The Cat Came Back

Christy Conte is a business analyst and entrepreneur in Ajax, Ontario.

Is there anyone out there who doesn’t know the old song “The Cat
Came Back” (or at least the chorus)? Artist Bill Slavin has put
pictures to that familiar melody. The result is a humorous look at the
misadventures of old Mr. Johnson and his yellow cat that will appeal to
preschoolers and primary-grade children.

Slavin’s cat is a happy-go-lucky type who just won’t take a hint.
He comes back again and again—in a spaceship, by stagecoach, and even
carrying suitcases and wearing a tie. Slavin’s drawings are friendly
and colorful. They are even politically correct: his characters come in
all colors and are depicted in nontraditional gender roles.

The song sheet at the back of the book just might prove more popular
than the text. Young kids tend to prefer the familiar, which, in this
case, translates into a sung rather than recited version.