When her two grandchildren, who love staying with her, get up in the morning they find her standing on a chair looking very grim and shouting ‘Look what the cat brought in!’ Enormous creepy crawlies, a very prickly hedgehog, a large and smelly dead rat and a big brown shiny cockroach are littered around her kitchen.
As the week goes by her cat drags in many more icky creatures which makes her kitchen look like a war zone. Grandma gets more and more hysterical. Do the children help her? No, they do not. When things get completely out of hand the terrified two disappear upstairs and leave poor old Grandma to cope on her own.
When they eventually reappear and peek cautiously downstairs on Sunday morning to their surprise the kitchen is spic and span. The cat is snoozing peacefully in his basket. Clever Grandma has solved the problem and he will not be going out at night again.
What could be a terrifying tale for pre-schoolers is lightened by the illustrations. The big fat black cat has a rather loveable grin and looks somewhat mystified at the mischief he has caused. Isn’t he just doing what cats usually do?
And most of the creatures he has brought through the flap appear to be in a party mood. Only Grandma looks upset, angry and really mad towards the end of the story.
In real life, no cat could ever bring in such an assortment of victims, especially not a slimy hissing green snake which is not to be found in New Zealand at all. But it cannot be denied that even the sweetest kitties often go out at night and catch birds.
By finding a way to keep her cat in at night this Grandma is helping to make New Zealand predator free. Gareth Morgan would no doubt applaud her efforts!
Oh No! Look what the cat dragged in! Author: Joy H Davidson Illustrator: Jenny Cooper RRP $21.99 DHD Publisher.
Reviews by Lyn Potter
Parent and grandparent, Avid traveler, writer & passionate home cook