Little Cat's Luck

 

Book: Little Cat's Luck 

Author: Marion Dane Bauer 

Illustrator: Jennifer A. Bell

Genre: Fantasy, Poetry 

Awards: Bluebonnet 

Age Group: 3-7 

Summary: 

Patches the cat just wanted to find a special place to be her own. After checking the whole house, she just couldn't find a place. As she is gazing out the window, longing, a falling leaf catches her attention. Without a second thought, she goes out and follows the leaf. Although she loses the leaf, she finds it as a perfect opportunity to explore the world and find her special place. She walks until she meets Gus, the meanest dog in town. His constant barking causes her to continue on walking until she is tired, lost, and very hungry. She ends up catching a mouse but is unable to eat it and meets a kind squirrel who offers her an acorn, something she is unfortunately unable to eat. Patches then decides to go and steal Gus's kibble and whilst doing that, she finds her special place at Gus's dog house. Once she is inside, she ends up giving birth! Wanting to go home, the squirrel and other animals help in finding Patches home. However, Gus becomes overprotective and after a major dilemma, ends up living with Patches and her kittens. 

Evaluation and Comments: 

Personally, I didn't really like Little Cat's Luck. I just couldn't find myself liking the character of Gus, the meanest dog in town. While I understand that he was lonely, I did not like how in the end he became all possessive and saw Patches as his cat and her kittens as his. So not cool, especially from a boy dog...

Besides that, I liked the twist where we find out that Patches only wanted to find a special place because she was pregnant. Like, whoa big plot twist! Plus, it was very sweet how all the animals teamed up together to help Patches find her home. 

The text is super simple and the format in which it is presented makes it suitable for younger students. As for activities, this is a great book to have class discussions and check for student understanding by having them order moments of the book in order. 

In conclusion, because of the plot, Little Cat's Luck does not have my seal of approval.