The Old Ladies Who Liked Cats - Hardcover

Greene, Carol

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0060221054 ISBN 13: 9780060221058

Publisher: Harpercollins, 1991

Synopsis

When the old ladies are no longer allowed to let their cats out at night, the delicate balance of their island ecology is disturbed, with disastrous results.

About this title

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 3-- An ecological tale in which the interdependent chain of cows, clover, bees, sailors, and cats on an island is shattered. The story is presented with humor and charm in a melodious, smoothly flowing text and crisp, dynamically symmetrical, expressive pictures done in gouache and colored pencils. The old ladies' cats prevent the field mice from stealing the honeycombs, thus keeping the bees active pollinating the clover, which feeds the cattle that produce the milk to nourish the sailors who protect the island from pirates. But when the mayor falls over a cat one night, he orders the old ladies to confine their felines after dark. The natural order dissolves, leaving the island easy prey for invaders--until the wise old ladies set the mayor straight. In an elegantly executed variety of full-, double-, and half-page spreads, the industrious cats, sweetly vacant-faced cows, manly youths, fuzzy mice, nefarious villains, and concerned townsfolk parade against a background of lush green meadows, pink clover, a jade ocean, and a flower-gardened village. The lesson is a treat for the eye and the ear. --Patricia Pearl, formerly at First Presbyterian School, Martinsville, VA
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Publishers Weekly

In this inspired variation on a story first told by Charles Darwin, Greene ( The Jenny Summer ; Robin Hill ) reveals a smoothly operating ecological chain. The sailors who protect a small island from invaders stay strong by drinking the milk produced by the cows, whose nourishment depends in turn on bees that pollinate the clover, honeycombs that support the bees, and cats that protect the honeycombs from field mice. The kingpens of this ecosystem are the old ladies who let the cats outdoors at night so that they can do their part. When the mayor decrees that all cats must remain inside, the chain is broken, and the sailors become too weak to defend their homeland. All is set right in the end by the sagacious ladies, "who knew how things work together." Whether or not they absorb the moral of Greene's tale, youngsters will be captivated by her gently rolling text. Filled with an exquisite array of blues and greens, Krupinsky's ( Lost in the Fog ) marvelously expressive characters depict a bygone era with extraordinary charm and humor. Ages 5-8.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Harpercollins
• Publication date: 1991
• ISBN 10: 0060221054
• ISBN 13: 9780060221058
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 32