I Like Cats

by Patricia Hubbell, Pamela Paparone (Illustrator)

"I like cats!" declares the narrator of this rollicking paean to cats of every conceivable description: "Thin cats, fat cats, curl-up-in-my-lap cats ... Farm cats, city cats, sing-a-little-ditty cats . . . Fluffy cats, sleek cats, kiss-me-on-the-cheek cats ... Prowling cats, howling cats, wake-me-with-their-yowling cats. " This comic, charming cattery, chockfull of fabulous felines, is purrfect for cat lovers of all ages.

Author Biography: Patricia Hubbell has lived all her life in Easton, Connecticut. She graduated from the University of Connecticut and worked for a weekly newspaper. She has written numerous books of poetry for children. Pamela Paparone lives in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, with her husband and their two cats. Her previous books for North-South include Ten Dirty Pigs/Ten Clean Pigs, Five Little Ducks, Ten Dogs in the Window, and The Little School Bus.

Genres: Picture Books, Cats, Childrens, Fiction, Animals, Juvenile

32 pages, Hardcover

First published February 1, 2004

About the author

Patricia Hubbell has been writing poetry since she was eleven years old.
In 1998, her Wrapping Paper Romp was selected as a Parents Magazine Book of the Year.
Patricia Hubbell lives with her husband, Harold Hornstein, in Easton, Connecticut, the small town where she was born.
Remembering how much their children and grandchildren loved to bounce when they were very young prompted her to write Bouncing Time. "Bouncing is one of the joyous things little kids do," she says. "It reflects their constant enthusiasm."

Reviews

[Esmee · Rating 5 out of 5]

5/5 Heerlijk. Ik houd ook veel van katten, zeker van Luna.

[Veronica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Illustrations aren't really my style, and my husband guessed the ending, so it gets dinged one star. But otherwise...I like cats.

[S.E. Shurtleff · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful rhymes and amazing retro illustrations. Very cool cats.

[Marg Corjay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting illustrations, catchy rhyming verse. Good reading out loud book.

[Krystal Shoop-Hardin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was just the most purrrfect picture book on cats! There are cats on the cover front and back and in between. The entire story centers around many cats, and all the things that cats do. It is an informative book, with pictures of many different breeds of cats. The little boy in the story loves cats, and they love him too. I would use this book in my classroom on teaching about animals, cats, kindness, responsibility, friendship, and comfort from our pets and all creatures great and small.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't even like cats (haha not true) but the art here is so brilliant, I love this book. I love the colors, the restraint, the exuberance. I love so many specific cats here (the cat with kittens, the city cat, the fluffy one). The cover cat! This is what a picture book can be! -- to love something to pieces.

[Vivian · Rating 4 out of 5]

or... THIS book! The illustrations here are more whimisical and bright than in "I Love Cats" by Sue Stainton. Sooo, use one in one story time presentation and use the other in the next presentation.

A wiggle break might be in order after this story. Invite the children to hold up one hand and do the actions to this verse with you:

Five little kittens (hold up five fingers)
All black and white (wiggle the fingers)
Sleeping very soundly (make a fist)
All through the night. (begin opening hand, one finger at a time...)
Meow, meow, meow, meow, meow (all fingers are now open)
It's time to get up now. (stretch arms high)

Here's another version-- Do both or choose a favorite.

Five little kittens standing in a row (hold up five fingers)
They nod their heads to the children, so (curl first joints of fingers)
They run to the left, they run to the right (move your hand to your right first and then to your left)
They stand up and stretch in the bright sunlight (raise hand up high)
Along comes a dog, who's in for some fun (bring fist near open hand)
Meow! See those five kittens run. (move hand behind back).

Repeat activity at least once.

[Kathryn · Rating 3 out of 5]

The cover art seems so cute and unique to me but I wasn't completely wowed by most of the book. It's got cute enough rhymes about different sorts of cats, but there's nothing new story-wise and the illustrations just didn't make up for it, to me. They are definitely stylized, though, so I think the right person will absolutely love them. My favorite part is the very first (title) page with a few dozen cat faces and the names of each cat; there is such a fun variety of breeds and names! Makes me think of all the kitties at the shelter where I volunteer :-)

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a cute book about... wait for it... cats. Neither the text nor the illustrations stand out from the crowd of cat books on the market, but if you really, really like cats, you might really, really like this book.

[Kelsey Yates · Rating 4 out of 5]

More fun text and illustrations than "Shaggy Dogs, Waggy Dogs" by the same author. A reader can spend time exploring the illustrations to find the cat among the teddy bears or to see what each cat is doing on a table.

[PSU · Rating 5 out of 5]

one boy want a cat but he mom no have mony for buy one so the mom say you can go to grandparents house he have alaro cats the mom say and the boy ask to the grandparents he say yes and the boy faund the favorit cat for he. i like these book because he like the cats

[Marianne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lea loves this book and it always makes her laugh!

[Kristen · Rating 3 out of 5]

wonderful pictures and playful cat activities

[Carolyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Simple book but not on AR list. Good book for cat lovers.

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it! Great story with great illustrations. It kind of makes me want to get a cat.

[Evan · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 This isn't a bad picture book about cats. The drawings are nice and the meter is mostly even. But it's unremarkable among a pretty accomplished sub-genre.

[Erica Deb · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a huge fan of the art but the story is fun to read.

[X · Rating 5 out of 5]

The kids I work with had fun pointing out the different kinds of cats in the pictures.