The Catawampus Cat - Hardcover

Eaton, Jason Carter

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0553509713 ISBN 13: 9780553509717

Publisher: Crown Books for Young Readers, 2017

Synopsis

A tilted tale about a cat who sees the world from an unusual point of view, written by the hilarious Jason Carter Eaton (How to Train a Train) and illustrated by the equally humorous Gus Gordon (Herman and Rosie).
 
catawampus (cat-a-wam-pus) n. 1. Diagonal or at an angle. 2. Askew, awry.
 
The catawampus cat walks with a slant. And his skewed point of view has everyone in town looking at everything with fresh eyes. Even Bushy Brows Billiam who never notices anything, including what time class is over, spots the catawampus cat, and now he’s a star student! And when the town librarian sees the catawampus cat, she pulls the “wrong” book from the shelf, sending her into a life of adventure. The catawampus cat is in town and everything is about to change.

About this title

About the Author:

Jason Carter Eaton was born at a 44-degree angle and has only gotten more diagonal with age. He now leans so far over that he’s nearly upside down. While attempting to write his life story, he accidentally composed several children’s books, including Great, Now We’ve Got Barbarians!; Bubble Trouble; How to Train a Train; and How to Track a Truck. He also wrote the story for the film Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs, which few people realize was meant to be performed entirely in a Swedish accent. Jason lives in a very off-kilter house in Tarrytown, New York, with his way sideways wife, two tilting children, a diagonal dog, and of course, a catawampus cat.
 
Gus Gordon cannot remember a time when he has stood in a perfectly upright position. He walks with such a perilous lean that most people think he is about to topple over, so this book seems quite normal to him. Admittedly he is tired of walking in circles and continually grazing his ears on the sidewalk. Gus is an author and illustrator of more than eighty children’s books. His most recent picture book, Herman and Rosie, has won many awards and has been sold into twelve countries. Gus lives in Australia in his leaning house with his wife, three kids, and a skew-whiff cat called Pippin. Visit him at gusgordon.com.

From School Library Journal:

PreS-Gr 1—One Tuesday morning, the titular feline arrives in town, with his distinctive listing gait. He's largely ignored at first, until people take notice and try to "straighten him. To no avail." And when they tilt their heads to look more closely, curious things happen. The grocer's wife spots her wedding ring, which has been missing for 20 years, and her husband looks at her in a new light. The barber discovers a new sense of style, the house painter makes a creative statement, and the town librarian quits her job and sets out on an adventure. All because of a slight change in perspective. Slowly, the whole town embraces an off-kilter worldview, and the folks seem so pleased with themselves that they decide to honor their lopsided role model. The cat responds by straightening himself out and walking out of town, "once again uniquely catawampus." The tale's simple wordplay and upbeat sentiment are greatly enlivened by the clever, animated mixed-media cartoon artwork, all of which is slightly askew. The spread of the cat stretching and trying out his new stance is priceless. VERDICT This engaging read-aloud provides a slightly different slant on individuality and shifting points of view. A rousing selection for storytime and small group sharing.—Luann Toth, School Library Journal

About this edition

• Publisher: Crown Books for Young Readers
• Publication date: 2017
• ISBN 10: 0553509713
• ISBN 13: 9780553509717
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 32
• Illustrator: Gordon Gus