Step Aside Biscuit! The Little Spotted Cat is Here!

The Story

It’s time for Little Spotted Cat’s nap, and Mama Cat is calling for him. Little Spotted Cat isn’t ready for his nap, though. He prefers play over sleep, so rather than follow her voice--and her instructions--he goes off to find more entertaining activities. What the mischievous little kitty actually ends up finding are several messes caused by his overzealous determination to have fun.

Mama Cat called, “It’s time for your nap, you Little Spotted Cat.”

“No, no! Meow!” said Little Spotted Cat. “Now it’s time for play!”
Little Spotted Cat jumped up, up, up.
The flowerpot fell down, down, CRASH!

“Oh no! Meow!” said Little Spotted Cat. “What will Mama Cat say?”

And Mama Cat called, “It’s time for your nap, you Little Spotted Cat.”

“No, no! Meow!” said Little Spotted Cat. “Now it’s time for fun!”

The story continues in this vein with the young cat having a mishap involving a ball of yarn, a basket of clean clothing, a pitcher of lemonade...and the entire back yard. He also gets too up-close-and-personal with the “other little spotted cat” he sees in a bowl of water and, trying to mimic a grasshopper, lands himself in a mud puddle.

When Mama Cat finally finds her wayward kitten, she informs him that he’s going to pick up, clean up, and then take his nap. Having finally been caught in the midst of his antics, he does as he’s told without, in the end, needing to be reminded about the nap. By the time he’s finished putting things back to rights, his previous abundance of energy has been drained, and he’s asleep before she can even get the words out of her mouth.

The Illustrations

I was charmed with the illustrations in Little Spotted Cat right from the beginning. As I flipped each new page, my love for them grew. Dan Andreasen’s choice of primarily autumnal shades gives the drawings a cozy appeal, but better yet are the details and the settings themselves.

This is not a book which appears to be set in modern times, but if so, it’s in a place where the beauty of being old-fashioned takes precedence. More mature readers will appreciate such things as an empty glass milk bottle sitting on the back step, the pitcher and glass of lemonade resting atop a wicker stand, balls of yarn with knitting needles poking out, and especially the pre-motor grass cutter. You know, the kind with the wooden handle and just two wheels? A priceless addition to these illustrations.

There were other objects that are not necessarily restricted to days gone by, but which increased the ambience . . . a straw broom, a piece of fabric knotted around a hole in the garden hose, and a newly-planted garden marked by the seed envelopes on popsicle sticks and a watering can sitting nearby.

While I did enjoy the story, the oil paintings are what really caught and kept my attention.

The Nitty-Gritty

The purpose of the above excerpt was two-fold. I first simply meant to give a taste of the story itself. Even more than that, however, I wanted to illustrate the usefulness of the repetition used in the text.

The presence of repeating sentences throughout this Dial Book for Young Readers greatly boosts my six-year-old daughter’s confidence in her new-found reading abilities. When she arrives at a line she’s previously read, she’s able to basically zip right through it, and does so with a wide “did you hear that?” grin up at me. Anything that gives her that positive nudge is a plus in my book.

Initially, I was slightly put off by such things as “jumped up, up, up”, “pull-pull-pulled”, and “sun-sunny fun.” Then I remembered the appeal this type of “word echoing” has to children who do not yet read. Not only do they find amusement in it, but it makes interaction possible. While reading “up, up, up” one can move their hand in an upward motion to indicate the action of the kitty jumping. Likewise, older reader and younger listener can pretend to “pull-pull” and “push-push” the yarn right along with Little Spotted Cat. Being able to join in with the story, in addition to looking at the pictures, gives little ones even more to look forward to and keeps their attention.

I have always been fond of Alyssa Satin Capucilli’s “Biscuit” series of books, and while he will remain dear to me, the illustrations found here have bumped the Little Spotted Cat ahead of him.

Other books by Alyssa Satin Capucilli:

Biscuit’s New Trick
(as well as several other “Biscuit” books)

Mrs. McTats and Her Houseful of Cats

What Kind of Kiss

Other books illustrated by Dan Andreasen:

Pioneer Girl: The Story of Laura Ingalls Wilder
by William Anderson
(as well as other “Little House” books)

Changes for Felicity: A Winter Story
by Valerie Tripp
(as well as other “American Girls” stories)

River Boy: The Story of Mark Twain
by William Anderson

Naomi Judd’s Guardian Angels
by Naomi Judd