Cats Are a Liquid

by Rebecca Donnelly, Misa Saburi (Illustrator)

Overview

Celebrate cats in all their flowing, furry glory in Cats Are a Liquid, a charming picture book that examines the unusual physical properties of felines by writer Rebecca Donnelly and illustrator Misa Saburi.

Cats fill./ Cats spill./ Cats flow downhill.// Cats tip./ Cats drip./ Cats grip, snip, rip.// Cats are a liquid/ Except when they’re not.

Inspired by an Ig Nobel Prize–winning investigation of how cats behave like liquids, this book introduces some of the physical properties of liquids—they adapt to fit a container, they flow like fluids—and is just pure fun.

Like its inspiration, it makes you laugh, then think. Back matter includes a brief introduction to the different physical states: solid, liquid, gas.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781250206596
Publisher:	Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
Publication date:	10/08/2019
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	660,017
Product dimensions:	10.10(w) x 8.30(h) x 0.50(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Rebecca Donnelly makes her picture book debut with Cats Are a Liquid. She was born in England and has lived in California, Florida, and New Mexico. These days she writes, studies cats, and works as a children's librarian in northern New York. Her debut middle-grade novel, How to Stage a Catastrophe, was an Indies Introduce/Kids’ Indie Next pick.

Misa Saburi was born in Sleepy Hollow, New York, and raised in Tokyo, Japan. She currently lives in Brooklyn, New York, where she illustrates children’s books, including Bearnard’s Book, written by Deborah Underwood, and Monster Trucks, written by Joy Keller.

Editorial Reviews

10/14/2019

Inspired by an actual scientific paper, this amusing STEM picture book explores whether and how cats are a liquid “based on the way cats... fill up any container they squeeze themselves into. As Donnelly’s loose, easy rhymes (“Cats slop./ Cats plop./ Cats drizzle,/ slosh,/ flop”) playfully probe the proposition, cleverly riffing on liquid’s qualities, the book’s humor is largely visual. Digital illustrations by Saburi fully exploit the investigation with screwball scenes of kitties stuffed into beakers, lying melted in a patch of sun, drifting through the sky like mist, and wreaking classic cat havoc as they’re tested by an inclusive group of child scientists. As Donnelly and Saburi display, liquid-ish felines make delightful, funny subjects for scientific research and picture books alike. Back matter includes a recipe for cornstarch “oobleck” and further information about the science joke at the heart of the book. Ages 4–8. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

Booklist "Mewbery" Nominee

"This bouncing tale will have viewers of all ages giggling" —The Bulletin, starred review, on Cats Are a Liquid

"This amusing STEM picture book explores whether and how cats are a liquid . . . As Donnelly and Saburi display, liquid-ish felines make delightful, funny subjects for scientific research and picture books alike." —Publishers Weekly on Cats Are a Liquid

"A humorous, poetic look at the solidity of cats in all their manifestations. The perfect segue to a science or poetry lesson, and good read-aloud fun as well." —School Library Journal on Cats Are a Liquid

"In an endlessly amusing—and strangely thought-provoking—premise ('based on the Ig Nobel Prize–winning investigation'), cats are depicted doing everyday things—lounging, napping, climbing, peeing, bathing—while the text offers double entendres that could refer to the physiology of either housecats or of liquids . . . Pair this gem with A Greyhound, a Groundhog (2017) for a rollicking story time inclusive of cat- and dog- (and hog-) lovers" —Booklist on Cats Are a Liquid

From the Publisher

11/01/2019

PreS-Gr 2—A bevy of things cats are and aren't is explored in rhythmic, poetic text. "Cats fill./Cats spill./Cats flow downhill./Cats tip./Cats drip./Cats grip, snip, rip./Cats are a liquid/except when they're not." A vast variety of hilarious cats and kid scientists are depicted on the spreads, which match and give depth to the text, as they explore the laws of nature. There is plenty of action, great facial expressions, and movement as text placement varies on each page. A kid-friendly afterword explains the genesis of the question "Are cats liquid?," discusses matter, and has a recipe for a simple semi-solid. VERDICT A humorous, poetic look at the solidity of cats in all their manifestations. The perfect segue to a science or poetry lesson, and good read-aloud fun as well.—Catherine Callegari, Gay-Kimball Library, Troy, NH

School Library Journal

2019-07-24
A group of precocious experimenters demonstrates a tongue-in-cheek science hypothesis that has been popularized on the internet.

Very brief rhyming text fancifully describes the actions of a number of smiling, stylized cats "Cats fill…spill…tip…drip…slop [and] plop." In sum, "cats are a liquid except when they're not." This appears twice as a refrain and then shifts to "A cat's not a liquid except when it is." Cartoony illustrations, created in Adobe Photoshop, feature a host of children in white lab coats busily measuring, chasing, cuddling, cleaning up after, and otherwise interacting with a plethora of cats and kittens. Diversity is implied via varied skin tones and clothing choices (one girl wears hijab). Limited background details keep the focus on the cute cats; black outlines and a subdued palette give the pictures an amusingly retro feel. Although the author provides a brief explanation and a citation for the paper that helped to inspire this STEM-oriented picture book, the joke (and the science behind it) may be beyond the grasp of much of the intended audience. The childlike feel of the pictures and rhythmic brevity of the text, on the other hand, may turn off older listeners. A foray into weather comparisons ("Cats are clouds in the atmosphere. Evaporate. Precipitate") only adds to the confusion. An included activity, making "oobleck," further explores the qualities of liquids and solids.

A fun experiment but not an entirely successful one. (author's note, bibliography) (Picture book. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews