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Comic and Curious Cats
Paintings and text capture the strange moods of cats and introduce the alphabet.
Hardcover
First published January 1, 1979
1 person is currently reading
64 people want to read
About the author
Angela Carter
212 books3,723 followersBorn Angela Olive Stalker in Eastbourne, in 1940, Carter was evacuated as a child to live in Yorkshire with her maternal grandmother. As a teenager she battled anorexia. She began work as a journalist on the Croydon Advertiser, following in the footsteps of her father. Carter attended the University of Bristol where she studied English literature.
She married twice, first in 1960 to Paul Carter. They divorced after twelve years. In 1969 Angela Carter used the proceeds of her Somerset Maugham Award to leave her husband and relocate for two years to Tokyo, Japan, where she claims in Nothing Sacred (1982) that she "learnt what it is to be a woman and became radicalised." She wrote about her experiences there in articles for New Society and a collection of short stories, Fireworks: Nine Profane Pieces (1974), and evidence of her experiences in Japan can also be seen in The Infernal Desire Machines of Doctor Hoffman (1972). She was there at the same time as Roland Barthes, who published his experiences in Empire of Signs (1970).
She then explored the United States, Asia, and Europe, helped by her fluency in French and German. She spent much of the late 1970s and 1980s as a writer in residence at universities, including the University of Sheffield, Brown University, the University of Adelaide, and the University of East Anglia. In 1977 Carter married Mark Pearce, with whom she had one son.
As well as being a prolific writer of fiction, Carter contributed many articles to The Guardian, The Independent and New Statesman, collected in Shaking a Leg. She adapted a number of her short stories for radio and wrote two original radio dramas on Richard Dadd and Ronald Firbank. Two of her fictions have been adapted for the silver screen: The Company of Wolves (1984) and The Magic Toyshop (1987). She was actively involved in both film adaptations, her screenplays are published in the collected dramatic writings, The Curious Room, together with her radio scripts, a libretto for an opera of Virginia Wolf's Orlando, an unproduced screenplay entitled The Christchurch Murders (based on the same true story as Peter Jackson's Heavenly Creatures) and other works. These neglected works, as well as her controversial television documentary, The Holy Family Album, are discussed in Charlotte Crofts' book, Anagrams of Desire (2003).
At the time of her death, Carter was embarking on a sequel to Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre based on the later life of Jane's stepdaughter, Adèle Varens. However, only a synopsis survives.
Her novel Nights at the Circus won the 1984 James Tait Black Memorial Prize for literature.
Angela Carter died aged 51 in 1992 at her home in London after developing lung cancer. Her obituary published in The Observer said, "She was the opposite of parochial. Nothing, for her, was outside the pale: she wanted to know about everything and everyone, and every place and every word. She relished life and language hugely, and reveled in the diverse."
She married twice, first in 1960 to Paul Carter. They divorced after twelve years. In 1969 Angela Carter used the proceeds of her Somerset Maugham Award to leave her husband and relocate for two years to Tokyo, Japan, where she claims in Nothing Sacred (1982) that she "learnt what it is to be a woman and became radicalised." She wrote about her experiences there in articles for New Society and a collection of short stories, Fireworks: Nine Profane Pieces (1974), and evidence of her experiences in Japan can also be seen in The Infernal Desire Machines of Doctor Hoffman (1972). She was there at the same time as Roland Barthes, who published his experiences in Empire of Signs (1970).
She then explored the United States, Asia, and Europe, helped by her fluency in French and German. She spent much of the late 1970s and 1980s as a writer in residence at universities, including the University of Sheffield, Brown University, the University of Adelaide, and the University of East Anglia. In 1977 Carter married Mark Pearce, with whom she had one son.
As well as being a prolific writer of fiction, Carter contributed many articles to The Guardian, The Independent and New Statesman, collected in Shaking a Leg. She adapted a number of her short stories for radio and wrote two original radio dramas on Richard Dadd and Ronald Firbank. Two of her fictions have been adapted for the silver screen: The Company of Wolves (1984) and The Magic Toyshop (1987). She was actively involved in both film adaptations, her screenplays are published in the collected dramatic writings, The Curious Room, together with her radio scripts, a libretto for an opera of Virginia Wolf's Orlando, an unproduced screenplay entitled The Christchurch Murders (based on the same true story as Peter Jackson's Heavenly Creatures) and other works. These neglected works, as well as her controversial television documentary, The Holy Family Album, are discussed in Charlotte Crofts' book, Anagrams of Desire (2003).
At the time of her death, Carter was embarking on a sequel to Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre based on the later life of Jane's stepdaughter, Adèle Varens. However, only a synopsis survives.
Her novel Nights at the Circus won the 1984 James Tait Black Memorial Prize for literature.
Angela Carter died aged 51 in 1992 at her home in London after developing lung cancer. Her obituary published in The Observer said, "She was the opposite of parochial. Nothing, for her, was outside the pale: she wanted to know about everything and everyone, and every place and every word. She relished life and language hugely, and reveled in the diverse."
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
February 29, 2020
Angela Carter fan girl that I am, I didn't know about this book until it popped up on my Thriftbooks recs.
Carter provided the words for this children's alphabet book about cats. Some letters are combined on one pages, but Carter makes excellent use of alliteration. The illustrations are nice, and there are some wonderful lines.
Carter provided the words for this children's alphabet book about cats. Some letters are combined on one pages, but Carter makes excellent use of alliteration. The illustrations are nice, and there are some wonderful lines.
March 6, 2025
Illustrated in an instantly recognizable blocky folk art style by Martin Leman (I also have his Twelve Cats of Christmas, a stocking present I gave my husband this past year) and with words by Angela Carter. Yes, that Angela Carter! It’s picture book size but not really, or not just, for children. Each spread of this modified abecedarian includes a nonsense poem that uses the letter as much as possible: the cat’s name, where they live, what they eat, and a few choice adjectives. I had to laugh at the E cat being labelled “Elephantine.” Who knows, there might be some good future cat names in here: Basil and Clarissa? Francesca and Gordon? Wilberforce? “I love my cat with an XYZ [zed] … There is really nothing more to be said.” Charming. (Secondhand purchase – Hay-on-Wye Booksellers)
Originally published on my blog, Bookish Beck.
Originally published on my blog, Bookish Beck.
December 14, 2012
Delightful and quirky illustrations by Martin Leman are accompanied by crazy, amusing, alliterative, onomatopoeic verse by Angela Carter.
The reader goes through the alphabet from Abednigo, who is altogether adorable and lives in Appletreewick, to Wilberforce, who is watchful and wakeful and lives in West Wittering, enjoying the crazy cats and their habits.
As for XYZ, what more can be said than, 'I love my cat with an XYZ ... There is really nothing more to be said' ... so there, just enjoy it!
The reader goes through the alphabet from Abednigo, who is altogether adorable and lives in Appletreewick, to Wilberforce, who is watchful and wakeful and lives in West Wittering, enjoying the crazy cats and their habits.
As for XYZ, what more can be said than, 'I love my cat with an XYZ ... There is really nothing more to be said' ... so there, just enjoy it!
April 18, 2013
what a beautiful little book. angela carter! doing a weird cat alphabet poem for kids! read it drunk in a skybed at 4am.
March 20, 2020
This is a very interesting ABC book. Instead of your typical “A is for Apple” and “B is for ball” sort of thing, you have very big words that describe a cat’s personality! A fantastic book for teaching new vocabulary!
Unfortunately though, the words are a little “too big” for the children this may have originally been intended for as a picture book. While picture books are great to read at any age, many target ages 5-8. And these words would be way too hard for kids younger than 4th grade. It’s possible this is a book you “read to kids” rather than being “read by kids.” But some of the words still might go over their head.
I know this sounds like harsh judgement for a picture book, but I’m pretty sure this is what’s happening because the book hasn’t been checked out in 13 years at my library. I’m sure some kids or parents took one look at it and put it back because they didn’t think kids would be able to read it.
On the upside, I still believe overall this would be a great book to teach new vocabulary or to review vocabulary words for an older child. And at the very least, the pictures are really fun and strange! I absolutely love the illustrations. They are dark and kind of gothic looking.
Very unique book. Fun for cat lovers!
Unfortunately though, the words are a little “too big” for the children this may have originally been intended for as a picture book. While picture books are great to read at any age, many target ages 5-8. And these words would be way too hard for kids younger than 4th grade. It’s possible this is a book you “read to kids” rather than being “read by kids.” But some of the words still might go over their head.
I know this sounds like harsh judgement for a picture book, but I’m pretty sure this is what’s happening because the book hasn’t been checked out in 13 years at my library. I’m sure some kids or parents took one look at it and put it back because they didn’t think kids would be able to read it.
On the upside, I still believe overall this would be a great book to teach new vocabulary or to review vocabulary words for an older child. And at the very least, the pictures are really fun and strange! I absolutely love the illustrations. They are dark and kind of gothic looking.
Very unique book. Fun for cat lovers!
February 21, 2016
I madly love cats so when I came across this book in the local Age Concern for 29p I snapped it up. I thought "Angela Carter - not read anything of hers but her name precedes her. This could be really good." Unfortunately, though, excessive alliteration does not good poetry make. Each page is a picture of Lehman's, accompanied by a description of the cat(s) contained within. This verse has very little to do with the pictures or the behaviour of actual cats. There's only one I liked:
I love my cats with an MNO
Because they are Merry, Neat and Oscillating
Madcap, Necessary and Ostentatious
Their names are Mildred, Norman and Oliver
They live in Midsomer NortOn
They eat Meatpies, Nut-cutlets, Oranges
And Much else besides, Not all of it Official.
This is the best by a long shot IMHO. The others aren't bad per se, just rather random. As I'm not particularly fond of Lehman's style, this book held very little for me.
I love my cats with an MNO
Because they are Merry, Neat and Oscillating
Madcap, Necessary and Ostentatious
Their names are Mildred, Norman and Oliver
They live in Midsomer NortOn
They eat Meatpies, Nut-cutlets, Oranges
And Much else besides, Not all of it Official.
This is the best by a long shot IMHO. The others aren't bad per se, just rather random. As I'm not particularly fond of Lehman's style, this book held very little for me.
May 27, 2012
Some very fat and lovely cats!
August 17, 2013
Beautiful illustrations. A childhood favorite.
August 22, 2013
A saucy alphabet book that is beautifully illustrated with some great cats. Love it!
March 9, 2015
Amplia dizionario
Alfabeto
Giochi con le parole
Gatti (ma anche: luoghi, cibi, aggettivi)
Belle illustrazioni
Alfabeto
Giochi con le parole
Gatti (ma anche: luoghi, cibi, aggettivi)
Belle illustrazioni
November 24, 2019
A childhood favourite
April 29, 2020
I remember when my mother read this to me when I was about five years old in the 1980’s. Now I found this from second hand bookstore and read it to my six-year-old son. What a nostalgy trip!
(This is a Finnish translation of the book, called Kissankuria, translated (very succesfully) by Kaarina Helakisa.)
(This is a Finnish translation of the book, called Kissankuria, translated (very succesfully) by Kaarina Helakisa.)
August 22, 2019
The peak of carter's career
November 23, 2020
An alliterative ABC adventure. One for the cat lovers and language enthusiasts (a perfect cross-section of my niche interests).
July 12, 2025
This is a really cute ABC book! I LOVE the illustrations!!
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews