Top Cat

My kids LOVED this book when they were little. It was one of their young childhood "classics" that they have kept even though they are teenagers now. It was one of the first ones that they read on their own. Having them "read" this story on video is one of my treasured memories. Sure, the cats get a tad naughty, but that was all part of the fun. It made my kids laugh. I'm pretty strict, and never saw the cats getting into trouble as a negative (drink from the sink when company's there, dance on the table with the silverware) until reading the other reviews (and I still don't!). And it taught a good life lesson about opening up and letting others share your life. My kids are picking out books for a family friend's baby and of course this was on top of their list. Lois Ehlert's "Feathers for Lunch" is also a wonderful book with bird sounds, life size birds, etc.

"Read Top Cat, Mommie!" is what I hear every night now. It's simply my 3 ½ year-old daughter's favorite book. The story of Top Cat, a bored black and white cat, whose sleepy existence is interrupted when a striped kitten arrives from the animal shelter. Top Cat entertains with appealing rhymes, realistic cat behavior (but nothing too scary for a child!), and creative artwork that seems to be made up of overlaid paper cuts. I think my daughter likes how Top Cat first fights with the kitten, but then plays with him, teaching him all sorts of "naughty" kitty behavior - dancing on the table, eating plants, drinking from the faucet, etc. At the end, the two cats are best buds, and that's what counts. A great lesson.

I purchased Top Cat along with a book called Julius, The Baby of the World after reading a list of books that deal well with sibling rivalry issues. Although Top Cat is about cats rather than humans, I am far more impressed with this book than I am with Julius. There was so much negative behavior in Julius that I am afraid to read it to my 3 1/2 year old. Top Cat's strength here is the feline subjects. The book gives children an outlet for some of their own emotions without doing so in an overt way. Having four cats in my household and knowing exactly what they are capable of, I was not at all disturbed by the book's portrayal of cats.

Loved reading this to my kids. I bought it for a friend’s baby. Hope they enjoy it as much as my children did.

Wonderful book! I love all of Lois' books. Top Cat is cute and clever- a great read for young children.

Delightfully written story about a newly adopted kitten entering a household with a older cat who is clearly in-charge of household shenanigans. The two become friends but only after rigorous training on how to make trouble! My three year old loved this book as a toddler and we give it as gifts all the time.

This book is beautifully illustrated and we thought for sure it would have a funny story to accompany but it is a terrible story. Very disappointing. It's very negative and one part of the book is even mean spirited. We are returning this book. This is not a book for kids. It could perhaps be a funny book for an adult who has cats.

I am not always a fan of this author's books, but in this case, she succeeds completely! This is the story of a cat who is king of his home, but who suddenly has to deal with a new kitten moving in. The cat reacts exactly how a cat would, and I can say that from having witnessed this kind of situation many times! At first there is fighting, but before long, the Top Cat gets down to the business of showing the kitten what cats do---leaving hair all over the couch, sneaking outside to scare birds and, this one is brilliant, drinking water from the faucet when there is company visiting! Cats always do the thing that will upset non-cat-lovers when they have that kind of audience. The pictures are lively and interesting, and there are little words showing the sounds that are going on in each picture. I loved the cover even, with the toy mouse hanging from the Top Cat's mouth.As a side note, my 4 year old is autistic and rarely likes books unless she's had them around for months. However, she liked this one from the start. We read it about 10 times yesterday, and she liked it more each time. I think the pictures had the right combination of detail and simplicity, and we have cats, so she related!