What do you think?
Rate this book
Oh No! Look what the Cat Dragged In
A mischievous cat drags all kinds of things through the cat flap at night until finally, much to Grandma’s annoyance, the whole house is overrun! What will she do?
32 pages, Paperback
First published September 3, 2019
20 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
October 18, 2019
I can imagine reading this with the young crowd and the resulting exclamations! It's a crazy fun book with a rhyming scheme that begs to be read aloud.
October 4, 2019
Crazy funny book that gives daily pictures of the creepy, crawly, alive/dead things the cat drags in. So much to look at, laugh at, and try not to throw up at. The big finish is pitch perfect. Great book for all ages, especially if you live with a cat.
April 26, 2025
1 March 2020
I read it as a very sad story of a family with some sort of genetic brain damage and a lesson in fat accepetance from a cat who remains rotund despite seeming to get loads of exercise.
A child however might find it amusing to see what the cat drags in every night, and to read along with the refrain.
***
26 April 2025
Picked it up again because I didn't recall it.
Library copy
I read it as a very sad story of a family with some sort of genetic brain damage and a lesson in fat accepetance from a cat who remains rotund despite seeming to get loads of exercise.
A child however might find it amusing to see what the cat drags in every night, and to read along with the refrain.
***
26 April 2025
Picked it up again because I didn't recall it.
Library copy
February 25, 2019
Anyone who has a cat knows they love to bring the wild life they catch to show you, and let it go for a run around if they have the chance!
Joy Davidson’s new picture book tells the story of Grandma’s big black cat as it explores its back yard and brings his loot back through the flap in the door. The grandchildren holidaying with Grandma experience first hand the chaos in the house and are almost too frightened to come down stairs as the week progress’s as there are “ creepy crawlies everywhere, and rubbish piled up high.”
Wonderful descriptive sentences tell the story, familiar to many cat lovers, which will have children laughing out loud, and the repetitive phrases will encourage the children to join in.
It is a fun book and Jenny Cooper’s illustrations add an extra dimension, to involve the children to seek, find and identify the creepy crawlies the cat dragged in. The facial expressions on Grandma and the children convey vividly the tension in the house with each day .But I love how she has captured the cat’s expression sitting half asleep with almost a smirk on its face, I have seen it many times as I have chased a mouse around the kitchen with the cat wondering what the problem is.
What a fun way to learn the days of the week, identified in a larger font, and with the use of capitals Davidson ensures the reader will emphasize the more dramatic sentences. This book will be loved by children and adults as they turn the pages to find out if Grandma solves the dilemma of “what the cat dragged in.”
Winner of the 2015 Storylines Joy Cowley Award and the 2017 Notable book award for Witch's Cat Wanted, Apply Within, Auckland based Joy Davidson, is also the author of The Tree Hut and Titan the truck.
Joy Davidson’s new picture book tells the story of Grandma’s big black cat as it explores its back yard and brings his loot back through the flap in the door. The grandchildren holidaying with Grandma experience first hand the chaos in the house and are almost too frightened to come down stairs as the week progress’s as there are “ creepy crawlies everywhere, and rubbish piled up high.”
Wonderful descriptive sentences tell the story, familiar to many cat lovers, which will have children laughing out loud, and the repetitive phrases will encourage the children to join in.
It is a fun book and Jenny Cooper’s illustrations add an extra dimension, to involve the children to seek, find and identify the creepy crawlies the cat dragged in. The facial expressions on Grandma and the children convey vividly the tension in the house with each day .But I love how she has captured the cat’s expression sitting half asleep with almost a smirk on its face, I have seen it many times as I have chased a mouse around the kitchen with the cat wondering what the problem is.
What a fun way to learn the days of the week, identified in a larger font, and with the use of capitals Davidson ensures the reader will emphasize the more dramatic sentences. This book will be loved by children and adults as they turn the pages to find out if Grandma solves the dilemma of “what the cat dragged in.”
Winner of the 2015 Storylines Joy Cowley Award and the 2017 Notable book award for Witch's Cat Wanted, Apply Within, Auckland based Joy Davidson, is also the author of The Tree Hut and Titan the truck.
December 15, 2018
This picture book with its rhyming tale and expressive full colour illustrations will amuse and engage youngsters. A week with Grandma will never be the same!
Each day of the week these children spend with their Grandma the collection of offerings dragged through the cat flap gets more disgusting. Her big black cat's night time wanderings are to blame. The mess in the kitchen gets worse day by day – even to the point of creepy crawlies in grandma's housecoat pockets. The looks on big black cat's face are very telling.
Award winning illustrator Jenny Cooper has provided plenty to attract young eyes, with spiders, worms and snails just the start. Her wacky sense of over the top fun adds to the silliness of this author's words:
Enormous creepy crawlies, were climbing up the wall,
while a very prickly hedgehog, was running down the hall.
A large and smelly dead rat, was lying on the rug,
and a big brown shiny cockroach, was crawling up the jug.
Poor Grandma starts each day upset by the cat's actions. The children reach the point where they are afraid to come downstairs – until Grandma finally solves the problem.
Winner of the 2015 Storylines Joy Cowley Award and the 2017 Notable book award for Witch's Cat Wanted, Apply Within, Joy Davidson has excelled once more with this nonsense tale of the big black cat which is sure to become a much asked for read-aloud bedtime story!
Reviewed by Chris Wright (Bookrapt).
Each day of the week these children spend with their Grandma the collection of offerings dragged through the cat flap gets more disgusting. Her big black cat's night time wanderings are to blame. The mess in the kitchen gets worse day by day – even to the point of creepy crawlies in grandma's housecoat pockets. The looks on big black cat's face are very telling.
Award winning illustrator Jenny Cooper has provided plenty to attract young eyes, with spiders, worms and snails just the start. Her wacky sense of over the top fun adds to the silliness of this author's words:
Enormous creepy crawlies, were climbing up the wall,
while a very prickly hedgehog, was running down the hall.
A large and smelly dead rat, was lying on the rug,
and a big brown shiny cockroach, was crawling up the jug.
Poor Grandma starts each day upset by the cat's actions. The children reach the point where they are afraid to come downstairs – until Grandma finally solves the problem.
Winner of the 2015 Storylines Joy Cowley Award and the 2017 Notable book award for Witch's Cat Wanted, Apply Within, Joy Davidson has excelled once more with this nonsense tale of the big black cat which is sure to become a much asked for read-aloud bedtime story!
Reviewed by Chris Wright (Bookrapt).
December 7, 2019
Two children are staying at grandma's which they love to do except for... the disgusting things that Grandma's cat drags in through the cat flap at night for them to all face in the morning. Great fun with hilarious illustrations full of expression and movement (cat and grandma are so emotive!) including illustrative text for emphasis. I particularly liked the young looking, non-stereotypical grandma
A great read along story with repetitive phrases to encourage children to join in and lots of gross and disgusting materials to examine on each day of the week.
A great read along story with repetitive phrases to encourage children to join in and lots of gross and disgusting materials to examine on each day of the week.
Read
December 18, 2019This SURELY would have been a book we read over and over and over again when my child was in her preschool and early elementary years. She would have loved reciting the refrain "OH NO ... Look what the CAT dragged in." [emphasis original text].
Recommended for toddler and preschool bookshelves.>.
Recommended for toddler and preschool bookshelves.>.
October 11, 2021
Sadly, this book came across as stupid to me rather than funny. I hated how the Grandmother was frightened of every creature the cat brought in and how she was portrayed as so incompetent that she didn't solve the problem or didn't clean things up for a week! Surely some kids will love all the "yucky" critters, but I just felt it could have been so much more.
October 14, 2019
An interesting read for sure, but there are a few sentences in the book that make the think grandma is on the verge of a complete mental breakdown because of this cat. Also, did grandma never clean up the mess all week until Sunday? Seems kind of strange.
April 19, 2020
Cute story and cute illustrations. Children will probably delight with the story and can find all of the things the cat dragged in when looking at the illustrations. The rhyme is off which will show up more when reading aloud.
January 13, 2022
My 3 year old found this one at our local library and thought it was hilarious! Having a cat at home we know that sometimes they can be mischievous. This story is perfectly silly and full of all the yucky things which preschoolers love.
March 27, 2019
Great read-aloud for kids aged 3-9
November 7, 2019
The art is wonderful and the story is hilarious.
November 11, 2019
A funny story about all the gross things the cat brought into the house.
November 22, 2019
This was adorable and funny (though my co-worker said it was "gross"). I enjoyed the story, beginning to end!
November 27, 2019
Super gross! Satisfying ending. Kids loved it.
December 19, 2019
Little Learners 12/19/19 - TG
January 2, 2021
The illustrations were on point for this hilarious and icky book with great repetition. I love the explanation of a well known phrase.
January 13, 2021
I personally didn't appreciate all the yucky things the cat dragged in, but I suppose some young kids would find it funny.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews