Clever Cat

My 4-year-old daughter and I picked this up at the library, and it had her, my husband, and I all giggling! The pictures are terrific...warm, vivid and very funny. Tibs the cat is so plucky and adorable. I, too...as I noticed some of the previous reviewers pointed out...got pretty upset with Tibs' human family and wondered why they even have a cat if they didn't want to be bothered with the poor thing. In fact, when I read it aloud to my daughter I delete the parts where they call him "stupid", "dumb" etc. It's cruel, and I don't want her thinking it's acceptable to treat animals OR people that way.(Though Tibs' family is pretty harsh with him in general, not to mention neglectful...the only time they seem to show him affection is when he becomes independent.) Tibs gets so fed up with depending on them that he takes things into his own paws and impresses everybody. But he shows them, and who's better than him in the end? There are different messages (good and not-so-good, obvious and more subtle) that can be picked up from this book. It's all in how you view it. But, why not discuss it with your kids after reading it? I don't think the message is that it's clever to be lazy when things get too stressful and let everyone else take care of you...I think the message is to just be yourself. (After all, did his family THINK he was going to take care of himself to begin with...feed himself, pay for his own food and rent, do his own shopping and wash the dishes? He is, after all, a cat...albeit an extraordinary one. Didn't they expect a bit too much of him...even if he was capable? And why make him work until he drops...they took the darn ATM card away. Give him an allowance! They took him for granted and took advantage of his cleverness. That would be like expecting one's young children to support and take care of themselves.) I would recommend this brilliant, humorous storybook. If you are a cat lover like me, it will surely bring a smile to your face...especially the illustrations!

For my six year old son's birthday, I bought him Clever Cat, because he is totally devoted to our cat. My son loves the book, he pours over it for hours and talks to our cat about it. When we walk down the street to school, he likes to point out the cats, sleeping or waiting patiently at their doors. This book has completely captured his imagination and made him view cats in a totally different manner. I recommend this book to any parent who has a child with a cat.

Mr. Collington's book reflects a refreshing approach to a very critical issue in early childhood development. Today's parents face a confusing set of cultural messages about how their child's early years will effect their later successes in life. This often leads to parent's projecting their busy lives and professional agendas onto their child's world. Giving their children the keys to the front door is too much responsibility and often results in a "survivalist" childrearing lifestyle rather than a protective and nurturing one. I hope that parents learn as much from this experience as the clever cat did.

This is great for kids (and grown-ups) with an appreciation of the absurd. The illustrations were wonderful, and my 5-year-old laughed out loud at the idea of the cat taking the credit card to his favorite cafe, of him waiting tables, etc. I enjoyed the book's suggestion that we all need to take a little more time to relax and let go of the rat race (cat race?). I don't know if my child would've gotten that message on her own, but it did give us a chance to discuss taking time out to enjoy simple things, and to examine the terrible behavior of most of the humans in the book--ways that we would never act in the real world (let's hope!).

From the moment I opened this book, I was entranced. It was filled with some of the most beautiful illustrations that I have ever seen, accompanied by an extremely witty yet simple storyline. Everyone in my family was enchanted by the idea of a cat who decides to take his life into his own hands and then realises that human life isn't very suitable for sleepy cats! I have never laughed out loud so much at one book. The humour of the storyline is accentuated by Peter Collington's superb illustrations. A must for adults and children alike!