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Tiny Cat

Counting with Tiny Cat

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The talented Viviane Schwarz brings a feline spin to counting in this very funny concept book.
At first Tiny Cat has none. Then, what s that? One! Two! Three! And . . . four! Oops, bonk, now there s more! Soon Tiny Cat has as many red balls as you can get. Then some extra. Is that too many? Will Tiny Cat ever have just enough?"

32 pages, Hardcover

Published July 18, 2017

2 people are currently reading
49 people want to read

About the author

Viviane Schwarz

31 books44 followers
Viviane Schwarz is the author-illustrator of THERE ARE CATS IN THIS BOOK as well as SHARK AND LOBSTER'S UNDERSEA ADVENTURE. She grew up in Germany and now lives in London.

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5 stars
52 (21%)
4 stars
89 (37%)
3 stars
81 (34%)
2 stars
14 (5%)
1 star
1 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews
Profile Image for Vita Luna.
Author 13 books32 followers
December 13, 2022
Found this on the street in London - that alone gives it an extra star - thinking about none and zero, zero is a number but none sounds cuter so I get why they went with that
Profile Image for Zoe.
385 reviews39 followers
April 28, 2017
This is just terrific. An example of a loose and flowing line that seems to sing off the page with a grace that looks effortless, Viv's book has quite a philosophical heart, approaching counting not as a straightforward series of steps through 1-10, but gently prompting its readers to think about number values; what it feels like to have none, or lots, or as many as you can get. Is it possible to have too many of anything and what counts as "enough". I certainly can't get enough of this wonderful book even though I learned to count very many years ago.

Very funny to read that for one reviewer this approach didn't work. All I can do is encourage you to take a look. I think it's a really excellent book and opens up all sorts of conversation possibilities way beyond the average counting book.
Profile Image for Becky.
6,142 reviews302 followers
October 2, 2017
First sentence: None. One. Two. Three. Four. More. Even More. About a dozen. Lots.

Premise/plot: Tiny Cat is counting his (or her) balls of yarn. At first this is easy for tiny cat. But it doesn't stay easy. What comes after four?! Tiny Cat's not exactly sure. But that doesn't stop her from having FUN counting.

My thoughts: I really, really, really LOVED this one. I love the expressiveness of Tiny Cat. In particular. I love the expression for "lots" "some extra" "too much" and "enough." The story is told with just a few words. These words--like the number words--might be familiar to preschoolers. And I wouldn't be surprised if little ones end up memorizing this one and reading it themselves. I think one can definitely read the story based on the pictures alone.

Text: 5 out of 5
Illustrations: 4 out of 5
Total: 9 out of 10
Profile Image for Juliana Lee.
2,272 reviews40 followers
August 24, 2017
Tiny Cat loves his balls of yarn. In fact he can count from zero to four before he starts getting more than he can count. Funny look at a greedy kitten who has more, about a dozen, lots, some extra, and too many. Finally satisfied, Tiny Cat has enough.
Profile Image for Erica.
1,290 reviews31 followers
April 21, 2018
Although this book is brief, it is very satisfying. Minimal text - counting words only - complement minimal illustrations - showing only a fluffly black-outlined kitten and red balls of yarn and nothing else.

The text seems to mimic the counting capacity of a preschooler; one, two, three, more, about a dozen, lots, even more, too many, enough. (I'll have to check the text when I get back to work at the library...but that is roughly what it says.)

Even though an adult watching a child go through this counting process would be struggling to not reveal how funny-cute it is to watch, I don't believe that actual preschoolers, kindergarteners, or first-graders hearing the book read aloud will feel condescended to, because the small-scale drama of trying to count but quickly feeling overwhelmed is such a common experience for any age person.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Mrs. Melaugh.
485 reviews14 followers
July 28, 2017
In this engaging introduction to numbers, an adorable little cat counts red spools of thread. Looking alarmed when he has none, he proceeds to happily hold first one, then two, three, and four. After that, instead of numbers, number concepts are introduced as he gets “more”, “lots”, “as many as you can get”, “some extra” and “too many”. The final scene shows the kitten contentedly sleeping atop a pile of red balls labeled as “Enough.” The story is told simply; most pages contain just one word. The mischievous cat is rendered in minimalist white and gray colors inside a bold black outline with red squiggles to indicate the balls, and the clean white background dominates the pages.
Profile Image for Mrs. Melaugh.
485 reviews14 followers
March 28, 2018
This is a sturdy board book version of Schwarz’s previously issued picture book introduction to numbers, in which an adorable kitten counts red spools of thread. Starting with none, the kitten next happily holds first one, then two, three, and four balls of thread. After that, he gets “more”, “lots”, “as many as you can get”, “some extra” and “too many”. In the final scene the kitten contentedly sleeps atop a pile of red balls labeled as “Enough.” The kitten’s expressions are eloquently portrayed using simple gray and black brush strokes on a clean white background; minimalist red squiggles indicate the balls.
Profile Image for Cindy Mitchell *Kiss the Book*.
6,002 reviews220 followers
November 26, 2017
Schwarz, Viviane Counting With Tiny Cat. PICTURE BOOK. Candlewick Press, 2016. $14.99.

Tiny cat starts with none and works his way up to as many balls as a cat could need. Tiny cat is an adorable little feline, full of personality and expression.

Though extremely simple in concept, this counting book helps readers build their vocabulary, adding in phrases like “some extra” and “about a dozen” all while being captivated by Tiny cat and his adventures with balls of yarn.

PRE-K-ESSENTIAL. Jessica
https://kissthebook.blogspot.com/2017...
Profile Image for Lauren.
855 reviews5 followers
September 14, 2020
Uh oh! Tiny Cat can't count and if you really want your kid to know how to count, make sure they understand that math is theoretical and numbers aren't real, because Tiny Cat can't count and eventually stops using "real" numbers anyway, illustrated by cute little red balls held by a cute line drawing of a cat.
Profile Image for Mehsi.
14.8k reviews444 followers
May 13, 2021
Een superleuk boek over een kat en tellen, maar het is niet zo simpel als 1, 2, 3, ballen met wol. Oh nee! En ik was er echt dolblij mee want ik was toch even bang dat dit weer zo'n simpel (en misschien een tikje saai) boek zou zijn. Gelukkig dus niet! Ik zal verder niks verklappen~ Ik heb heerlijk gelachen om deze eigenwijze kat en zijn vele bolletjes wol.
Profile Image for Sushie.
612 reviews8 followers
September 10, 2021
Iggi's Storytime Criteria
Age group: toddlers+
Content: counting, cats, humor
Plot: Tiny Cat can count to four, but beyond that things get silly
Wordiness: low, one word per page
Length: short
Illustrations: adorable
Page Gloss: satin
Other: very funny, good for kids just learning and anyone who loves a short book that ends with cute jokes, also cats
Profile Image for Ames Public Library Youth Services.
305 reviews28 followers
January 9, 2019
What you think is going to be a very typical counting book soon becomes a hilarious tale of a cat who is trying to get all the yarn!

Schwarz's adorable illustrations and warm humor are going to make this a family favorite.

-dmz
Profile Image for Grace Luo.
10 reviews1 follower
February 18, 2019
Wonderfully illustrate how number, math counting works. It’s a good book to teach math to toddler. It has it own sense of humor that makes us laugh. It’s another book that my toddler like. It’s fun to enjoy and love learning math together
706 reviews
December 12, 2017
counting with numbers and different terms like some, many, etc.
Profile Image for V.J. Hooker.
Author 1 book5 followers
April 25, 2022
Love it. The simplicity of the illustrations, the simplicity of the colours, the simplicity of the text, the end papers, I just loved it. Not read it to my boys yet but made me giggle.
Profile Image for Andrés.
1,352 reviews
May 18, 2024
Cute concepts and ways to think about numbers. Stark red/black/white illustrations are eye-catching for all ages, including newborns.
Profile Image for Laura.
787 reviews7 followers
April 8, 2025
Very cute illustrations with minimal text. A fun counting book for toddlers who have short attention spans and can't sit for a longer story. Perfect for toddler storytime.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews

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