Acorn Dragons Fat Cat

The Dragon Tales #2

by Dav Pilkey

The beguiling, bright blue star of three previous early readers here deals with the trials and tribulations of adoptive parenthood as only he can. "One snowy day in January," Dragon rescues a gray tabby from the elements and names it Cat. So far, so good--but such problems as how to train his new friend and what to feed it prove vexing. Worst of all, "Dragon did not know what to do about all the yellow puddles Cat made." With the help of the pet store's accommodating sales pig, Dragon, Cat and some unexpected additions settle in blissfully for a long winter's nap. As in the previous titles, humor and sentiment are adroitly whipped into a seemingly effortless souffle. Pilkey's narrative understatement and cheery, heavily defined artwork once again form a humorous, harmonious whole. Ages 6-8.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Fiction, Cats, Dragons, Humor, Animals

Paperback

First published January 1, 1992

About the author

David "Dav" Pilkey (b. March 4, 1966), is a popular children's author and artist. Pilkey is best known as the author and illustrator of the Captain Underpants book series. He lives near Seattle, Washington with his wife, Sayuri.

Reviews

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Why is the cat fat, even though it's been abandoned during the winter? Hint: it's an adult female.
Use this book first to share giggles at Dragon's naivety (a litter box..?) and then to discuss with your children responsible pet care, including that very important first trip to the vet.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book is adorable. My 1st grader has read a chapter a night and it's perfect for her. This is seriously cute.

[Chase Thompson · Rating 4 out of 5]

He forgot the cat

[Heidi Lil' Chip · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was amazing
I love it so much! Dragon is so sweet and Cat is well a cat😂

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was SO CUTE!!! Keeping for myself because it was adorable and a quick read. I love the drawn in jokes that a kid might not catch, but the adult reading to the kid would see and laugh at. So good! 5, I’m greedy and keeping it, stars!

[J · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read the Spanish version of this because I'm trying to learn the language and I instantly fell in love with the illustrations of the Dragon holding and cuddling the kitty when I leafed through it the day I found it. I'm sure some of it was lost on me, but I got most of it. It's super cute.

[Bonnie Grover · Rating 4 out of 5]

Early readers are going to love this book and so are teachers. It’s a great story that can be enjoyed, but it can also be used to teach comprehension strategies. #friendship, #pet-care

[Sharon Barrow Wilfong · Rating 4 out of 5]

Part of a series about a dragon. In this one Dragon adopts a stray house, but has to learn how to take care of her. A little surprise at the end.

[Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am OVER THE MOON that Dragon books are being brought back under Scholastic's new "Acorn" imprint for readers ages 4-7. These were my favorites growing up and I hated to see them getting overlooked and outdated on the Readers shelves. Welcome back, Dragon!

[Bridget Neace · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just as enjoyable as the first book!

[Elyssa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was very cute! And Dragon learned a lot about pet care and responsibility and the lessons learned could really teach young readers.

[Sara - · Rating 5 out of 5]

La cassetta delle puzzette fa ridere più me di mio figlio

[elissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn't read that many easy readers in the 90's, but I love cats, so this one caught my eye shortly after it came out. The very short chapters are designed to be read by beginning readers, but they're too much fun to not be shared between parents and kids. I've loved reading it with both of my sons. Pilkey is hilarious!

[Kellee Moye · Rating 4 out of 5]

My favorite of the Dragon Tales series (though I am biased because I love cats :D). This tale of Dragon discusses not only friendship and kindness, but also taking care of a pet.

[Ruby ♈︎ · Rating 5 out of 5]

best book i have ever read. the greatest piece of literature in history. best book

[Becky · Rating 5 out of 5]

First sentence: One snowy day in January, Dragon heard a funny noise. "Meow!" "That sounds like a cat," said Dragon.

Premise/plot: Dragon makes a new friend in this early chapter book by Dav Pilkey. That friend is, you guessed it, a cat, a FAT, GRAY CAT. There are five chapters in this one:

"Meow!"
Life With Cat
Problems
Left Behind
Home Again

In the first chapter, Dragon meets a fat, gray cat and invites him inside.

In the second chapter, Dragon takes the cat inside and names him, "Cat." Dragon prepares a special bed for his new friend/pet. (The Cat takes Dragon's bed.)

In the third chapter, readers learn just how much Dragon does NOT know about owning a cat.
(Dragon does NOT know that his cat needs a litter box, for example.) He eventually finds himself at a pet store.

In the fourth chapter, Dragon realizes that he left Cat behind at the pet store. He must find and "rescue" Cat. When he finds Cat, he finds a big surprise! The reason why Cat was so FAT...

In the fifth chapter, Dragon returns home with Cat and her kittens. He starts preparing beds for all the little ones--he's named each one KITTY. Will Cat and kittens sleep in their beds?! Or will they still have ownership of Dragon's big bed?!

My thoughts: I loved, loved, loved, loved, CRAZY-LOVED this one. I enjoyed the writing very much. It was funny.

Dragon liked living with Cat,
and Cat liked living with Dragon.
But Dragon did not know
how to take care of Cat.
He did not know how to train Cat.
That was a problem.
Dragon did not know what to feed Cat.
That was a big problem.
And Dragon did not know what to do
about all the yellow puddles Cat made.
That was a smelly problem.

I think this one will hold great appeal for young readers. I first read and reviewed this one in 2009. It has been newly republished this year.

[Amy N.]

I read this book when I was five years old and I have never forgotten it. Why? Because it broke my heart, that's why. This stupid dragon forgets his cat at the store and has to go out looking for her in the middle of the night, in the snow, and then sits down to cry when he can't find her. Devastating.

If I'm being serious for a minute, though, I probably read this book not long after I lost my own cat, which was my first death and an event I was not allowed to properly grieve.

Also, I had forgotten the plot twist that she's fat because she's pregnant and has kittens at the end, and finding this out 30 years later did not make it better.

5 year old me gives it 0 stars for breaking her heart. Present day me gives it 3.5 stars for cute illustrations and silly antics.

[Darla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love Captain Underpants? Dogman? Here is a chapter book series from the genius who gave you those lovable heroes.

Dragon hears a 'Meow' coming from outside. He invites the cat in, but it just sits there. After awhile, the cat is covered with snow. Dragon brings kitty in -- looking like a statue. Don't worry he warms her up, keeps her safe in his house, and names her 'Cat.' It takes a few chapters for him to learn how to take care of a cat and that darn cat keeps taking over his bed! Readers will learn about how to be good pet owners by watching Dragon. When Cat goes missing in the last chapter, there is a big surprise for Dragon.

Cute and very accessible for early readers. 🐉🐈

A big thank you to my friend Cam for bringing this series to my attention!

[Riley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Early Reader

Dav Pilkey of the famed "Captain Underpants" series has another early reader series about a Dragon. This is book number 2 in the Dragon series that follows Dragon and his pet cat as they go on an adventure.

The book is a great introduction for the age group of 5-7 that is just learning to read. It has short simple sentences full of sight words. The illustrations are reminiscent of Pilkey's other works, and while the character is not as complex as Captain Underpants, you still can't help laughing at the shenanigans Dragon gets up to in these books.

[Lil Old Bookworm · Rating 5 out of 5]

I know Dav Pilkey is more well known for his other books, but these deserve more love (only 1,000 ratings? Seriously?). These books are so sweet and funny and perfect for your 4 year old dragon loving kiddo. Also, it is a good book for a mom who might be looking for a book that levels up from picture books into chapter books, but still contains plenty of illustrations. Chapters are short and good for a quick story before bedtime.

[Jessica F · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dragon's quest for a friend continues in this second installment! An unexpected guest at the doorstep ends up leading to a bigger and better surprise than Dragon ever imagined. This one has more of that Dav Pilkey feel - more laughs, more potty humor. Definitely more on the lighter side of things than the first Dragon book, but also slightly sweet and heartwarming.

[Lynn Davidson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a cute story in five short chapters:
"Meow!";
Life With Cat;
Problems;
Left Behind;
Home Again.
Dragon finds a cat sitting in the snow outside his house. He took her in and named her Cat, although he has no idea how to take care of her. Cute illustrations with a drawing lesson in the back of the book.

[Emily Gerstenschlager · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read 6/10/21
Genre: Fiction
Grades: K-3
This is a very cute book. Children love animals, so I think they will enjoy this book. This would be a great book to ask comprehension questions about. There is a lot going on, so making sure the student understands what is happening would be important with this book. It would be a great book to get students working towards reading chapter books.

[Gulshan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Questo libricino mi è stato regalato dai miei amici, per il compleanno, ed è stato come fare un tuffo nel passato. Avevo dato via il libro una volta cresciuta, ma poi me ne sono pentita amaramente, perché adoravo questa storia da bambina in quanto io adoro i gatti.
Leggendola da adulta ho ritrovato la magia che c'era da bambina e mi sono commossa!

[Jenn Swanson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dragon finds a fat cat outside and instantly bonds with it. My daughter absolutely loved this story and took the book out of my hands when I was done reading it to her so she could look at the pictures by herself. Would recommend.

[Elaine Bearden · Rating 3 out of 5]

gr 1-3
In the easy to read section. These books have been republished as a part of Scholastic's Acorn series ("illustrated early readers that plant a love of reading"). Very simple chapter book with a problem and solution, and some sweetness.

[Shane · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cute early chapter book for early primary students. It has a good dose of humour, cute illustrations and helps you learn how to take care of a pet. I'm ashamed to admit I didn't twig as to why the cat was fat, even after finishing the story! I'll look out for the rest of the series.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dragon finds a fat cat in the snow, and tries to bring him in. The cat is resistant, but Dragon finally wins and the cat moves in. But dragon doesn’t know how to care for a cat!

This adorable book was fun to read to my four year old son!

[collbrarian · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first Acorn book that I read from Scholastic, and it was an absolute delight! Such a fun way to introduce younger readers to Dav Pilkey before they reach for the Dog Man and Captain Underpants books they see older peers reading.

[Kari · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun peak into pet ownership as dragon tried to navigate owning a cat. It helped remind the kids that there is real responsibility involved when taking on a pet but scaled down into a scenario they could understand. The illustrations were great at bringing the story to life.