Millions of Cats

Bibliography

Gág, Wanda. (1928). Millions of Cats. Ill by Wanda Gág. New York: Coward-McCann, Inc.,Jersey City Print. Co. ISBN: 0142407089

Plot Summary

An elderly peasant couple are lonely in their small home. The wife wishes for a sweet little cat, and the husband travels over a variety of hills to fulfill her wish. The only problem? He comes home with millions, and billions, and trillions of cats!

Critical Analysis

Millions of Cats was published during a time when colored pages would have cost too much money to reproduce. Though the drawings in this book are ink and paper, they are anything but simple. Each illustration is intricate in design.  The author and illustrators' signature is on some larger pieces. It is obvious that a lot of time and dedication went into each drawing. The cats have some individual markers while the majority of them are duplicates .

The use of dialogue propels the story forward. The conversation between the elderly couple acts as a catalyst for the rest of the book. The question the old woman poses “Which one of you is the prettiest?” incites an all-out war between the felines. All that remains is a scrawny kitten that has one characteristic none of the other cats had: modesty. The elderly couple take care of the kitten until it grew nice and plump. The end of the book depicts a happy family.

The use of repetition of the “hundreds of cats, thousands of cats, millions and billions and trillions of cats” will engage emergent readers. The simple black and white drawings may not catch a younger readers attention, but older readers with an interest in art may appreciate the work that went into the illustrations. The husband gets into a ridiculous yet adorable predicament when he can’t decide which cat to take home. His wife did not request the prettiest cat; he decides that he must chose the prettiest cat. Many readers, young and old, will identify with this feeling of indecision. One complaint about the book would be the thought of the cats eating each other. There is no evidence in the illustration to support the idea that the cats ate each other. It’s easier to think they fought with each other down the hill rather than feline cannibalism. Other than that Millions of Cats is a whimsical romp to a field of cats and the cost of indecision.

Review Excerpt(s)

1929 NEWBERY MEDAL

Inducted into the Picture Book Hall of Fame in 2017 by the Indies Choice Book Awards

One of SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL’S “One Hundred Books That Shaped the Century”

From HORN BOOK: “Gag’s woodcut art snowballs lyrically through the book, stealing your eye and telling it just where to go…”

From SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL: “Considered by many to have ushered in the age of the modern picture book, this Newbery Honor winner is characterized by innovative design and a strong storyteller’s cadence.”

Connections

This could be used for an inferencing activity. What are some reasons the elderly couple are lonely? What happened to the millions and trillions of cats?

This could be used to model dialogue for writing classes. It could also be used for vocabulary terms such as “sighed”, “trudged”, “valley”, “quarrel”, “peeped”, and “scraggly”.

This could be used for sequencing with the plot diagram. Students can trace the five plot diagrams and the inciting incident. It can also be used for a writing prompt. Describe a time when you couldn’t make a decision. What happened because of it?

In math classes, students can work on their place values. Explain the differences between hundreds, thousands, millions, billions, and trillions. Practice comma placement for the different numbers. It can also be used to teach the greater than and smaller than symbols.

*Related Math books

Schwartz, D. & Kellogg, S. (1985). How much is a million. New York: Lothrop, Lee & Shepard Books. ISBN: 0688099335

Adler, D. & Miller, E. (2013). Millions, billions & trillions : understanding big numbers. New York: Holiday House. ISBN: 0823430499