Clever Cat - Hardcover

Collington, Peter

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0375804773 ISBN 13: 9780375804779

Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers, 2000

Synopsis

Peter Collington, recognized master of wordless picture books, proves in this funny feline fantasy that he is just as entertaining with words and pictures.

Tibs, the orange tabby hero of Clever Cat, knows that being the cat of a busy working family means patiently waiting around a lot--to be let out, to be let in, to be fed. So one day Tibs takes matters into his own paws. To the amazement of his family, he opens up a can of cat food and serves himself. Soon he's a cat about town, with a set of house keys to come and go as he pleases and the use of Mrs. Ford's bank card to buy his own food--and a few other things that tickle his fancy. He regards the other kitties in the neighborhood, snoozing in the sun
all day, and thinks, What a bore! But when Mrs. Ford's monthly bank statement arrives, suddenly this clever cat must earn his keep, and Tibs begins to wonder if he's too smart for his own good.

About this title

About the Author

Peter Collington, winner of the 1994 Bologna Book Fair Honor Award, is the author of The Angel and the Soldier Boy, On Christmas Eve, and A Small Miracle.

From the Inside Flap

gton, recognized master of wordless picture books, proves in this funny feline fantasy that he is just as entertaining with words and pictures.

Tibs, the orange tabby hero of Clever Cat, knows that being the cat of a busy working family means patiently waiting around a lot--to be let out, to be let in, to be fed. So one day Tibs takes matters into his own paws. To the amazement of his family, he opens up a can of cat food and serves himself. Soon he's a cat about town, with a set of house keys to come and go as he pleases and the use of Mrs. Ford's bank card to buy his own food--and a few other things that tickle his fancy. He regards the other kitties in the neighborhood, snoozing in the sun
all day, and thinks, What a bore! But when Mrs. Ford's monthly bank statement arrives, suddenly this clever cat must earn his keep, and Tibs begins to wonder if he's too smart for his own good.

Reviews

Kindergarten-Grade 3-Tibs waits patiently to be let in and then to be fed while his harried owners scurry about preparing for school and work. One day, tired of waiting, he gets his own food, much to his family's astonishment. His independence escalates as this clever cat is given a house key and a money card; however, so do his expenses as he visits shops, movies, and a caf . Soon his humans repossess their card and demand rent. Tibs finds work at his favorite establishment but discovers the exhausting realities of self-support. He oversleeps and loses his job. The next day finds him waiting once again at the door and at his dish and then snoozing with the neighborhood cats, who finally consider him a clever cat indeed. Tibs's transition from ordinary house cat to enterprising bipedal feline is amusingly captured in small illustrations interspersed with full-page spreads that wryly depict his British family and neighborhood. He appears appropriately awkward as he stands erect but comfortably catlike on all fours and has much more personality and appeal than the humans with whom he interacts. Some of the sly humor is derived from folks bemusedly interacting with this upright feline in their midst. Simple, direct text with lots of brief sentences reinforces the well-paced action. "Patience is a virtue" gets a sardonic twist in this clever and visually arresting tale. Pair it with Susan Meddaugh's Martha Speaks (Houghton, 1992) for a storytime about enterprising pets and their exasperated owners.
Carol Ann Wilson, Westfield Memorial Library, NJ
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Best known for his wordless picture books, Collington (The Angel and the Soldier Boy; The Tooth Fairy) adds a clipped, comical narrative to his meticulously detailed art in this wry volume starring a family cat. One morning, Mrs. Ford finds her pet Tibs a bother and wishes aloud that he could feed himself. Fed up with not being fed, Tibs takes her suggestion to heart and a transformation results. Collington shows him as he rises onto his hind legs, reaches into the cupboard, opens his own can of food and proceeds to eat with a spoon. The Fords proclaim him "a clever cat" and hand him a house key and ATM card so he can buy his own food, too. Tibs's cleverness seems to know no bounds. He dines at an outdoor caf?, shops at a toy store and relaxes in a movie theater. But his carefree lifestyle comes to a halt when the Fords announce that he must find a job to earn his keep. Tibs tries hard to make ends meet but his work suffers and he is fired. The artist creates empathy for the furry fellow throughout his aping of a human existenceAwith expressions to matchAand perfectly captures feline behavior when the hero returns to a cat's life. Collington's droll pictures of this enterprising animal engaged in activities normally reserved for humans will elicit Cheshire grins from readers young and old. All ages. (Aug.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

An agile orange tabby flirts with the high life, human style, in this wry, elegant story. Tired of waiting for his breakfast, Tibs the cat rises on his hind legs and prepares his own meal. Delighted, his overworked family gives him a cash card to buy his own food, and Tibs uses his new financial liberty to explore adult pleasures: chic cafes, shopping trips, films, tennis, and even card games, where he's flanked by bejeweled women in evening gowns. Eventually, his owners demand compensation, and Tibs' days become an exhaustive grind of waiting tables and preparing his own meals, until he gives up his anthropomorphic ways, reverting back to canned cat food, and sleepy days on the stoop--"Finally, a clever cat." Detailed, expressive paintings, grouped several to a page, extend the pointed comedy in this layered story. Young children who wonder about the secret life and hidden intelligence of their pets will delight in Tibs; older kids (and the adults reading to them) will enjoy the story and also recognize the messages about the fast pace and materialism of contemporary life. Gillian Engberg
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Edition details

• Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
• Publication date: 2000
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0375804773
• ISBN 13: 9780375804779
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Collington Peter
• Number of pages: 32