Millions of Cats by Wanda Gag
Bibliography
Gag, W. (1928). Millions of Cats. Coward-McCann. ISBN 978-1-42870-937-9
Plot Summary
A very old man goes in search of the perfect cat to keep his lonely wife happy. On his search he finds millions and trillions of cats. Unable to decide which is the best cat to take, he ends up choosing more than he can carry and is followed by the rest of the group. With this many cats, he discovers that taking care of them will be next to impossible. The cats fight among themselves to be chosen as the one the couple will keep before destroying themselves. They leave behind one kitten who isn’t as beautiful as all the others, but the old couple realize that he is the perfect cat for them.
Critical Analysis
Millions of Cats is an older generation and style of book. The illustrations are done in black and white. The pictures are detailed but still on the simpler side. There is lots of white space on the pages. The backgrounds are minimal but still show where the story is taking place. They help represent the journey the man goes on in search of the perfect cat. In today’s book market, it might not be as visually exciting to draw younger readers in. The story could be a little more succinct as the words often outnumber the amount of pictures on the page. But there is repetition of phrases within the story which children find enjoyable.
It’s a sweet story of an older man trying to help his wife feel better with a cat for company. The exaggeration of finding millions and trillions of cats is humorous (and overwhelming) and sparks your imagination of what you would do with that many cats. The moral at the end is that there is beauty in everything, even things that might not seem like it at first. This is a good, timeless lesson. It could definitely be applied to the world we live in now. I thought it was a little dark that the cats all ate each other in an attempt to be the best and be chosen by the couple. But I still think the overall theme is heartwarming. This is a simple story but it has survived the test of time and is still relevant almost 100 years later.
Review Excerpts
1929 Newbery Honor Book
Connections
Class discussion- Students could discuss what they would do with a million cats
Class activities- Students could create a visual for what pet they would want and what they would need to take care of the pet (food, water, shelter, etc.)
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