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Chato #3
Chato Goes Cruisin'
Having looked forward to their wonderful cruise, cats Chato and Novio Boy find themselves aboard a boat filled with dogs and quickly realize that they made a big mistake until the two feline friends decide to make the best of it and have a good time--despite their strange surroundings!
32 pages, Hardcover
First published May 19, 2005
53 people want to read
About the author
Gary Soto
140 books247 followersGary Soto is the author of eleven poetry collections for adults, most notably New and Selected Poems, a 1995 finalist for both the Los Angeles Times Book Award and the National Book Award. His poems have appeared in many literary magazines, including Ploughshares, Michigan Quarterly, Poetry International, and Poetry, which has honored him with the Bess Hokin Prize and the Levinson Award and by featuring him in the interview series Poets in Person. He has received fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Guggenheim Foundation. For ITVS, he produced the film “The Pool Party,” which received the 1993 Andrew Carnegie Medal for Film Excellence. In 1997, because of his advocacy for reading, he was featured as NBC’s Person-of-the-Week. In 1999, he received the Literature Award from the Hispanic Heritage Foundation, the Author-Illustrator Civil Rights Award from the National Education Association, and the PEN Center West Book Award for Petty Crimes. He divides his time between Berkeley, California and his hometown of Fresno.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
July 17, 2012
Lexile: 440, grade 2-3
Genre: Picturebook
In the third book in the series by Gary Soto (Chato's Kitchen, Chato & the Party Animals, and Chato Goes Crusin'), Chato and Novio Boy demonstrate an obvious change in character. The Chato and Novio Boy we once knew who were ready to slaughter the ratoncitos con chorizo for dinner now exhibit their heroic and much less selfish tendencies to help others. In Chato Goes Crusin', Chato enters a contest to win a cruise for two. To his surprise, he wins. He immediately informs Novio Boy and invites him along. They start to get ahead of themselves, imagining all of the wonderful things they are going to do. Swimming in innertubes, drinking coconut milk, eating fish tacos en la playa! They are excited for their exotic getaway. That is, until they realize that...they are going to be on a cruise full of DOGS! This is where the book gets interesting because it's an interesting parallel to racism or stereotyping a group of people (in this case, cat and dog tension), and being critical of the way they live and spend their time. For example, Chato and Novio snidely remark at the way the dogs dance, eat, and talk. Yet, when an emergency reveals itself and Chato and Novio are asked to go find help, they do! This is totally unlike the Chato and Novio Boy we know in Chato's Kitchen. The character development is very evident and can be used as a topic in student discussion. I really appreciate this about the book, as well as the smart, subtle ways that the illustrator depicts Chato and Novio's perception of the dogs as being the others. The illustrations add pleasure to the book, with small comic-style illustrations at the bottom of most pages. Usually these comics add more insight into the negative stereotypes Chato and Novio have of the dogs at the beginning of the book. By the end, Chato and Novio find help and the dogs award them with honorary captain hats.
I would DEFINITELY use this in my class! Again, Chato's character continues to develop to the point where he exhibits empathy and a longing to help those he made a commitment to. Themes of racism and gangs make their way into the deeper meaning of the book, which can definitely be explored with students.
Genre: Picturebook
In the third book in the series by Gary Soto (Chato's Kitchen, Chato & the Party Animals, and Chato Goes Crusin'), Chato and Novio Boy demonstrate an obvious change in character. The Chato and Novio Boy we once knew who were ready to slaughter the ratoncitos con chorizo for dinner now exhibit their heroic and much less selfish tendencies to help others. In Chato Goes Crusin', Chato enters a contest to win a cruise for two. To his surprise, he wins. He immediately informs Novio Boy and invites him along. They start to get ahead of themselves, imagining all of the wonderful things they are going to do. Swimming in innertubes, drinking coconut milk, eating fish tacos en la playa! They are excited for their exotic getaway. That is, until they realize that...they are going to be on a cruise full of DOGS! This is where the book gets interesting because it's an interesting parallel to racism or stereotyping a group of people (in this case, cat and dog tension), and being critical of the way they live and spend their time. For example, Chato and Novio snidely remark at the way the dogs dance, eat, and talk. Yet, when an emergency reveals itself and Chato and Novio are asked to go find help, they do! This is totally unlike the Chato and Novio Boy we know in Chato's Kitchen. The character development is very evident and can be used as a topic in student discussion. I really appreciate this about the book, as well as the smart, subtle ways that the illustrator depicts Chato and Novio's perception of the dogs as being the others. The illustrations add pleasure to the book, with small comic-style illustrations at the bottom of most pages. Usually these comics add more insight into the negative stereotypes Chato and Novio have of the dogs at the beginning of the book. By the end, Chato and Novio find help and the dogs award them with honorary captain hats.
I would DEFINITELY use this in my class! Again, Chato's character continues to develop to the point where he exhibits empathy and a longing to help those he made a commitment to. Themes of racism and gangs make their way into the deeper meaning of the book, which can definitely be explored with students.
February 3, 2010
I read this book and listened to it on audio tape, which was narrated to allow children to follow along in the text. The audio version was well narrated and frequently used sound effects to enhance the story. The reader, Willie Colon, used his voice very well to bring to life the different characters in this story. The glossary at the end of the book was also read aloud to define the Spanish words in the text.
This book won a New York Times Best Illustrated Book of the Year award. Susan Guevara, the illustrator, has won previous Pura Belpre awards for two other Chato books. She uses bold stylized colors painted in acrylics, adds humorous details, and inserts black and white comic strips with the text to tell the story of two "cool" cats that embark on adventures. In this particular story, the two cats win a prize from a cereal box to go on an ocean cruise, which turns out to be meant for dogs. Along the way, the dogs get sick on the cruise and the cats are sent on a lifeboat to seek help. In the end, they win honorary captains hats and medals of honor for their bravery.
What is most striking about this book is its characterization of these cats as tough and street smart through the use of slang and their appearance. The first page has one of the cats wearing a bandana around the head, one pierced ear, a small mustache and beard, a collared cross around it neck and a sleeveless t-shirt. The other is wearing his baseball cap to the side. The dialog uses words such as "homeboy", "I can hang", "He ain't prejudiced or nothin'" and at the end of the book, the two cats are cruising down the street in an open convertible customized with flames and fins with license plates that say "vato gato". I find these portrayals to be negative stereotypes of this culture and am very curious how people of Mexican-American descent would feel about this book.
This book won a New York Times Best Illustrated Book of the Year award. Susan Guevara, the illustrator, has won previous Pura Belpre awards for two other Chato books. She uses bold stylized colors painted in acrylics, adds humorous details, and inserts black and white comic strips with the text to tell the story of two "cool" cats that embark on adventures. In this particular story, the two cats win a prize from a cereal box to go on an ocean cruise, which turns out to be meant for dogs. Along the way, the dogs get sick on the cruise and the cats are sent on a lifeboat to seek help. In the end, they win honorary captains hats and medals of honor for their bravery.
What is most striking about this book is its characterization of these cats as tough and street smart through the use of slang and their appearance. The first page has one of the cats wearing a bandana around the head, one pierced ear, a small mustache and beard, a collared cross around it neck and a sleeveless t-shirt. The other is wearing his baseball cap to the side. The dialog uses words such as "homeboy", "I can hang", "He ain't prejudiced or nothin'" and at the end of the book, the two cats are cruising down the street in an open convertible customized with flames and fins with license plates that say "vato gato". I find these portrayals to be negative stereotypes of this culture and am very curious how people of Mexican-American descent would feel about this book.
August 3, 2011
Age of Readership:
5 years and up
Genre:
picture book
Diversity:
anthropomorphic characters; Mexican American cats
Illustrations:
There are beautiful color illustrations that look like painting on every page, very colorful and engaging. Also, on most pages, preceding or following the text is a comic strip of the action. This is where most of the dialogue takes place. Very adorable.
Personal response:
I liked the comic strips within the narrative. The story itself was strange, as I haven't really read a picture book in awhile with anthropomorphic characters. What was really cute was the "Mexican" attributes given to the cats, like little mustaches and goatees, etc. It was cute.
Curricular or programming connections:
I think it would be a great storytime book for communities with a large Mexican American population. But because of how handy Gary Soto is with a glossary, it would be a good storytime book anywhere.
5 years and up
Genre:
picture book
Diversity:
anthropomorphic characters; Mexican American cats
Illustrations:
There are beautiful color illustrations that look like painting on every page, very colorful and engaging. Also, on most pages, preceding or following the text is a comic strip of the action. This is where most of the dialogue takes place. Very adorable.
Personal response:
I liked the comic strips within the narrative. The story itself was strange, as I haven't really read a picture book in awhile with anthropomorphic characters. What was really cute was the "Mexican" attributes given to the cats, like little mustaches and goatees, etc. It was cute.
Curricular or programming connections:
I think it would be a great storytime book for communities with a large Mexican American population. But because of how handy Gary Soto is with a glossary, it would be a good storytime book anywhere.
October 31, 2012
This is an entertaining book about cats who win a cruise trip, but get on the wrong ship. Despite the fact that they don't fit in, they still make the best of the situation and end up saving the day.
The language is a mix of English and Spanish, with a lot of street talk and urban dialect thrown in. The illustrations and dialogue seem to reinforce stereotypes, but I love that the story also helps to teach some Spanish words (with a glossary at the end.)
The narrative consists primarily of a black and white comic strip storyline framed by colorful background illustrations. The illustrations are humourous, with fun details. It's an amusing book to read aloud and it begs to be read with an accent. Overall, we enjoyed reading this book together.
The language is a mix of English and Spanish, with a lot of street talk and urban dialect thrown in. The illustrations and dialogue seem to reinforce stereotypes, but I love that the story also helps to teach some Spanish words (with a glossary at the end.)
The narrative consists primarily of a black and white comic strip storyline framed by colorful background illustrations. The illustrations are humourous, with fun details. It's an amusing book to read aloud and it begs to be read with an accent. Overall, we enjoyed reading this book together.
March 5, 2008
Another cute story about Chato and Novio Boy. My daughter thinks they are gay lovers and I'm starting to believe her. Frankly, it just makes me like them more. I love me some gays. What was I talking about? Oh right. So this one is about keeping promises, even for people you don't necessarily like or who might deserve whatever trouble they get into, and no matter how hard it might be sometimes. Because ultimately keeping a promise is about who YOU are, not the other person.
April 22, 2020
Chato Goes Cruisin’ by Gary Soto is another book that tells the story of Chato and his friend Novio Boy. This story is so interesting but at the same time so meaningful! I loved how the storyline included two cats that were so excited to go on this cruise ship, but accidentally end up on a cruise ship full of dogs! When the dogs get sick, both Chato and his friend have to go and look for help. Interestingly enough Chato and his friend encounter the cruise ship they were meant to be at, and are tempted to leave the dogs. But in the end they make the best choice! This book is so impactful because it teaches young readers about keeping their promises and being responsible. I loved that through the fictional characters and plot it still adds an important lesson for young readers to learn about. This will definitely be a fun book to read to my class!
June 12, 2024
I chose this book because of its illustrations. The topics for this book are cultural diversity, friendship and overcoming prejudices. This story begins with Chato and his friend Novio Boy , who are cats, winning a cruise and looking forward to an exciting vacation. Their excitement turns to shock when they realize they're on a cruise full of dogs, which is not what they expected as cats. Despite their initial shock they decide to make the best of their situation and enjoy the cruise. This story is appropriate for children 4 to 8 years old. In my classroom we would begin by discussing the cover and ask students to make predictions. After reading we would discuss the challenges the cats faced and how they overcame them.
January 5, 2019
So funny.
September 19, 2019
Cute, but it did not speak to me as much as the second book in the series did. I'm still going to read the others, though, as the sense of humor Soto has is great.
October 19, 2017
There is something very clever about this allegory of inclusion. Two (Chicano) cats take a cruise with nothing but dogs. All of the food is "dog" food, all of the activities are "dog" activities, and all of the reading material in the dog library features "dogs" as the heroes and protagonists. They scroll through the books and discover one of the books has a cat (Chicano) in it. The adult reader will understand how clever this picture book is.
Children will simply enjoy Chato Goes Cruisin'. The two cats rescue all of the dogs. The two cats have wonderful adventures, play with balls of yarn, survive getting soaked in the sea, and then attempt to embark on another adventure.
As usual, Guevara's illustrations are simply gorgeous and beautiful! I encourage every adult who loves to read picture books to children to read this book to kids.
The structure of the picture book merges comic book format and picture book format. Within the illustrations are comic book frames with additional dialogue. It's a language rich picture book, and it's bilingual. This picture book allows librarians to teach the parts of a book given that it also has a glossary. Librarians can point out the title page, the formatting, and glossary. So for students learning Spanish, or for Spanish speakers learning English, this text is a must in a library collection.
Children will simply enjoy Chato Goes Cruisin'. The two cats rescue all of the dogs. The two cats have wonderful adventures, play with balls of yarn, survive getting soaked in the sea, and then attempt to embark on another adventure.
As usual, Guevara's illustrations are simply gorgeous and beautiful! I encourage every adult who loves to read picture books to children to read this book to kids.
The structure of the picture book merges comic book format and picture book format. Within the illustrations are comic book frames with additional dialogue. It's a language rich picture book, and it's bilingual. This picture book allows librarians to teach the parts of a book given that it also has a glossary. Librarians can point out the title page, the formatting, and glossary. So for students learning Spanish, or for Spanish speakers learning English, this text is a must in a library collection.
January 16, 2013
I wasn't terribly impressed with Chato Goes Cruisin'. The story lacked the humor of Chato's Kitchen, and it lacked the sweetness of Chato and the Party Animals. What's more, the illustrations in Chato Goes Cruisin' lacked the Latin flavor that was so beautifully executed in the two previous books. I really thought that Chato's Kitchen and Chato and the Party Animals were interesting books that added to Latino-American children's literature. They were well told, beautifully illustrated, and fun to read. Chato Goes Cruisin', though, was just another animal-has-misadventures-on-a-cruise-ship story. Too bad, because I do love Chato and Novio Boy.
November 14, 2013
This book was very entertaining and comical. Two friends that are cats, Chato and Novio Boy, win a free cruise trip. They end up getting on the wrong boat full of dogs and end up having to go get medicine for them because they all become sick. After having quite the adventure they finally get help and save the dogs. The illustrations in this book were very wonderful and colorful, and you can see every paint stroke in the pictures. There are Spanish words spread throughout this book, which makes it a great book to read to students if they're being introduced to the Spanish language.
July 12, 2013
A fun and funny story about the adventure that ensues when two cats end up on a cruise for dogs. Good lessons for kiddos about sticking with your word and helping others...and the language and artwork are great! The mixture of Spanish and English is a plus--you can really feel the characters and get a sense of who they are...some pretty cool cats!
October 11, 2014
I really liked the illustrations which appear to be oil paintings. I also thought the little comic boxes on each page was unique and also helped to show the action without additional pages and detailed illustrations. The book also did a good job of incorporating basic Spanish words for kids to learn.
March 11, 2008
AR 2.8 -- 0.5
2 cats go on a cruise and somehow wind up on a cruise with all dogs.
Fun little comic strips throughout the book.
Mostly written in English with some Spanish words. Glossary of Spanish words is in the back.
2 cats go on a cruise and somehow wind up on a cruise with all dogs.
Fun little comic strips throughout the book.
Mostly written in English with some Spanish words. Glossary of Spanish words is in the back.
May 7, 2014
Brief Description: Chato wins a cruise he and his cat friend fins that the cruise ship is full of dogs. Great vocabulary (Spanish). I also liked the pictures and the use of comics or pictures within pictures.
How I Use: Fun to read aloud
How I Use: Fun to read aloud
December 9, 2014
Not as exciting as the first two, fans of the series will still appreciate the further adventures of Chato and Novio Boy. Includes a good message about keeping one's word and helping others. Grades 1-3.
August 10, 2016
Read for Multicultural Children's Lit 6/28/2007
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews