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Type of bind: Paperback
EAN num: 9780142407080
ISBN number: 0142407089
Label: Puffin
Manufacturer: Puffin
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 32
Printing Date: October 05, 2006
Publishing house: Puffin
Age index: Ages 4-8
Sale Popularity Level: 9261
Studio: Puffin
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Editor's Notes and Comments:
Product Description:
Once upon a time there was an old man and an old woman who were very lonely. They decided to get a cat, but when the old man went out searching, he found not one cat, but millions and billions and trillions of cats! Unable to decide which one would be the best pet, he brought them all home. How the old couple came to have just one cat to call their own is a classic tale that has been loved for generations. Winner of a Newbery Honor, this collector’s edition—featuring a heavy interior stock, spot gloss and embossing on the cover, and a thread-sewn binding—will bring this beloved tale to a whole new generation of readers.
Amazon.com Review:
Millions of Cats is a wonderful tale of vanity versus humility, written and illustrated by the singular Wanda Gag. An old man and his wife decide to get a cat, so the old man goes out in search of the prettiest cat of all. When he is forced to choose from 'hundreds, thousands, millions and billions and trillions' of cats, he (naturally) brings them all home. When the wife points out their inability to support the legion of felines, it is left to the cats to decide who among them is the prettiest. Anyone who has ever owned more than a single cat can tell you what happens next.
Gag's simple, appealing grey ink drawings are perfect for the story, somehow capturing at least the idea of millions of cats in a single page. Repeated lines and the sing-song title refrain make this a read-aloud natural.(Ages 4 to 8)
User popularity level:
Rated by buyers 
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The illustrations are pretty plain, being that they're grey and white, and the story even a little lame, but the "chorus" of the book ("Hundreds of cats, Thousands of cats, Millions and billions and trillions of cats"), is what makes the book a standout for me.
Rated by buyers -
A tale of a man who, looking for a cat, finds too many. For any animal-lover, this is a secret dream, an embarrassment of riches. Millions of Cats sends that dream to the glue factory. The laws of nature state that, when a population becomes larger than available resources can support, conflict ensues. In a scene reminiscent of the enormous slaughter at Verdun, acres upon acres of fuzzy, fuzzy kitties flip out switchblade claws and tear each other apart. All for a chance to enter an exclusive Shangri-La: the happy home of the peasant farmer and his sturdy wife. The sole survivor is found hiding under a bush, the last of his race. He is an inverted Jesus, an unblemished lamb for whose sake all of his kind must die. A kitty Anti-Christ, if you will. Who, through his cunning feint, has gained dominion over the feline earth.
And where are the corpses of the slain? How can that hapless peasant keep his shoes dry as he surveys the site of the recent battle? The truth is clear to the careful reader: the Omega Cat has eaten the bodies and drank from the blood. A demonic Eucharist to profane the very soil, the anointing feast for a Dark Prince of Cats. The unwitting peasant knows not what evil he welcomes into his home. And yet, the final scene of domestic bliss offers hope to a world wracked with bloody regional wars: even after death on an incomprehensible scale, life goes on.
Great Christmas gift for your little ones. Goes great with a new puppy.
Rated by buyers -
One of my most treasured childhood books, this was one of the very first purchases I've made for a new niece and nephew. A wonderful story line, which likely played a part in my love for and respect of all things great and small.
Rated by buyers -
Once upon a time there was a very old man and a very old woman. They lived in a nice clean house which had flowers all around it, except where the door was. But they couldn't be happy because they were so very lonely.
Rated by buyers -
This book is not for all people, as noted by some reviews. In this case, since it is a children's book, it is all a gamble. For some children, they will look upon it either fondly, horrified or simply confused. It is later will their views either change or stay the same.
My personal experience was fondness. Looking back on it now, I am still fond of it. Some children will simply find it interesting. I was one of those. I liked cats and I loved the little cat at the end. As an adult, I see its morals quite clearly. I also am fine with it. It all depends on a person's response to morbidity. If one comes to like things like Edward Gorey, Roman Dirge or Tim Burton... The bat of an eye seems less plausible. This book is as safe as the original takes on fairy tales - you know, before Disney.
Anyway, for parents who are leery, there is a lesson to learn in this story.
Moral: Vanity can lead to one's downfall. Be humble and practical and good things (hopefully) will come in reward.
As noted, there were some issues with how things were done. The following will have spoilers.
Vanity is displayed through most of the book. It led to the downfall of both the old man and the millions of billions of cats. The old man mainly cared for a good looking cat. One always looked better than the other to him. He needed to keep what the true goal was in mind. He should have only looked for what cat could serve the purpose he and his wife were looking for. In the end, he took all and in turn took on a task beyond his control.
The cats were more or less fine until near the end. The wife, upon seeing the many cats, reminds the old man of the true purpose of his quest. They thus can only keep one. In turn, all the cats that were wrong for the couple in the beginning brought upon their own downfall for being too proud. They only cared for their own gain in the matter. They were superficial and in the end none were left to gain the "prize".
The moral shines through in the end though when the couple does find the right cat for them.
Perhaps one will find that too psychological for a child to grasp, but as noted, for a child to understand... well, you either have to go into great explanation or hope your child applies the same understanding of most original fairy tales to this book - they simply find it amusing and don't ask questions.
If they do, just give them the story at its value.
"If I am pretty, will I be eaten up?"
No. The kitten in the end ended up being very pretty and he was never eaten up. What it is saying is, if you are beautiful on the outside, be beautiful on the inside as well. The cat in the end displayed that.
"What if I say I am the prettiest to someone?"
That would be rude. It can hurt feelings. Like in the book, the little kitten did not say a word. It thought it was no better than anyone. The other cats became angry with each other because none of them wanted to feel less important than another, when in truth they were all equal.
"Why did they eat each other?"
They let their hatred eat at themselves and in turn destroyed each other through that. (It is pretty difficult to go into metaphors of greed and vanity consuming a person being displayed in blatant eating an opponent physically.)
The list can go on.
There is also another faint moral. Treat others kindly and good things can happen for you and that person. The kitten was small, scrawny and unloved. The old man likely never would have given it a second thought, as the cat believed. With it being the only one left and after they witnessed the terribleness of the physically beautiful cats, they decided to take care of it. By being given kindness and love, the kitten grew to be a fine cat and both it and the couple were happy. Again, vanity plays in. Look beyond the book cover, and all.
Therefore, this story could be pretty much ANYTHING to a child. In the end, you must be the judge.
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