The Wish Come True Cat

by Ragnhild Scamell, Gaby Hansen (Illustrator)

Holly sees a falling star and wishes for a kitten, but what appears on her windowsill is a scruffy cat named Tom--not what she meant at all--but Tom doesn't think he is a mistake and eventually his persistence pays off.

Genres: Animals, Picture Books, Childrens, Fiction, Pets, Cats

32 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2001

Reviews

[Karina · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book warmed my heart. It send such an overlooked but important message to children. When Holly wished for a kitten, she had probably imagined the cutest little thing all fluffy and clean waiting for her. When she got Tom, a not so pretty and older cat, she was of course disappointed. She realized Tom was the most loving cat and came to love him just much as much and maybe more than that kitten she had imaged. Tom could represent anything to a child in the lesson this book teaches to a child maybe it reminds them of a "not so cool" kid at school that they didn't quite give a chance. Or maybe it simply teaches them the love for animal that might be older and not so pretty. I personally felt some connection to this book because here in Arizona we have had start cats near h=out house for years and we have either taken them in or found them homes for a very long time.
The pictures in this book were absolutely adorable. Even I while I was reading was captivated and took an extra second to stop and look at the photos. I saw a little bit of a trend that when either the cat or Holly were alone the picture was in a small circular bubble, and when they were together it took up the whole page. I'm not sure if it was intended that way but I think it added a nice effect. Some of the words, mostly ones that represented sounds, had crazy lettering and placement which I feel added some fun to the book and might help children emphasize those words when they are reading a book with words like that.

[Gerry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even though Holly's house had a cat flap, she had no cat.

One night she saw a star falling from the sky and she made a wish. 'I wish I had a kitten. A tiny cuddly kitten who could jump in and out of the cat flap,' she whispered.

Then CRASH!, something big landed on the window sill. It was Tom, the scruffiest, most raggedly cat Holly had ever seen. He sat there in the moonlight, smiling a crooked smile, 'Miao-o-ow!' he cried and he seemed to be saying, 'I'm Tom, your wish cat.'

Holly decided that it was a mistake but Tom thought otherwise as he rubbed his ear against the window and howled loudly. Holly hid under the quilt, hoping that he would go away.

He didn't and the following morning he was on the doorstep outside the cat flap with a piece of smelly fish he had brought as a present for Holly. 'Bad cat,' said Holly and shooed him away. But Tom would not go, he even had a ride on Holly's swing as Holly herself was getting ready to have a go.

Lunchtime came and Tom was still there so Holly took pity on him and fed him some of her sandwich through the cat flap. Tom wolfed it down and purred away loudly.

In the afternoon Holly cleared leaves from the garden and Tom followed her everywhere, showing off along the way! And when Holly went in for tea, Tom settled himself down across the door underneath the cat flap.

That evening it snowed and Tom was soon covered in snow in his cat flap position; he began to miaow miserably. Holly took pity on him, held the cat flap open and Tom entered the house. She gave him a large plate of food and an even large bowl of warm milk then, with Tom purring away, she dried him with a towel.

Holly then went to bed and Tom settled down with her and together they watched the glittering stars … another star fell but Holly made no wish, she had all she wanted with Tom, who felt just the same way. Happy days!

[Az life · Rating 5 out of 5]

so lovely <3

[Julianne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book because Holly had a cat door and she wished that she had a kitten to come and go. There was a wishing star, she said I wish i had a kitten. When she opened her eyes, there was a cat named Tom waiting there. She said but i wished for a kitten. She said to him go away Tom. But when she got up Tom was at the cat door waiting for Holly.

[Candice · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s a nice story which other reviewers have already outlined. Good lesson for children and adults alike.

Taken literally, it’s a good book to encourage adoption of mature animals from shelters (and to encourage children to love their existing mature age pets!) but it’s also a solid reminder for all of us that sometimes reality challenges our preconceptions - and so testing assumptions in the real world can be surprising and often rewarding and eye opening. Potentially helpful for recruitment panels to read ahead of recruiting staff that look and think just like they do - it’s a quick read! Not entirely joking there...

I read it in a couple of minutes while waiting at a pathology collection place - the title caught my eye and the first page drew me in: the gaping void between having capacity for something (in this case a cat door) and not having the object of your desire (in this case, a cat). It’s a set up that evokes loneliness and a willingness to love. The fact that we soon find the child has set limits on what will fill that void, sets the child off on a (very quick) journey to discover something that hadn’t yet crossed her mind.

[Emma Hunter · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little girl wishes for a kitten but gets a stray cat instead. The book goes from the girl hating the stray to the two becoming best friends. She realizes her wish really did come true!

Lexile: 360L
Guided Reading: J
Trait: Ideas

[Sean Harding · Rating 3 out of 5]

A cat story - and pretty good little story with some fine illustrations.
Thew target market would enjoy this one,.
Nothing taxing here, and if you are a cat fan you would probably enjoy it more.
For the most part I find cats annoying but regardless they seem tom make. good characters in stories,

[Tanya Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I mean does it get any cuter than this? This was my favorite book when I was 8. I remember buying this from a book fair and I still have the same book. I would keep it in my backpack and read it at school all the time.

[RJC · Rating 2 out of 5]

A nice story about a scruffy cat.

[Rachel Harris · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is lovely and sweet

[h.f. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ally’s gma would read this to her as a little baby 😭

[Mary Anne Swart · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ally used to read this book out loud before she knew how to read

[Bethann · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book about a little girl who wants nothing more than a kitten. She makes a wish, and is granted with a cat. At first, she does not like the cat, because she wanted a baby kitten. She learns to love and accept the full grow cat. I think it is a good way to show that sometimes you might not like something at first, but once you see the good you love it!

[Christine Rains · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked this up recently for my 4 year old son, and it has become one of his favorite bedtime stories.

Holly wishes for a cute, cuddly kitten, but instead, she gets a raggedy old cat named Tom. He has no manners and isn't at all cute, but Holly grows to love him. My son wants his own big Tom cat now.

I particularly love the illustrations. Tom's character is captured perfectly!

[Amy Stromgren · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a sweet story of a girl who wishes for a kitten, but get a smelly lovable adult cat instead. When I was little I could relate because I wanted a kitten, but we had an adult cat. I loved my cat so it wasn't a complete loss to me, just like it wasn't for Holly in the end. This is a sweet story for a child and it's easy to relate to.

[Jenna Gantenbein · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good friend of mine lent this book to me. I had never heard of it before now, but I'm glad I got the opportunity to read it. This was a great story about a special friendship between a little girl and a cat. The illustrations in this book are beautiful and really help bring the story to life. I would definitely read this again some day.

[duniamimpigie Anggi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maniiiiissss bangeeeeeeeeeeettttt~~~
Huhuhuuuuuu... kenapa si Gie gak bisa tahan diri liat buku-buku beginian? Sampe abang tukang jualannya ngenalin saya pas berpapasan di musola padahal dari sekian banyaknya pengunjuuuuung (mungkin saking lamanya saya muter-muter di booth-nya ;;;w;;; )

Used book. Worth it for its ten thousands Rp only price <3

[Janet · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this story to my first grade class today. We liked the story but did not love it. We were not too attached to the characters Although we were glad at the way the book ended. Nice graphics.

[Peacegal · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little girl wishes for a kitten, but a scraggly stray shows up on her porch instead. the girl is a jerk to the cat for the majority of the book, until she learns that it's what inside that counts.

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have no memory of this one. Perhaps it was one of those that only got read once...?

[Claudia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Favorite book age 1/2