In this story, you come to meet an old man and his very best companion, a cat. They do everything together, including fishing. They fish during the day and at night they come home to enjoy his potato soup. They are friends, but the old man always tells the cat they he could go without the cat. The cat does not speak english, but they still communicate. He tells the cat that she is worthless because she has never caught a bird in her life like other cats may have. One morning, the old man goes without the cat fishing. The fishing trip is not the same without the cat. He comes back to find that the cat with her own fish that she caught in her mouth! The old man has a newfound appreciation for his companion.

I have never heard about this book before, but the water colors on the front cover drew me to it. It is a great story about friendship. Sometimes we may forget how blessed we are to have certain people in our lives and it may take a special moment to remind us of this. For the old man, he needed to go on a fishing trip without the cat to realize how important his friend is to him. This book can teach young children of how important it is to cherish our friends and to not take advantage of their presence. ( )

For the most part, I enjoyed this book and the emotions that it brought out. I really feel like the illustrations could have been a little more alive. To me, the story was a bit long and drawn out. I would definitely recommend this book for the upper elementary school grades. The author did do a great job of showing the journey between essential what turns out to be two best friends. There is a bit of drama in the climax, which is interesting. The old man who has pretending to not care so much about this cat thinks that the cat left him and is ultimately sad. The characters and the bond between them seemed very authentic and believable which is great. Their relationship was natural and authentic. Even though the man tried to pretend like the cat played a vital role in his life, it was evident that he indeed did! The lesson was definitely to value what you have now, because it could be gone faster than you got it. ( )

I really love this book. It made me cry! First of all. the author makes the readers really love both characters, even though they hardly talk throughout the book, and one of them is a cat. It is clear through their actions that the two characters care about each other, even though the old man speaks of his dislike of the cat . I think that this provides a nice underlying message that sometimes actions speak louder than words. I also loved this book because of its colorful and well-done illustrations. The pictures really made me feel like I was in the story. Lastly, I enjoyed reading this book because it really tugged at my heartstrings. During the climax of the story, the old man thinks his cat is lost forever. He pretends he isn't sad about it, but the readers know he is devastated. The moment he finds the cat again is so sweet! This book definitely reminds its readers not to take things that mean a lot to you for granted. ( )

This book told the story of a man and his cat. Everyday the man and the cat went fishing. While the man caught tons of fish, the cat didn't catch any. Till one day the cat goes out on his own and catches a fish. The man was very surprised by the cat's actions. This story shows the loyalty and friendship between the man and the cat. ( )

Too long for storytime. Cat and man go fishing, then the cat doesn't go, then she has to catch her own fish because she feels left behind. Super confusing story, twisted little plot line. ( )