Stack the Cats

by Susie Ghahremani

Overview

Award-winning illustratorSusie Ghahremani’s picture book Stack the Cats is a fun way for children to learn how to count.

One cat sleeps. Two cats play. Three cats stack!

Cats of all shapes and sizes scamper, stretch, and yawn across the pages of this adorable counting book. And every now and then, they find themselves in the purrfect fluffy stack!

“Counting from one to 10 is the usual math activity in simple picture books, but this one takes on other mathematical operations, too . . . Thanks to its gentle inconsistencies, this is a book that can expand children’s thought processes.” —Kirkus Reviews (Starred Review)

“Crisp, bold illustrations to introduce simple math concepts that go beyond the usual counting fare for the very young . . . A simple yet clever lesson that there’s more than one way to stack some cats. Ideal for one-on-one and small group sharing.” —School Library Journal

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781419723490
Publisher:	Abrams Appleseed
Publication date:	05/02/2017
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	350,857
Product dimensions:	8.10(w) x 8.10(h) x 0.50(d)
Age Range:	3 - 5 Years

About the Author

Susie Ghahremani is an award-winning illustrator and a graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD). When not painting tiny paintings, illustrating children’s books, designing stationery and gifts, teaching at RISD, exhibiting her work internationally, shipping orders, or connecting with the illustration community, she lives in sunny San Diego with her husband and zillions of pets.

Editorial Reviews

04/10/2017
Ten cats attempt to stack themselves into impossibly adorable towers in a book that’s ideal for children (or adults) obsessed with the cuddly cuteness of the Neko Atsume app. Working in bright teals, oranges, and yellows, Ghahremani (What Will Hatch?) renders her cats as bean-shaped blobs—some are fluffy as clouds, others are sleek and wide-eyed; sometimes, she doesn’t even bother giving them legs. “One cat sleeps,” she begins. “Two cats play. Three cats? Stack!” Cat stacks taller than three prove unstable (“Four cats teeter. Five cats totter”), the inevitable falls are injury-free affairs, and side-by-side piles offer a quick addition lesson: “Nine cats agree to three, three, and three.” The cats all but beg to be named by readers, who will flip back through this sublimely silly outing to choose their favorites. Ages 3–5. Agent: Stefanie Von Borstel, Full Circle Literary. (May)

Publishers Weekly

**STARRED REVIEW**
"As fun as it is clever, Ghahremani’s cat-infested concept book is a treat."

Booklist

**STARRED REVIEW**
"Counting from one to 10 is the usual math activity in simple picture books, but this one takes on other mathematical operations, too... Thanks to its gentle inconsistencies, this is a book that can expand children's thought processes." —Kirkus

"Crisp, bold illustrations to introduce simple math concepts that go beyond the usual counting fare for the very young... A simple yet clever lesson that there’s more than one way to stack some cats. Ideal for one-on-one and small group sharing."—School Library Journal

**STARRED REVIEW**
"As fun as it is clever, Ghahremani’s cat-infested concept book is a treat."
—Booklist

"Ten cats attempt to stack themselves into impossibly adorable towers in a book that’s ideal for children (or adults). . . The cats all but beg to be named by readers, who will flip back through this sublimely silly outing to choose their favorites."
—Publishers Weekly

"Cat lovers will pore over the fluffy, fuzzy, striped, and splotchy felines rendered in clear digital hues that pop against mint-green and orange backgrounds...though listeners should probably be warned that stacking may not go over well with actual cats."—Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

From the Publisher

03/01/2017
PreS-Gr 1—Ghahremani uses crisp, bold illustrations to introduce simple math concepts that go beyond the usual counting fare for the very young. The teetering tower of colorful cats in this title are more than just a pleasing collection of many-hued felines. "Four cats teeter. Five cats totter. Six cats prefer two stacks of three cats." The small, perfectly square size works seamlessly with the modern font, color, and lines. This could easily be told using felt or cutout pieces, and preschool teachers and parents will surely gain inspiration for their own cat stack games. VERDICT A simple yet clever lesson that there's more than one way to stack some cats. Ideal for one-on-one and small group sharing.—Jenna Boles, Greene County Public Library, Beavercreek, OH

School Library Journal

★ 2017-02-14
Counting from one to 10 is the usual math activity in simple picture books, but this one takes on other mathematical operations, too.The rhythmic text starts simply: "One cat sleeps. // Two cats play. // Three cats? / STACK! // Four cats teeter. / Five cats totter." The pattern then changes. In a double-page spread, the text reads: "Six cats prefer / two stacks of three cats." The picture clearly shows the two stacks of cats, an unnumbered ruler on the left, and a matching dotted line to the right to show the equal height of the stacks to allow for balancing. A similar page is shown for nine: "Nine cats agree / to three, three, and three." Here numerals are shown for the only time, in a number sentence, but the measuring devices don't appear. When it comes to 10, the author/illustrator sends some cats to hide and some to seek, encouraging discussion about subtraction, and then opens the question: "How will you stack the cats?" Here an adult could help an inquisitive child pursue the concepts of multiplication and division, hinted at earlier. The simple but elegant cats, mostly in shades of golden-yellow, orange, white, and black, with some marmalade tigers, are boldly set against aqua-blue and deep-orange backgrounds. Thanks to its gentle inconsistencies, this is a book that can expand children's thought processes. (Picture book. 2-5)

Kirkus Reviews

"Brightly colored, this utterly charming board book teaching children how to count to ten (and back again!) is very highly recommended for family, daycare center, preschool, elementary school, and community library collections."

Midwest Book Review

"Cat lovers will pore over the fluffy, fuzzy, striped, and splotchy felines rendered in clear digital hues that pop against mint-green and orange backgrounds...though listeners should probably be warned that stacking may not go over well with actual cats."

Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

"Cat lovers will pore over the fluffy, fuzzy, striped, and splotchy felines rendered in clear digital hues that pop against mint-green and orange backgrounds...though listeners should probably be warned that stacking may not go over well with actual cats."

Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

**STARRED REVIEW**
"As fun as it is clever, Ghahremani’s cat-infested concept book is a treat."

Booklist