BIBLIOGRAPHY
Gág, W. (1928). Millions of cats. New York: Coward, McCann & Geoghegan. ISBN 039055739
PLOT SUMMARY
A little old woman told her husband she was lonely and that she wanted to a cat to help combat the loneliness. He sets out to grant her request and stumbles upon a hillside covered with countless cats. He cannot decide which one to take and, eventually, takes them all home. The wife was surprised and stated they would eat them out of house and home so they would take the prettiest one. The cats argued and the couple sought shelter inside. When the noise died down, all the cats were gone save one scraggly cat. After some time had passed, the lone cat was declared the prettiest of all.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Millions of Cats is an interesting read. At first, I had a hard time finding anything special about this book. It’s about an old woman who is lonely who wants her husband to get her a cat. Pretty basic story line. Towards the end of the book, I thought the little old man went overboard to try and please his wife by bringing all the cats home. It’s a nice gesture if not a little unrealistic. When they decided to let the cats pick who the prettiest among them was, that’s when the story started to stand out for me. It shows how all the cats are destroyed in their attempt to prove how pretty they are. What is left is a scraggly looking cat who was humble and did not brag about being pretty. With love and care, this cat was able to flourish and show its true beauty, both inside and out.
The illustrations in this book invite the readers’ eye to travel across the page and go on the journey with the old man. With the white background and stark black ink like drawings, it provides a nice contrast that helps the reader focus in on important details. Heavy black and bright white highlights focus the eye on key elements going on in the story. When the man and the cats are headed towards the cottage, the white cats stand out against the black hilltops showing the magnitude of just how many cats are truly present in the story.
With the words changing in style for page to page, it allows the illustrator certain liberties to show depth in the pictures. The wife walking downhill or the old man walking a great distance for example.
REVIEW EXCERPTS
A classic that could make anyone a cat lover. – Pat Vasilik in School Library Journal JUNE 11, 2012 BY ELIZABETH BIRD
“Millions of Cats raises questions about the nature and judgment of beauty and its relationship to happiness.” - Guidelines for Philosophical Discussion by Danielle F. dela Gorgendiere
CONNECTIONS
As a teacher in first grade, I see a lot of cliques beginning to form, mostly by my girls. “Mean girl” groups can form and I see this book as a great tool to show that those who preen and boast can sometimes be overlooked for those that present a humble attitude. (Not through cannibalism of course!) The little old man and woman concluded the humble cat to be the prettiest of all because it was beautiful on the inside as well as the outside. The article mentioned above, Guidelines for Philosophical Discussion by Danielle F. dela Gorgendiere, would be a wonderful starting place to really delve into teaching children philosophical, open-ended questioning.
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