Product Description

Grumpy Cat likes being alone, but a cuddly little kitten snuggles up to him and begins to follow him everywhere. Grumpy Cat tries to shake the kitten off, but without much luck. But when the kitten finally disappears, Grumpy Cat is suddenly not grumpy anymore! he's lonely. Watch Grumpy Cat's story unfold through Britta Teckentrup's expressive art style.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #198964 in Books
• Published on: 2008-09-04
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 32 pages

From School Library Journal
PreSchool-Grade 1—Grumpy Cat isn't really grumpy—he's just lonely. He wants to make friends but doesn't know how. When he meets a lost, playful kitten, he almost misses his chance to befriend her by walking away. The kitten's cheerfulness almost comes to naught, until a near accident causes Grumpy Cat to save her. From there the path of true friendship runs smooth. This is a simple, familiar story greatly enhanced by bold, colorful illustrations on large areas of white space. Teckentrup creates remarkably expressive characters with a few select colors and, in particular, use of white space within the eyes. The uncluttered layout keeps readers focused on the interaction between the two cats so that even when they are small creatures in a big world, they are the center of attention. This is a winningly attractive book that will have broad appeal. Join it with Judith Byron Schachner's The Grannyman (Dutton, 1999) and Sam Lloyd's Mr. Pusskins (S & S, 2006) to celebrate feline friendship.—Kara Schaff Dean, Walpole Public Library, MA
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From Booklist
*Starred Review* The frowning, brown cat with black stripes sits alone, eats alone, and is considered grumpy by other cats. He certainly looks grumpy. One stormy night a tiny, orange kitten shows up, wet and soggy. Kitten ignores Cat’s glare, following him about, rolling on her belly, picking her way behind him on a picket fence. Cat climbs a tree to rid himself of his shadow, but Kitten stays right behind. Then, while trying to balance on a thin branch, she slips. What’s a grumpy cat to do? This more than satifies the requirements for an outstanding picture book for the youngest listeners. The characters are appealing, the story is short and linear, and the ending is warm and satisfactory. But the highpoint is the art; graphically inspired, textured, and large in scale, it can be enjoyed from a lap or the back of a room. The format is focused, with the two felines always the center of attention, ensuring children’s allegiance to the cats, each with its own wants and needs and both totally appealing. Preschool-Kindergarten. --Ilene Cooper

About the Author
Britta Teckentrup was born in Hamburg, Germany. She later studied at St. Martin's College of Art and at the Royal College of Art in London. She has written and illustrated numerous books for many international publishers and her paintings are frequently exhibited in London galleries. She now lives and works in Berlin, Germany, with her artist husband and their young son.

Customer Reviews

A very poignant, touching and true story



This book is superb, completely true to the actual life of a wandering male stray tomcat who once lived with me, several other cats and a kitten.

Had I not seen it first hand, this would be little more than a clever story, well written, interesting, and perhaps meant as a lesson to small children to be nice. Instead, in real life 'Fluffy' was a dominant male who ruled the other cats with an iron paw, but would never lift even a clawless paw to a kitten who decided to adopt him.

It needs to be understood that I'm the 'boss cat' in our household; and secondly, like small children, the charm of kittens is their continual playfulness. Kittens have absolutely no respect for the authority of an old boss cat (whether me or Fluffy), new curtains, or any small object that moves or can be knocked down or shredded. W#ith that spirit and knowledge, this book portrays the experience of an old cat and a kitten with complete authenticity. As an allegory, it is a charming reminder of the obligation of adults to look after the small and weak and fragile dwellers in our world.

In all likelihood, Britta had an adult cat who fell victim to a kitten exactly as she portrays it in this book. People just don't have the imagination to invent stories such as this. It's a wonderful tribute to a real cat, a real kitten and Britta's superb sense of observing the two as they lived together.

In addition to being a delightful story, maybe it's really meant to offer a lesson for children and adults: The strong have a moral obligation to look after the weak and helpless. It's certainly posible to draw such an analogy from the brief but very poignant, very true, very touching story.

It's a wonderful book.

Trust me. Every word of it is authentic.

Super cute and super sweet
Both my kids (3 &5) LOVE both Smelly Bear and Grumpy Cat. The expressions on Grumpy Cat's face are telling and my 5yr old son describes how his cat Daisy's ears look Grumpy like Grumpy Cat when she is upset. All of the facial expressions on both cats are so telling that you don't need to be able to read the words of the story, the pictures tell it all A must buy for sure and one I plan to keep in my box for future grandkids!

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I like it when the kitten purrs and when Grumpy Cat gets the fish. I also like when Grumpy Cat saves the kitten.