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Puss in Boots

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A poor young man gains a fortune and meets a beautiful princess when his cat outwits an evil giant.

32 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1697

96 people are currently reading
2828 people want to read

About the author

Paul Galdone

282 books85 followers
Paul Galdone (1907 - November 7, 1986) was a children's literature author and illustrator. He was born in Budapest and he emigrated to the United States in 1921. He studied art at the Art Student's League and New York School for Industrial Design. He served for the US Army during world War II.

He illustrated nearly all of Eve Titus' books including the Basil of Baker Street series which was translated to the screen in the animated Disney film, The Great Mouse Detective.

Galdone and Titus were nominated for Caldecott Medals for Anatole (1957) and Anatole and the Cat (1958). The titles were later named Caldecott Honor books in 1971.

He died of a heart attack in Nyack, New York. He was posthumously awarded the 1996 Kerlan Award for his contribution to children's literature. His retellings of classic tales like "The Little Red Hen" or "Three Billy Goats Gruff" have become staples.

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5 stars
4,101 (43%)
4 stars
2,715 (29%)
3 stars
2,030 (21%)
2 stars
379 (4%)
1 star
112 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 451 reviews
Profile Image for Calista.
5,406 reviews31.3k followers
June 9, 2019
What a lovely and fun book. Puss sure is smart. Still, I would think people are more amazed by a talking cat than anything else. That is the interesting part of the story for me. I think the artwork reminds me of Paul Zelinskys.

Puss is working to help his young lad make it big in the world and he succeeds in doing so. I wonder what he does after this is over. I’m sure his story will continue. Someone needs to write more of this story. Also, does the ogre have any family that might come looking for revenge?? That’s interesting to think on.

The nephew loves Puss and those boots he walks in. The nephew likes anyone who can outsmart people. He gave this 4 stars. The niece enjoyed this too. She thought it was funny that the man was swimming without any clothes. They both laughed. She did feel like the ogre really didn’t do anything to deserve being eaten and she felt like that was thieving. She gave this 3 stars. Both kids loved the artwork and thought Puss looked so cute.
Profile Image for Calista.
5,406 reviews31.3k followers
July 23, 2020
I love the fact that everyone is so cool with a talking cat. I would think this King in the story would be more impressed by a talking cat and want to own such a curiosity and try and possess him. The reason the story works is that everyone accepts the talking cat as a normal part of their world and not at all shocking.

Knowing myself, I'm the type of person if a cat started talking to me, I wouldn't bat an eye and freak out. I would simply talk to it and think, this is cool. I can easily accept things like that - strange.

Anyway, this is Paul Galdone's version of Puss and Boots and it seems pretty straight forward to me. It doesn't really change the story, simply his own words. It would be interesting to see what this story looks like in modern times. It needs a real re-telling and update, if you ask me. The artwork was decent, but nothing out of the ordinary. It's still a great story.
Profile Image for Manybooks.
3,730 reviews102 followers
June 9, 2019
Although Fred Marcellino's illustrations are simply and utterly brilliant (lushly descriptive, authentically, historically 18th century French in style and movement, and more than well deserving of the Caldecott Honour Medal), I cannot say that I have ever really enjoyed Puss in Boots all that much as a tale, as a story. I have now read it in Perrault's French original, as well as in both German and English translation, and while I can appreciate the storyline to an extent, some parts have also always rubbed me the wrong proverbial way. Why for instance, would the Ogre's peasants, his serfs so to speak, automatically believe a passing cat's threats that he would have them killed if they did not tell the king that the fields belonged to the Marquis of Carabas, aka the Miller's son? And even with the king, I find it kind of hard to fathom that he would have simply accepted the Marquis of Carabas as an existing nobleman, as the king would of course and naturally know of and be familiar with his country's noblemen and women, especially someone as high born as a Marquis (but on the other hand, how the cat defeats the ogre is indeed priceless and hilarious, albeit also a tad predictable, and I do love the fact that once the miller's son has made his fortune, and marries the king's daughter, his helper, his feline companion, is not forgotten, but becomes a great lord in his own right).

Now I have been debating whether to rate Puss in Boots with three or four stars, and have finally decided on three stars. For although (thankfully) the original author and translator are indeed mentioned (Charles Perrault, Malcolm Arthur), the Puss in Boots tale actually has a rather interesting back-story, and a more detailed note on its genesis and history would increase the literary and folkloric value of the same. The Brothers Grimm included a Puss in Boots type of story in the first 1812 edition of their Kinder- und Hausmärchen but then removed it from subsequent editions as being not only "too French" but also supposedly "too literary" in scope, a salient point both interesting and also rather ironic, considering we now know that many of the Grimms' collected "German" folktales were actually gathered from friends and acquaintances of French Huguenot extraction, and that the Grimms' themselves relentlessly edited and stylised their folktales, so that by the 1857 edition, their collection of tales was actually in many ways considerably more literary than traditionally folkloric (all nuggets of knowledge that would and could be a great addition as an author's note in this otherwise excellent rendition of Charles Perrault's classic tale).
Profile Image for Mariah Roze.
1,056 reviews1,057 followers
January 26, 2018
Very cute version of the story. My students read 2 Puss in Boots stories and then compared them. They were surprisingly very similar and this was one of them.
Profile Image for Matt.
4,661 reviews13.1k followers
October 30, 2017
When a miller retires and divides up his wealth amongst his three sons, the youngest is left with a cat named Puss. The young man is sure that he has been duped, but the talking cat convinced his new owner that with a pair of boots and some basic supplies, he can prove a very useful pet. The young man does as requested and soon Puss is currying favour with a king. Presenting his owner as a mysterious marquis, Puss is able to convince the king to visit and eventually hand over his daughter in marriage. Neither Neo nor I knew the actual story of Puss in Boots, so we were both quite excited to read it. The fun continued as the story progressed and I can only hope to find more versions against which to compare this traditional one.
Profile Image for Πάνος Τουρλής.
2,607 reviews154 followers
December 20, 2020
Το γνωστό παραμύθι του Σαρλ Περό κυκλοφορεί από τις εκδόσεις Κόκκινη Κλωστή Δεμένη, διασκευασμένο από την Κιμ Κιόνγκ Χουά και εικονογραφημένο από τον Γκαμπριέλ Πατσέκο σε μεγάλη, σκληρόδετη έκδοση. Πρόκειται για μια προσεγμένη διασκευή, που περιγράφει τις περιπέτειες του παπουτσωμένου γάτου που κληρονόμησε ένας φτωχός γιος μυλωνά και το πώς κατάφερε να βοηθήσει τον αφέντη του να γίνει πλούσιος. Καλογραμμένο κείμενο, λεξιλόγιο κατάλληλο για παιδιά από 6 ετών και πάνω και φυσικά οι γνωστές συναρπαστικές ανατροπές του παραμυθιού. Ας μου επιτραπεί όμως να αφιερώσω αυτό το κείμενο στην ιδιαίτερη, εξαιρετική εικονογράφηση.

Ο Γκαμπριέλ Πατσέκο, πολυβραβευμένος Μεξικανός εικονογράφος, αποτυπώνει με γλαφυρότητα και ιδιαίτερη πλαστικότητα το γνωστό παραμύθι. Λάτρεψα τη φυσιογνωμία του γάτου, το πώς εκφράζεται, πώς κινείται, ήταν λες και είχα μπροστά μου μια φωτογραφία κι όχι ένα σχέδιο. Απολαύστε τον στο εξώφυλλο σε μια ιδιαίτερη πόζα και προσέξτε τον στη σκηνή που έχει φάει τον γίγαντα τον μεταμορφωμένο σε ποντίκι και περιμένει τον αφέντη του! Τι ικανοποίηση, τι μειδίαμα, τι πονηριά! Αγάπησα τα χρώματα που παίζουν κυρίως με το χάλκινο, το καφέ, το μεταλλικό και το υπέροχο, απαλό μπλε. Πρόκειται για έναν καλοδεχούμενο σουρεαλισμό, μιας και είναι τέτοια η δύναμη της αναπαράστασης και η λεπτομέρεια της απεικόνισης που καθόμουν και χάζευα για ώρες το σύμπαν του Παπουτσωμένου γάτου. Στη μέση μάλιστα του βιβλίου υπάρχει ένα ανάπτυγμα σελίδων, όοπυ το κάστρο του γίγαντα ξεδιπλώνεται σε όλη του τη μεγαλοπρέπεια! Εξαιρετική αρχιτεκτονική σχεδίαση, σωστή προοπτική, διασκεδαστικές λεπτομέρειες, φωτογραφική αναπαράσταση των σκηνών, τι άλλο να ζητήσει κανείς για να γνωρίσει καλύτερα το σύμπαν του αγαπημένου παραμυθιού!

«Ο παπουτσωμένος γάτος» του Σαρλ Περό, διασκευασμένος από την Κιμ Κιόνγκ Χουά και εικονογραφημένος από τον Γκαμπριέλ Πατσέκο, δίνει μια νέα διάσταση στο αγαπημένο παραμύθι και αποτελεί την ιδανική πρώτη επαφή για τα παιδιά από 6 ετών και πάνω.
Profile Image for Mika.
436 reviews54 followers
December 8, 2024
I actually thought I would read this story the first time, as I believed to only know the films, but I was so wrong. I already did read the book before! Just don't know when, but I surely did, I remember everything again, after I read it.

To be honest, I really liked the story and it showed already there how cunning the cat is. Puss in Boots is about a man who only possessed a cat, but this cat was so clever to make both of them live a noble life. With most fairy tales about brothers or sisters we see how different their lives are and sometimes it even focused on just this: Who is smarter or posses more, but for Puss in Boots it doesn't focus on the other two brothers, but mainly on the cat and the Marquis of Carabas. I like it this way more, 'cause there are already so many who focus on the brothers/sisters trope that it doesn't feel unique anymore for most stories, but Puss in Boots sets itself apart from them by telling the story differently.

StoryGraph review
Profile Image for Shanna Gonzalez.
427 reviews42 followers
July 31, 2010
Fred Marcellino's artistic interpretation of Puss in Boots, narrated by a spare translation of Perrault's original story, is nothing short of impressive. The book is a visual feast, its fantastical events unfolding with their own strange coherency. The mood of this book is a bit darker than Galdone's, with the puckish Puss killing rabbits for the king "without mercy or compassion" and the giant's ogreish meals peeking out from under silver trays as servants glide past Puss on his way up the lushly carpeted stair. Parents of sensitive readers may wish to stick with Galdone's version, but this version accurately captures the mood of Perrault's original story.

Puss's outrageous success in advancing his master's interests through deception may well be troubling for parents, who will wish to interpret the story to their young children while still encouraging them to tell the truth. Puss's panache is undeniably attractive, and (unlike Toad in The Wind in the Willows), he never receives the just consequences of his unscrupulous behavior. While some parents will choose to avoid the story, it should be noted that Puss's victims were all taken in by means of their own moral weakness: the king was overly fond of good food, which made him vulnerable to Puss's blandishments. The princess was so shallow as to be impressed by the miller's son's clothing (provided in her presence by her weak-willed father). The ogre was too arrogant to view Puss as a threat, and foolishly turned himself into a mouse, opening himself up for attack. All of these people naively accepted the line presented to them, and so were taken in.

Puss is a scoundrel, and children ought to know that there are scoundrels in the world who will prey upon the morally weak. The only danger is that the audience will actually be taken in by Puss's charm and admire him for his own sake.
Profile Image for librosgatosyte.
426 reviews
August 17, 2025
Gato tenía que ser, astuto cómo él solo.
No tenía idea para nada de este cuento, entretenido e ingenioso.
Lo único que no ma gusta es que es un mentirocillo 🤥
Profile Image for Afaf Ammar.
986 reviews579 followers
January 4, 2021
"Puss in Boots was made a great  lord and wore the most beautiful clothes, and never again ran  after mice, except for entertainment."

Funny story...
I think Puss in Boots is the most smartest and resourceful cat in the world, but I still think all cats are very smart 😻


24.12.2020
Profile Image for Julie.
66 reviews17 followers
August 17, 2007
The text in this book could say, "blah, blah, blah" and I would still give it 5 stars. That is how amazing the illustrations are!!
Profile Image for Martha andrade.
816 reviews18 followers
May 12, 2021
Moraleja: No te confíes de los gatos, pueden ser una gran herencia o los que te coman, dependiendo de cómo les caes y lo que les conviene a ellos
Profile Image for Dolly.
Author 1 book668 followers
October 10, 2012
Oh, Goodreads, will you ever cease to amaze me?

I discovered this interesting green "read book*" button beneath the cover icon of the book I was just reviewing (Puss in Boots by Charles Perrault, illustrated by Fred Marcellino - the one that received the Caldecott Honor in 1991.)

Below the green button was an explanation that the book available was a different edition from the one I had read. So on a whim, I clicked the button and checked it out. So this review is for the ebook from The Planet, with ISBN13 9781908478184.

Lo and behold, the entire book was available right there online. Wow! So very cool. This version was illustrated by Walter Crane, and while the stories were virtually identical, the illustrations were quite different. I liked both versions, although this version gives a much older, almost Victorian feel to it.

I love this feature and once again, I am very thankful for Goodreads. It really has opened my eyes and made me so much more aware of books that I would have never discovered on my own. Thank you!
Profile Image for John Yelverton.
4,402 reviews38 followers
January 3, 2012
Never really understood this story, but it's still a good children's book.
Profile Image for saad ben chekroun.
20 reviews22 followers
December 11, 2018
Ah ! Quels merveilleux souvenirs ! Ce sont nos premiers jours dans le monde des livres ! Les livres qui contiennent 20 pages et nous les achèvent dans un mois, et quand on les termine nous sentions que nous sommes des rois de la lecture.
Profile Image for Jenny.
352 reviews
June 9, 2008
I think I remember reading and liking this book as a child, but as I read it to my 2 year old today, I was bothered by the fact that he got everything--the title, the princess, the riches--off of a lie! I don't think kids would get that unless you pointed it out, but I just thought that was dumb. So a fairly cute book and story just turned a little sour for me because I like when good lessons can be taught from books.
Profile Image for Traci.
30 reviews2 followers
November 9, 2011
"Puss in Boots" by Charles Perrault always brings a smile to my face. Now when I think of the character I think of the character adapted in the Shrek series. The tale begins by a father passing away and leaving his belongings to his three sons. The youngest son gets Puss and he doesn't know what to do with a cat. Puss can talk, and tells his owner to give him a pair of boots so that he can walk and bring a fortune to his owner. Puss goes about capturing various things to bring to king to impress him. At one point, the king is out and about with his daughter and Puss foils a plan to have his owner pretend like he's drowning so that the king can save him. The princess and now lucky owner of Puss are soon married and live happily ever after (especially Puss).

This is quite a funny story as I imagine Puss running about in his boots as he carries out his missions to make his owner rich and happy. The illustrations are simple, but they lend to the simplicity of the story. The cover has the title in yellow text, and Puss is walking through a valley with his bag slung over his shoulder. Birds are flying away from him, so it lends the idea that Puss may have birds in his bag. The back cover has Puss walking in the opposite direction, as if he's returning to his master triumphant. The end pages are fun and lively, with a creamy background with rows of Puss running back and forth. The title page and dedication page are on separate spreads. The title page has the title in simple black text, the publisher at the bottom, and an image of Puss in the middle. He is running in this image too...Puss must do a lot of running in this story. While researching this book I noticed that there are different covers for this book depending on the publish date. My copy is from 1998.

As I said, the images are simple, but I enjoyed them. There are still details in the image, and while it doesn't explain the art type used, it appears that water color was used. The images are bright and cheery and draw the reader in. When Puss receives his pair of red boots in every image you are drawn to them. It's also entertaining to see the different expressions on Puss' face at each page turn. The images are bordered, and the border has a thin double line. At the top of each page is the title of the book. In some instances images are mixed within the text. The text size/font never changes. The only change in the text is the position on the page, whether it's on the right or left side of the page. To make a note, my favorite image is Puss at the end of the book lounging on a pillow fat and happy after having a feast. I can imagine how happy he is at not having to eat mice anymore.
Profile Image for I'm Daria .
63 reviews9 followers
May 17, 2021
1. FRUMOASA DIN PĂDUREA ADORMITĂ - 4⭐

Îmi place mai mult povestea pe care o știm încă din copilărie (cea fără căpcăunoaică), dar e frumoas și aceasta în felul ei...

"Morala acestei istorisiri arată că este firesc pentru o fată să-și aștepte alesul inimii, (👏👏) atunci când este bogat și  frumos (🤦‍♀️😒🥴). Însă nu cred ca există în lume vreo fată care să-și fi așteptat bărbatul o sută de ani ca frumoasa prințesă din pădurea adormită."


2. MOTANUL ÎNCĂLȚAT - 4,5⭐

"Morala acestei istorisiri spune că oricât de mare ar fi avantajul de a te bucura de o moștenire primită de la părinți, tinerilor le sunt mai folositoare înțelepciunea și arte de a de descurca în orice împrejurare." (nimic de spus😊)
"Iar fiul morarului a cucerit așa de repede inima unei prințese, deoarece (hainele, frumusețea și tinerețea🤦‍♀️), numai împreună ajută să se nască iubirea adevărată."


3. DEGEȚEL - 4⭐

"Desigur, că unii dintre voi nu sunteți de acord cu această ultimă faptă a băiatului. (✋)
.
.
.
Credem că morala acestor întâmplări arată că nu este dificil să ai mulți copii, dacă aceștia sunt sănătoși, frumoși și cuminți. Atunci când unul dintre copii este mai firav, cei din jur îl batjocoresc, neștiind că uneori bunăstarea întregii familii o aduce tocmai acesta, așa cum s-a întâmplat cu Degețel."


4. CENUȘĂREASA - 4⭐

"Morala acestei povești dezvăluie faptul că frumusețea este o comoară rară, admirată de toată lumea. Dar ceea ce valorează cel mai mult la o tânără este blândețea vorbelor și bunătatea sufletească. Aceste daruri le-a dobândit Cenușăreasa de la zâna cea bună, încât s-a dovedit demnă de a fi regină.

Desigur, este foarte important să fii dăruit de ursitioare cu inteligență, curaj și blândețe. Dar, dacă nu ți se oferă șansa de a folosi aceste daruri în societate, ele rămân ascunse precum Cenușăreasa în colțul prăfuit al bucătăriei."     Eu aș fi punctat altfel aici, la final, dar fie, merge și așa😁

- poveste pentru copii, cu limbaj simplu, ușor de citit, RECOMAND!


5. Barbă-Albastră - 1⭐

...Nu știu ce părere să am despre povestea asta...
...
EMOTICOANE care îmi descriu starea după ce am citit povestea asta:
😶
🤨

😳
😨
😡
👊
🤦‍♀️
Și...care este morala acestei povești!?!?🤦‍♀️...voiam s-o știu...
.
.
.
CLAR, NU este o poveste pentru COPII🙅‍♀️🙍‍♀️!!!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Federico DN.
1,015 reviews4,015 followers
November 25, 2024
Excellent.

This was excellent, but not going to review it.

For the moment at least.

It’s public domain. You can find it HERE.

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PERSONAL NOTE :
[1700] [10p] [Children's] [Highly Recommendable]
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★★★★☆ Perrault's Fairy Tales.

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Excelente.

Esto fue excelente, pero no voy a reseñarlo.

Al menos por ahora.

Es dominio público, lo pueden encontrar ACA.

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NOTA PERSONAL :
[1700] [10p] [Niños] [Altamente Recomendable]
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Profile Image for SamZ.
821 reviews
September 7, 2016
1991 Caldecott Honor - Favorite Illustration: When the "Marquis" first appears in fine clothing at the coach; I love all the expressions on the faces! The Marquis looks a little overwhelmed and confused, Puss is so proud, the Princess is coy but interested in the handsome Marquis and the King is puffed up in his pink finery and so proud that he has "saved" a fine nobleman.
I've never been the biggest fan of Puss in Boots: I've always wondered why the people totally believed everything the cat said. Or even listened to a talking cat in the first place! However, this version is told well and is filled with fun details without becoming too long. The illustrations, however, stand out so beautifully. I feel like (so long as you knew the cat talked) you could follow this story merely based on the rich and detailed illustrations!
Profile Image for Marc Bisson.
22 reviews4 followers
October 11, 2017
In this book about a cat that helps his owners become rich and famous, but he does it through trickery and deceit. The illustrations in this book are a perfect addition to the witty and comical story. The illustrations certainly draw the reader into the story and my students thoroughly enjoyed both the pictures and the plot.

I used this book to teach my students the difference between theme and moral. Traditional literature really focuses on the moral of stories and this book was no exception. After talking about the difference between moral and theme with this book, they really seemed to understand the concept.

Overall, this is a great book to teach with!
Profile Image for Linda Lipko.
1,904 reviews49 followers
April 19, 2016
Step inside this lovely illustrated book and meet Puss In Boots, the socipathic cat who is rather conniving, consistently a user of people and a regal stager of situations.

His dastardly deeds of presenting gifts to the majesty in the name of his supposed master, The Marquis of Carabas, nets him and his master great wealth.

Lying, stealing and deceiving at every twist and turn, he becomes a hero. Ah, such is life!!!!

I don't care for the story line at all, but I do love the marvelous illustrations!
Profile Image for Hillary.
94 reviews2 followers
September 18, 2014
I really enjoyed this version! It was so charming, the illustrations were fantastic, and it was very cleverly told. I found myself falling in love with Puss in Boots and found him very fun. Would be a hoot to read to young readers, they would enjoy Puss' antics and would really have fun with the story! *Read aloud with a British accent . . . so much more fun for kids and they will really get into the story!
Profile Image for N..
843 reviews26 followers
January 14, 2013
Just reread our old copy of Puss in Boots, today, and loved it. We're going through children's books to see what we can bear to part with. Puss is a keeper. I'd actually like to read some other versions; I have a feeling I have at least one more, around here. Our copy is old and fairly tattered. The children obviously have loved it up, over the years. A nice, comfy classic.
Profile Image for Abbie.
1,560 reviews12 followers
February 7, 2010
I love this one. The illustrations are fabulous; I'm always disappointed when I try to pet the cover, and it isn't soft and furry. Plus, the ghoulishness of the original is preserved. What threat is greater than being ground into sausage meat!?
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