Chocolate Cat

ALA Booklist

“All the candy and camaraderie leave a pleasant taste.”

Children's Literature

One day the old chocolate maker in a drab small town makes something new and different: chocolate mice with pink-sugar tails. When he tastes the mice, his cat finds them so remarkable that he wants everyone to taste them. As he takes them around town, each merchant gets another good idea of what to make with chocolate, from chocolate-covered fruit and flowers to chocolate sculpture. The town becomes famous, but none of the new chocolate goodies cause the chocolate maker to smile, until he finally eats one of the magical mice. Then he not only smiles, he laughs. The cat is finally satisfied. Each new chocolate application is portrayed by Mortimer in a detailed full-page painting, with additional vignettes on the facing text pages and appropriately decorative borders. Her imagination supplies the lush fruits and pastries; the cat’s eyes pop as he watches a pear dip into the molten goodness. And those chocolate mice are everywhere. This chocoholic’s dream ends with an informative “Small History of Chocolate.” Reviewer: Ken Marantz and Sylvia Marantz

School Library Journal

K-Gr 2
When a grumpy chocolate maker, on a whim, makes a batch of chocolate mice with crunchy pink-sugar tails, his cat begins to distribute them throughout the village. One taste of the treat, and the other shopkeepers run to the chocolaterie, where they create chocolate masterpieces. Soon, the shop is the center of the village, tempting locals and tourists alike with its fantastic treats. While this book is not as strong as Stainton and Mortimer's The Lighthouse Cat (2004), Santa's Snow Cat (2001), and I Love Cats (2007, all HarperCollins),it is an attractive confection, thanks to Mortimer's exquisite illustrations. However, the suggestion that the chocolate mice are somehow magic is never clearly explained. Also, the warning at the end that too much of a good thing can be bad for you seems strange in light of the fact that the village was originally suffering from a severe lack of indulgence and had become stilted as a result. A brief history of chocolate is appended but does nothing to serve the story and is beyond the intended audience of the book. But, like so much that we see in shop windows, The Chocolate Cat is beautiful to look at, and that might be enough for some.
—Kara Schaff DeanCopyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

In a dull village famous for nothing, Cat lives with a grumpy chocolate maker. No one buys his candy, and no one likes him or his cat. "One day, for no reason," the chocolate maker creates a chocolate mouse with a pink sugar tail. Cat tries one and decides it must be shared. Mr. Green, the grocer, loves the mouse so much that he runs to the chocolate shop. He and the chocolate maker create fruit and chocolate delights, but the chocolate maker still doesn't smile. Cat takes a mouse to many different retailers in town, and the types of cakes and candies increase. The chocolate maker doesn't smile until he tries a mouse for himself. Mortimer and Stainton's latest collaboration brings together two storytime staples. But as usual, Mortimer's pussycat pictures are far more enticing than the precious and convoluted text. Cat lovers will see their own feline friends in every panel and spot, and readers will love drooling over the pictures to study the lovely creations and find the surprises. A short history of chocolate follows the story. (Picture book. 4-7)