The Alley Cat's Meow

by Kathi Appelt, Jon Goodell (Illustrator)

From two different worlds, Red, a debonair downtown tomcat, and Ginger, a stylish uptown kitty, cast aside their differences and boogie the night away at the Alley Cat's Meow, where they amaze the world with their fancy footwork and stellar dance moves. 30,000 first printing.

Genres: Picture Books, Cats, Childrens

32 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2002

About the author

Lives in College Station, TX with husband Ken and four adorable cats.

Two sons, both musicians.

Serves on the faculty at Vermont College of Fine Arts in the MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults Program.

Reviews

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Shirts but no trousers on animals distorted to take on humanoid form give me the squick. To me the book just felt titillating. But surely that's just me. The jazzy verse is fun to read aloud, and the art style is appealing.

[Zellizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This Fred-and-Ginger inspired dancing cat duo captured my heart (I especially loved the illustrations that referenced Follow the Fleet and their Cheek to Cheek number in Top Hat), and I imagine the fun, swinging rhythm of the words would make this a fantastic read-aloud book.

[Ruth Ellen · Rating 5 out of 5]

this is the cutest book. I loved the analogy of Fred and Ginger.

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

These are some swinging cats! Beautiful illustrations.

[Vanessa · Rating 5 out of 5]

The rhymes were original and so so creative and the illustrations are simply purrr-fection! Such a sweet story!

[Peacegal · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm sure I would have enjoyed this is a kid. Two toe-tapping felines tango through old-timey settings. Fun for young cat lovers.

[Glasdow Teacosy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bought this years ago and forgot how much I liked it. Just introduced it to the Brownie and she loved it. The story scats along at a good, rhythmic pace with evocative descriptions that are old school without being obscure for kids.
“She was jazzy, she was snazzy,
She was my oh my oh my.”
It's fun to read out loud, too.

The illustrations are simply top notch. Obviously based on classic song & dance poses from old movies, there is a life to them that leaps off the page. The choice of cats helps the otherwise adult romance appeal to children, but the adult in me was was still impressed with the gesturing and skill. When Red sees Ginger for the first time, his pose is charged with energy. You can feel him ready to leap through the crowd to meet her.

I loved it all over again.

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great story for younger kids...it has a nice rhythm to it.

[Maeghan Nutmeg Librarian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anthropomorphic cats with a set of very classy, famous dance moves. Cute and weird.