Product Description

With down-home language that’s a joy to read aloud, Terry Farish tells a wry, unconventional love story about an unlikely pair of curmudgeons - brought to life in glowing illustrations by Barry Root.

The cat was fond of the man’s potato soup,
which made him love her a breath more,
but not so’s you’d notice.

There was an old man, an ol’ Texas boy, who lived on a road called Chatterpie with an uppity old cat - a cat who’d rather eat potato soup than catch blackbirds. A cat who liked to go fishing and sit on the bow of the old man’s boat, her face into the wind, like she was a hood ornament. "Fool cat," the old man would say. "You ain’t nobody’s prize." Then one day something unexpected happens, and they both learn that even the most cantankerous love can inspire acts of heroic proportions - but not, of course, so’s you’d notice.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #829078 in Books
• Published on: 2003-05-01
• Released on: 2003-05-01
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 40 pages

From School Library Journal
PreSchool-Grade 3-A curmudgeonly old man and a standoffish cat share potato soup, an electric blanket, and regular fishing trips near their small, comfortable home. When the cat gets tired and the man goes fishing without her, the insulted feline disappears. She howls out the story of her ocean adventure when she returns, and the two reconcile contentedly. The simple tale sparkles with warmth and good humor, thanks to the casual storyteller's voice that carries the narrative. The man liked the cat, "but not so's you'd notice," and "The cat was fond of the man's potato soup, which made him love her a breath more-." Their true feelings are reflected in the watercolor-and-gouache paintings. An early illustration shows the man happily preparing soup with the cat looking on attentively, if not eagerly. This contrasts subtly to a later scene in which the man dines alone, with eyes up as if his lost pet might return at any minute. The prickly relationship between the human and the animal rings true, along with a broader message of friendship. By the time the two are reconciled, readers feel like they know this pair pretty well, more by how they act than by anything they say. The carefully chosen words and charming simplicity of the illustrations lead to an unsentimental, but very satisfying tale of companionship.
Steven Engelfried, Beaverton City Library, OR
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Gr. 1-3. An old man and his cat, each a little prickly with the other, spend their days together sitting on their porch in rural Texas, fishing from a little boat (though the cat "never caught nothin'"), and eating the man's potato soup. One morning, the cat won't get up to go fishing, so the man leaves without her. Fog prevents him from coming back till the next day. Hungry during his absence, the cat leaves, returning several days later with a large fish and a proud, wailing tale of how she caught it. Their days apart renew their respect for each other. The book design has a simple elegance that showcases the folksy, rather poetic text. The quiet, watercolor-and-gouache paintings are especially handsome, and Root portrays both the characters with warmth, dignity, and restraint. Not a lot happens in the story, but this picture book presents the delicately shifting relationship between the old man and his cat in a way that children can understand. Carolyn Phelan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

About the Author
Terry Farish is the author of several young adult novels. She says of THE CAT WHO LIKED POTATO SOUP, "This story began in the kitchen of our old-timer neighbor, Jimmy Fowler. My daughter and I were visiting with him there, gossiping about some village cat or other. Jimmy didn’t have a cat, but he said if we got one, wouldn’t we name it after him? And we did . We got a cat and named her Jimmy."


Barry Root is the illustrator of many books for children. He says, "I’ve always been pro-cat, although our house is divided on the subject. To appreciate a cat requires a certain amount of abstraction, I think - and a sense of humor." Barry Root lives in rural Pennsylvania with his wife (the illustrator Kimberly Bulcken Root), their three children, and a couple of useless dogs.