Here Comes the Cat!

by Frank Asch and Vladimir Vagin

Book Overview

In 1986, two artists?one Russian, one American?joined forces, against the odds, to tell a brand new kind of picture story.

In Here Comes the Cat!, a single mouse runs around shouting "HERE COMES THE CAT!" again and again?in both English and Russian?until everybody he knows is worried sick. Just when the tension can't get any tenser, the cat arrives? with a giant wheel of cheese! A big party breaks out and everyone?the reader included?laughs...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1936365413
• ISBN13: 9781936365418
• Release Date: July 2011
• Publisher: McSweeney's
• Length: 32 Pages
• Weight: 0.15 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 8.2" x 8.3"
• Age Range: 3 to 8 years
• Grade Range: Preschool to Grade 3

Customer Reviews

Great Launching Point for Discussion

A cornerstone book in my work with children on bullying, prejudice and conflict resolution. It's a story that was written in a collaboration between an American Author and a Russian Author. The book addresses the issue of perceptions and conditioning very effectively. Great launching point for discussion about prejudice.

English and Russian

Summary This book is a story in English and Russian, in which the mouse community warns everyone that the cat is coming. The reader assumes the warning is out of fear, but in fact, everyone looks forward to the arrival of a cat, who brings them all cheese. Illustrations Wonderful, full page illustrations.

unique collaboration

Here Comes the Cat is an exciting collaboration between an American writer and a Russian illustrator. Both Frank Asch and Vladimir Vagin play their parts distinctively. The story is filled with suspense, exciting action, and a thought-provoking reversal. The mice characters, representing humans of many ethnicities, react to the news of an approaching cat. The words, found in text balloons, repeat the exclamation, "Here comes the cat!" Yet in every case, we find them in both English and Russian. Signs on stores, also in both languages, offer a wider variety of reading opportunities. The book introduces first-grade readers to the concept of translation. All the visual elements of the book, from the calligraphic text to the full-page illustrations, have a strong and authentic Russian style. The art is excellent.

"10-star" childrens' book in English and Russian!

A little Mouse, aloft in his balloon, sees an ominous shadow approaching the country of his people! Fleeing homeward, he cries warning to every Mouse he meets: "Here comes the Cat! Ciuda idyot Kot!" Soon the alarm is being passed from one to the other, until the entire Mouse population awaits in dread the arrival of the Cat. What will happen when Mice and Cat come face to face? Something quite unexpected! Significantly, this lovely little book is the creation of two authors, one American and the other Russian. After meeting in 1986 at a Soviet/American childrens' book symposium, they decided to collaborate on a tale with a message of harmonious coexistence. Vladimir Vagin's exquisite, highly-detailed, colorful paintings must be seen to be appreciated. And Frank Asch's story of fear and friendship will warm the hearts of adults and children lucky enough to read "Here Comes the Cat!"