Pussycats Everywhere!

Alison Mews is co-ordinator of the Centre for Instructional Services at
Memorial University of Newfoundland.

Karen discovers what happens when she neglects to include a description
of her lost cat on the signs she’s posted—she ends up with 37 lost
cats, and none of them hers! So begins this exaggerated tale of feline
folly. Karen’s bemused parents tolerate the invasion with picture-book
aplomb, and go about their daily chores regardless of the chaos around
them. Karen feeds the cats, names them, and plays with them. When she
goes to the store to buy more catfood next day, however, Karen finds
that 37 missing-cat signs have been posted—one for each of the lost
cats. It is only after all the cats are returned to their rightful
owners that Mr. Whiskers returns home on his own steam.

McGraw illustrated Robert Munsch’s Love You Forever (1986) and has
imitated his style with her inclusion of onomatopoeia, repetition, and
absurdity. She also pays homage to Wanda Gag’s classic story, Millions
of Cats, with the father’s comment about a zillion-trillion cats.
Whether peeping from the laundry basket, balancing on a shoulder with
claws extended, or hooking a pencil while “helping” Karen with her
homework, these curious cats are evidence of the author’s familiarity
with sharing a home with a cat. So effective is the cosy picture of
Karen cuddling four softly rounded bodies that you can almost hear them
purr contentedly. This fanciful tale is purr-fect for reading aloud.
Recommended.