Fun Books


Millions of Cats by Wanda Ga’g

Winner of the Newbery Award 1929

Illustrated cover of "Millions of Cats" by Wanda Gág, depicting a person walking with several cats on hills with trees, in a yellow and red color scheme.

🐱 Millions of Cats – A Timeless Tale with a Million-Strong Heart

At the heart of Millions of Cats is a simple story: an elderly couple, lonely in their home, decide to adopt a cat. The husband sets out to find one—and returns with not just one, but “millions and billions and trillions” of cats.

The phrase becomes a joyful refrain throughout the book, building rhythm and repetition that children adore. As the couple faces the impossible task of choosing just one cat, the story gently explores ideas of beauty, pride, humility, and kindness.

Wanda Gág, a Minnesota-born artist and lithographer, both wrote and illustrated the book, creating flowing black-and-white spreads that capture the vastness of the husband’s journey and the overwhelming flood of cats. The vibrant cover design in red and yellow contrasts with the black-and-white illustrations throughout the book.

Notably, Millions of Cats holds the distinction of being the first illustrated American picture book in 1928. Before its publication, illustrated books in the U.S. were imported from the U.K. It also broke new ground in book design: the hand-lettered text, created by Wanda’s brother, was the first of its kind in picture books.

📚 Recommended for:
Ages 3–7

Puffin Books. Paperback. 2006 (1st published 1928).

ISBN 9780142407080

 

The Whale’s Song by Dyan Sheldon. Illustrated by Gary Blythe.

Cover of "The Whales' Song" by Dyan Sheldon and Gary Blythe, featuring a girl looking over water with whales and a large sun.

🐋 The Whales’ Song – A Magical Dream of the Deep

The Whales’ Song is a dreamlike picture book that celebrates the wonder of imagination and the enduring mystery of the sea. Lilly’s grandmother tells her enchanting stories of whales—how they sing, how they move, and how, if offered a gift, they might even make contact. Lilly is captivated, her heart opening to the possibility of hearing their haunting songs.

The contrast between the grandmother’s reverence for the whales and the grandfather’s brusque dismissal—“whales are for eating”—introduces a gentle tension, one that plays out quietly in both text and illustration. A particularly striking spread shows the domestic scene from above: Lilly curled up in her grandmother’s lap, the cat dozing nearby, while her grandfather's leg disappears off the edge of the page as he leaves the room. It’s a brilliant use of perspective, full of unspoken feeling.

The illustrations throughout are luminous. Close-up portraits of Lilly and her grandmother feel almost magical in their intimacy, while double-page spreads show the grandeur of the whales framed in white borders. The atmosphere of Lilly’s night-time encounters with the whales is deepened by the evocative use of shade and light. A moonlit ocean shimmers in tones of sepia and cream.

Together, author and illustrator have crafted a story that is both gentle and powerful—a book that is beautiful to listen to and look at while making space for wonder in the child’s life.

📚 Recommended for:
Ages 4–8.

Red Fox (Random House Children’s Books). Paperback. 1993.

ISBN 0099737604

Rosie’s Walk by Pat Hutchins

🐔 Rosie’s Walk – A Pantomime in Picture Book Form

Rosie’s Walk by Pat Hutchins is a deceptively simple fun tale. The premise is straightforward: Rosie the hen sets off for a walk around the farmyard, unaware that a fox is sneaking behind her every step of the way. What follows is a playful sequence of near-misses, as Rosie blithely avoids danger time and again—completely unaware of the chaos unfolding behind her.

The true charm of this book lies in its pantomime-style humour. Children will quickly catch on to the “behind you!” drama on each page, gleefully anticipating what misadventure will befall the hapless fox next. It’s a masterclass in visual storytelling with only one sentence in the whole book, often with just a word or two across the page, while the pictures carry the full weight of the narrative, creating tension and comic payoff in equal measure.

The colour palette is warm, dominated by sunny yellows, oranges, and earthy tones that evoke a late summer’s day. The illustrations are bold with simple graphics while the large clear font makes this book an excellent choice for beginner readers.

📚 Recommended for:
Ages 3-6

Puffin Books. Paperback. 1970 (Ist published 1968).

ISBN 014 0500324