- Paperback: 32 pages
- Publisher: Kids Can Press (Sep 1 2001)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 155337097X
- ISBN-13: 978-1553370970
- Product Dimensions: 25.4 x 23.2 x 0.4 cm
- Shipping Weight: 136 g
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #693,395 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Publishers Weekly
When she moves in with her grandfather by the sea, Hannah is drawn to an elusive cat who haunts the rocky beach. Despite her grandfather's mild cautions ("She belongs to herself," he says), Hannah attempts to woo the fog-gray feline by leaving fish scraps on a plate. After some experimental menus, Fog Cat eventually joins Hannah in the house. Replete with seaside analogies (the sound of Fog Cat wailing is "as sad and lonely as the foghorn of a ship lost at sea"; Hannah's eyes grow "as round as sand dollars"), Helmer's (The Boy, the Dollar and the Wonderful Hat) lengthy text combines predictability with emotional turns. Hannah's hopes are dashed when Fog Cat gives birth to two stillborn kittens; then a third is discovered, alive. As the kitten gains strength, however, Fog Cat herself runs off, never to be seen again. While evoking the rusticity and diffused light of coastal fishing villages, Mombourquette's (Emma and the Silk Train) watercolor and ink illustrations are a little stiff, especially in portraits of Hannah and her grandfather. A fresher and more fluid interpretation of the same plot can be found in George Ella Lyon and Paul Brett Johnson's A Traveling Cat. Ages 5-8.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
From School Library Journal
Kindergarten-Grade 3-When Hannah comes to live with her grandfather in a coastal fishing village, an encounter with a green-eyed cat and the fog-the two are inexorably linked-arouses in her a desire to tame the animal. Grandfather suggests that this wild creature can't be caught "...any easier than you could catch a handful of fog," but Hannah persists with food scraps and patience. Her efforts are rewarded as the feline takes up residence with the pair for the winter and surprises them with a litter of three kittens. Helmer's touches of realism are nicely balanced with sentiment so that the story is believable, satisfying, and tender, without being cloying. Two of the kittens die and Fog Cat vanishes when the survivor is strong enough, yet Hannah has what she yearned for. Mombourquette's pen, ink, and watercolor illustrations are as effective in creating the green/gray mist as they are in depicting the understated bonds between adult and child, humans and animals. The artist is particularly adept at bringing quiet scenes to life through animated faces. The lyrical prose and the emotional impact make this title suitable for one-on-one sharing. A story of a fleeting, but nonetheless life-changing friendship, in the fine tradition of Patricia Polacco's Rechenka's Eggs (Philomel, 1988).
Wendy Lukehart, Dauphin County Library, Harrisburg, PA
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Wendy Lukehart, Dauphin County Library, Harrisburg, PA
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
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Customer Reviews
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Most helpful customer reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fog Cat Rocks!!,
By Sandra Dutkiewicz (Canada) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Fog Cat (Hardcover)
As an elementary school teacher, I have used this book in many different types of reading workshops with a variety of students. Students of all ages respond to this story with a mix of delight, emotion and wonder. It is a fabulous way to generate a discussion, or to engage the students in a personal exploration of opinions, feelings or reflections. I highly recommend this book to adults, teachers, parents, children young and old - you will not be disappointed!!!
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Story and Images Meld Magically,
By loce_the_wizard "loce_the_wizard" (Lilburn, GA USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Fog Cat (Hardcover)
Author Marilyn Helmer and illustrator Paul Mombourquette have rendered a minor masterpiece in Fog Cat. Helmer weaves a tale of Hannah, her Grandfather, and elusive cat they spot on the seashore one day. Through persistence and patience, Hannah slowly wins the confidence of this feral cat, drawing her at last into the home she has come to share with her Grandfather. The day-to-day simple lives of this trio, bound together by love and necessity, is revealed not only by Helmer's choice verbal depictions but also by Mombourquette wonderful illustrations. His delivers exactly the right tone for the story, matching image to words seamlessly, capturing the warmth of the home and the rugged misty beauty of the seascape.The story ends with Fog Cat's unexplained disappearance, but Hannah does have left the sole surviving kitten from a litter. Helmer neatly bookends the beginning and ending of her story, neither explaining why Hannah has come to live with her Grandfather, what happened to her parents or her Grandmother at the start or resolving what happens to Fog Cat.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
4.8 out of 5 stars (4 customer reviews)
5.0 out of 5 stars
Cats,
By A. D. Cox - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Fog Cat (Paperback)
Great book for any cat loverauthor of "Hobo Finds A Home"
4.0 out of 5 stars
Beautiful Story, Beautiful Art,
By C. J. Reno "bibliophile" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Fog Cat (Paperback)
This is a wonderful and touching story. The gentle illustrations really give you a feeling of being in the small rural fishing town in which the story takes place. My three-year-old, cat-loving daughter was so entranced by the pictures that she sat as still as a statue as she listened, although there were considerably more words-per-page than she is used to.One caveat--if you have a tendency to get choked up when reading sad books, (or if your children tend to get upset by sad books) preread this before reading it to your children or giving it to them to read.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fog Cat Rocks!!,
By Sandra Dutkiewicz - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Fog Cat (Hardcover)
As an elementary school teacher, I have used this book in many different types of reading workshops with a variety of students. Students of all ages respond to this story with a mix of delight, emotion and wonder. It is a fabulous way to generate a discussion, or to engage the students in a personal exploration of opinions, feelings or reflections. I highly recommend this book to adults, teachers, parents, children young and old - you will not be disappointed!!!
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