Baker Cat: overcoming bullies and tyrants
There is another cat living inside your cat. Strip away the “creature comforts” ... and there you’ll find that “other” whom I call the Raw Cat.
— Jackson Galaxy
I recently adopted a ginger tom by the name of Ed. He is absolutely adorable - terribly affectionate, yet timid.
The best £75 I ever spent!
He’s from the local rescue centre, and was in a poor state when they took him in. On one side of his mouth, both canines are missing, and he shies away from even looking outside - leaving me wondering what kind of experiences he had on the street.
Now with the guidance of ‘Cat Daddy’ Jackson Galaxy's book, Total Cat Mojo, I'm working to create a rhythm of life for Eddie which mirrors that of his wild ancestor - the Raw Cat:
Hunt, Catch, Kill, Eat, Groom, Sleep - and repeat.
(Ed is very good at sleeping.)
His hunting prowess is gradually improving. But it would be a lie to say Ed is a natural born killer. In many ways, he's like Baker Cat!
Baker Cat by Posy Simmonds (Jonathan Cape, 2004) has a cast of delightfully anthropomorphic animals. A mash-up of Cinderella, The Elves and the Shoemaker, and the tales of Beatrix Potter, it’s a must-have for any self-respecting children's bookshelf. And by the time I finished writing this article, I also realised - Baker Cat can be read as a parable of the 2020 American presidential election (you’ll see why).
It's a pretty unique book, thanks to writer-cartoonist Posy Simmonds, who seamlessly blends comic-book devices into the traditional picture book format.
Simmonds is best known for her regular work as a satirical cartoonist for The Guardian newspaper, and her graphic novels for adults (Gemma Bovery, Tamara Drewe and Casandra Drake).
No surprise, then, that Baker Cat (as with her other picture books) is packed with funny - and dramatic - sequences. And as usual, Simmonds uses plenty of speech bubbles, full of natural-sounding, hand-lettered dialogue.
The story begins with 'a mean old baker' (who threatens to make the cat into fur gloves - "Fur gloves, you hear!?") and his lazy wife, who 'couldn't bear cats'.
And the hero of the piece: a put-upon protagonist known merely as 'the cat'.
From Baker Cat by Posy Simmonds (Jonathan Cape, 2004) | © 2004 by Posy Simmonds
From Baker Cat by Posy Simmonds (Jonathan Cape, 2004) | © 2004 by Posy Simmonds
The cat must have had a name, but nobody really knew what it was.
The baker called him:
"Useless!"
"Cloth-ears!"
"Mangy fur-bag!"
Like Cinderella, the poor puss is ‘made to do all the work’ (mixing dough, peeling, slicing, rolling, icing etc.)
The cat is also the Master Baker.
Even so, he’s still expected to moonlight as Pest Control and catch mice:
[E]very single night, without so much as a scrap of supper, the cat was shooed into the storeroom.
But the exhausted cat's always too tired to hunt - so he seldom has any mouse tails for the baker.
The brilliant thing about Baker Cat is that it withstands repeated reading. Meaning it becomes embedded in your family's memories. Looking at my copy once more, I remember snuggling up on the sofa and under duvets with Noah and Levi. We loved pouring over the illustrations together - all those tiny, jacketed mice and delicious-looking baked treats! That’s a memory I treasure. (And I still fancy one of the cat’s croissants!)
And how we felt for that cat! Yes - it's heartbreaking to read that 'his breakfasts grew mingier and mingier.' But it will help develop compassion and empathy in your children.
From Baker Cat by Posy Simmonds (Jonathan Cape, 2004) | © 2004 by Posy Simmonds
Seeing 'the poor over-worked cat [grow] thin and tired and very tearful' eventually becomes too much, even for the mice. They resolve to help the cat and step into the role of Guide. Calling a truce, the parties strike a deal - and the mice put Stage One of their master plan into action.
From Baker Cat by Posy Simmonds (Jonathan Cape, 2004) | © 2004 by Posy Simmonds
The next spread is always fun to read! Having raided the shop round the corner, the mouse alliance manufacture fake mouse tails, while the cat sleeps:
From Baker Cat by Posy Simmonds (Jonathan Cape, 2004) | © 2004 by Posy Simmonds
(There’s the connection with the Elves and the Shoemakers and Beatrix Potter's The Tailor of Gloucester. Come to think of it, those Bagpuss mice on the mouse organ too!)
In the morning, the mean old baker is fooled - and the cat is rewarded with a kipper and cream!
It's a win-win!
From Baker Cat by Posy Simmonds (Jonathan Cape, 2004) | © 2004 by Posy Simmonds
In exchange for their help, the cat allows the mice to continue helping themselves from the store. Sounds like a plan, right?
Wrong!
'[L]eft in peace in the storeroom, [the mice] held ENORMOUS parties for all their families, friends and relations.'
Can you see where this is going?
From Baker Cat by Posy Simmonds (Jonathan Cape, 2004) | © 2004 by Posy Simmonds
Everything was just fine…until the day the baker ordered the cat to make thirty meringues, forty jam tarts and four dozen walnut brownies. When the cat went to the storeroom he found…
"NO JAM?
NO CHOCOLATE?
NO NUTS!!!
?
NO SUGAR!
Where's it all GONE!?"
From Baker Cat by Posy Simmonds (Jonathan Cape, 2004) | © 2004 by Posy Simmonds
The mice hatch another plan. ('Hurry!' 'Help the cat!')
From Baker Cat by Posy Simmonds (Jonathan Cape, 2004) | © 2004 by Posy Simmonds
[A]ll night long, behind the storeroom door there was a skittering and scuttering and a chorus of tiny squeaks …
Whatever are those chanting mice (wind the wool, together - PULL!) up to?!
The next day, the baker and his wife are surprised, disgusted and fooled by their woolly creations:
From Baker Cat by Posy Simmonds (Jonathan Cape, 2004) | © 2004 by Posy Simmonds
"Eeuuk!"
"Worms!"
"Eeeee!! A snake!"
"Eeeee!! MICE!!"
They villainous couple flee, never to return. (Good riddance!)
Like Ed, Baker Cat may not be a natural born killer. But left to run the bakery (with the help of those cheeky mice!), he finds his confidence and Cat Mojo - and finally reveals his name…
From Baker Cat by Posy Simmonds (Jonathan Cape, 2004) | © 2004 by Posy Simmonds
'With their multiple levels of reading,’ writes comic scholar, Paul Gravett, ‘Posy proves that the best children's books can be enjoyed by any age and are for the child in all of us.'
Posy Simmonds’ picture books certainly satisfy me - I just wish she’d create another!
Simmonds is adamant that children's stories “have got to have something true in them, however much is wrapped up in fantasy.”
I suppose the universal (and harsh) truth of Baker Cat is that not everyone is friendly or nice. Some people are down-right mean. Given the chance, many will ride rough-shod over your feelings and will exploit the weaknesses of others for their own gain.
But sometimes, what's needed is for someone to call a truce and work with the opposition. Because we have more in common with our enemies than we may like to believe.
See, I told you Baker Cat is a parable of the American presidential election!
WHY Baker Cat IS GOOD TO READ
It has plenty to discuss in the detailed illustrations.
It is fun and exciting
It withstands (and deserves!) repeated reading.
Longer to read than a typical picture book - perfect for an extended cuddly storytime (and a good transition to Early Readers).
It introduces children to the shorthand of comics and graphic novels (supporting visual literacy).
It will develop empathy and compassion (supporting emotional literacy)
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From Baker Cat by Posy Simmonds (Jonathan Cape, 2004) | © 2004 by Posy Simmonds
SourcesTotal Cat Mojo by Jackson Galaxy (Tarcher Perigee, 2017)Baker Cat by Posy Simmonds (Jonathan Cape, 2004) Posy Simmonds: Essentially English (Paulgravett.com, June 3, 2012) ‘Does anyone else love Baker Cat by Posy Simmonds?’ (Mumsnet.com, May 31, 2008)© 2020 BY TIM WARNES(UNLESS OTHERWISE ATTRIBUTED)****USE OF THIRD PARTY COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL FALLS UNDER FAIR USE/FAIR DEALING PRACTICE.
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