawings plus the author is from Wisconsin!

[Ume Hermanski · Rating 4 out of 5]

A simple poem and bold lovely artwork teach twelve bird species, great for little kids!

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfect introduction to backyard birds! 100% loved it!

[Y.Poston]

fun & beautiful exploration
of birds!

[Teresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

3 August 2020

[Allyson Goose · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved the title and all plant and animal names in the illustrations. My 4-year-old bird fan liked it!

[Story · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this book lacked much of a plot and the illustrations were bland. It's a cute idea and, I like the rhyming but it just wasn't for me.