Drat That Fat Cat!

ANNOTATION

A fat cat in search of food eats up everything he meets until he swallows a bee.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Once there was a cat, a fat, fat cat. But was that cat fat enough? No, he was not! He ate up a rat. He swallowed a dog. He even had an old lady for dessert (it's about time She got eaten!). But was that cat fat enough? No, he was not! The adventures of this omnivorous feline are sure to inspire laughter and have young readers chiming in with the refrain. So will children be satisfied with just one reading? No, They Will Not!!

SYNOPSIS

Once there was a cat, a fat, fat cat. But was that cat fat enough? No, he was not! He ate up a rat. He swallowed a dog. He even had an old lady for dessert (it's about time She got eaten!). But was that cat fat enough? No, he was not! The adventures of this omnivorous feline are sure to inspire laughter and have young readers chiming in with the refrain. So will children be satisfied with just one reading? No, They Will Not!!

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

The captivating fat cat in this silly cumulative tale from a British team will eat anything. He gleefully consumes a rat, duck, dog, lady and even a bee whose sting causes him to "Hic!" and burp them all up again. The cat's pink-cheeked, innocent face and the animals' "quack quack quacking" and "squeak, squeak, squeaking" inside the cat's growing tummy obliterate any fears youngest readers might have about the gobbling menace. No sharp-toothed villain, the cat is a plump charmer who has obviously not heard of the nation's obesity crisis. Thomson's (The Squeaky, Creaky Bed) repetitive tag line ("But was that cat fat enough? No, he was not!") encourages reader participation while cleverly obscuring the speaker's point of view. As in the familiar verse about the old lady who swallowed a fly ("I don't know why..."), there's no reason given for the cat's behavior, and his comeuppance when the bee stings him is both short-lived and comic. The fat cat's unrepentant nature is underscored on the last page as he eyes a succulent mouse, a hint that the story may begin again. Busby's (Rosie's Zoo) droll watercolor cartoons make use of quirky shapes and perspectives. Her cat is not simply fat but gargantuan, towering over dog and doghouse, its pink stomach so capacious that its inhabitants are shown lolling within. Sheer enjoyable nonsense. Ages 2-6. (Nov.) Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

Children's Literature - Susie Wilde

Pat Thomson's Drat That Fat Cat! features a gluttonous, overweight feline, on each page, who "pads along the path in search of food." Always successful, but never satisfied he gobbles a rat, duck, dog, an old lady and a bee whole before an attack of hiccups saves his victims. Each animal makes a noise a child will enjoy repeating from the rat's "squeak, squeak, squeaking, to the stinging ending provided by the bee. Also throughout, there is a continual question-answer chorus: "But was that cat fat enough? No, he was not." The repeatable refrain and sound-making are sure-fire cures for a sour mood. 2004, Scholastic, Ages 2 to 5.

School Library Journal

PreS-Gr 1-A cumulative tale about a voracious feline that can't get enough to eat until he consumes a bumblebee. Youngsters will enjoy listening to this picture book, which is also a suitable beginning reader due to the repetition of words with the short "a" sound and phrases. The author poses the recurring question, "But was that cat fat enough?" The answer, "No, he was not!" appears in even larger bold print. Colorful cartoon illustrations show a smug yellow-and-orange striped cat as he grows larger with each successive creature he devours. An additional purchase for most libraries.-Blair Christolon, Prince William Public Library System, Manassas, VA Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews