Fat Cat: A Danish Folktale

Parent's Choice Recommended Award Winner

Have you ever heard the saying, “Your eyes are bigger than your stomach”? Well, Cat's stomach is bigger than a lot of things. He is always hungry, and living with culinary-inclined Mouse, who makes thirty-five pies in one day, just makes it worse.

Fat Cat swallows everything in sight, including the wash lady and her washtub, a troop of soldiers and their swords, even a king and his elephant! But when Cat swallows Mouse and her sewing basket, that's the last straw. Tiny Mouse cuts to the heart of the situation, taking an upside-down world and turning it right-side-up again.

Greedy Cat learns his lesson and turns “fat” into “fancy,” “fabulous,” and “fantastic.” Margaret Read MacDonald's infectious energy combines with Julie Paschkis's folk-inspired gouache paintings to create a new retelling of a favorite comic cumulative tale. This Danish folktale about a hungry cat will teach readers the importance of responsibility, respect and caring.