When the silliest cat was small

by Gilles Bachelet, Nicholas Elliott (Translator)

A companion to the breakout hit My Cat, the Silliest Cat in the World , chronicling the silliest cat’s younger years

The only thing cuter than a cat is a kitten, and the only thing cuter than a kitten is Gilles Bachelet’s remarkable kitten—who is actually an enormous elephant!

After being chosen from a litter of other brightly colored elephants, Gilles’s kitten must acclimate himself to his new home. Just like in the first book, the kitten behaves like a kitten making a mess, hiding from his food bowl, and waging a war with a particularly tricky stuffed animal. Readers will fall in love again with Bachelet’s funny and affectionate drawings of his highly unusual “cat.”

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

32 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

Gilles Bachelet pasó su infancia en los Pirineos. Luego de dos años catastróficos en Paris, en los que frecuentó más el mercado de la rue Mouffetard que el Lycée Henri, sus padres lo mandaron a una pensión. Pasó los siguiente siete años con los sacerdotes y laicos del oratorio, en Saint Lô. En 1971 regresó a Paris y se incribió en la Facultad de Artes Decorativas. Allí pasó cinco años. A partir de 1977, comenzó a trabajar en la prensa impresa. Dejó la universidad cuando el trabajo empezó a aumentar. A partir de ese día, Gilles ejerce la profesión de ilustrador

Reviews

[Guilherme Semionato · Rating 4 out of 5]

Seeing CATS' behaviors and temperaments and tics and madness so wondrously captured in the figure of ELEPHANTS makes me squirm with joy. This is a lovely book, very French, very ironic (the text sometimes represent the opposite of the illustration, which is adorable). To my mind, better than his "My Cat, The Silliest Cat in the World".

[Colleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Iloved this whimsical book about the "cat" (that is actually an elephant). The illustrations in the book are amazing....of "cat"/elephants behaving like cats. I think just watching the illustrations tell the story! I want the toy elephant that the owner gave the "cat". My g'little enjoyed it very much!!!

[Krista the Krazy Kataloguer · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the second book by Bachelet about the elephant whose owner thinks he is a cat. The first book was cute. This one falls flat. The illustrations of baby elephants acting like baby cats are cute. I love the one where the naughty elephant uses the garbage container lid to flip the unwanted toy elephant into the soup pot on the stove. The look on the elephant's face is priceless. I also love the yin-yang symbol made up of a black and white elephant and a black and white mouse which is hanging on the wall in another illustration. However, the story really made no sense to me, and there was no indication, as in the first book, that the owner didn't realize the elephant wasn't a cat. Disappointing.

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not a great book! This is why I love the library. We can check out books, see what we think and take them back if they are terrible without anything lost! The idea of the book was fun, but Morgan could not figure out why they were talking about a cat when they were showing a picture of an elephant. I guess an older child would probably like it more, but not my 3 year old. Even after I explained it, he was still not amused!

[Sarah Sammis · Rating 5 out of 5]

When the Silliest Cat Was Small by Gilles Bachelet is a follow up to My Cat, The Silliest Cat in the World in the World. Every pet owner probably has a story about how they got their pet. That's what this one is, the brief childhood before being adopted by the narrator.

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[Jamie · Rating 4 out of 5]

this text would be so interesting to read to the students without showing them the cover or illustrations. they would be shocked to see what the illustrations look like. then we could discuss how picture books usually give us meaning through the pictures and text and how this book is different.

[Elizabeth · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really loved the first Gilles Bachelet book we read—My Cat, the Silliest Cat in the World—and I really did not love this one. Interesting.

[T · Rating 3 out of 5]

great illustrations but story not as good as the 1st in the series.

[Carrie Gelson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Odd.

[kim · Rating 1 out of 5]

so bad

[Quinn · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn’t know this was a sequel to another book, so I was missing a lot of context. Also, this book was just weird and not funny at all. Why does he call his elephant a cat? It makes no sense, and there was no story. The elephants with cat fur patterns were really cute though, 5 ⭐️ for them.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wonder why they call them "cats," when they're not cats, they're elephants. Because they're striped? But that's not my theory: I'm talking about the character.

[Dylan & Belle at LearnPlayFun · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rated and reviewed by Dylan, age 7:

This book was about a cat, which was an elephant, and I still don't know they used an elephant? Do you? He took him to the city and took care of him.

My favorite part was when the "cat" dropped his toy elephant out the window to get rid of it his owner brought it back.

*Daddy's note: Dylan asked daddy to read it and then promptly read the whole book with out letting even try.

[Heidi-Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love these pictures! They make me wish I had a kitty-elephant. (Actually, I think I want the kitty-elephant toy more than anything--he can keep the carrot!) I enjoy the humor of the whole thing. Really, really cute. It made me smile throughout. That's always a happy book! Looking forward to reading the first one.

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

That's an elephant stupid or the French are odd.

I like silly books but the elephants drawn with kitten coloring disturbed me in the same manner that used band aids do. So I am not saying the book is horrible just that I got a wee stomach ache when looking at the elephant-kittens. I do think some 3-5 year olds would find it hilarious though.

[Katey · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am not sure the point of this story. It about someone who gets a cat although it is an elephant. They then talk about this toy that is also an elephant. The cat elephant really hates this toy but the owner is in denial. Then one day the elephant trades it with a dog for a carrot. Does that make sense to you? This is a fun and silly book. I would like to see what young students would do with it.

[Little Pigo · Rating 2 out of 5]

Come "Il mio gatto è proprio matto" anche questo è un libricino carino e divertente, soprattutto per i bambini. Mi ha ricordato un po' i libri di Babar, che ero solita leggere quando ero piccola, e che ho amato molto. Belle le illustrazioni.

[Coenraad · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gilles verduidelik met heerlike, kleurvolle tekeninge hoe sy kat in sy lewe gekom het. Die tipiese kleinkatgedrag, soos die oorlog teen 'n opgestopte pers olifantjie, dra by tot die pret.

This second book in the series tells us how Gilles acquired the famous cat. Kitten fun!

[Amery Baker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Surprisingly my daughter loves this book. The pictures are hilarious, even though the words don't add much. It is a book about an elephant (who is a cat in the book?) and his relationship with his master. It is funny and I will be searching for more by this author to share with Brynn.

[Stephanie Denison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Boop just giggled and giggled the first time she looked through this book.

[Aspasia]

The owner of a "cat" buys it a playmate to keep him company during the day. The illustrations are priceless.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love the illustrations of the other cats in the litter!

[Rita Webb · Rating 4 out of 5]

Who wouldn't laugh over an elephant-cat?

[Tricia · Rating 3 out of 5]

French humor is not for everyone---and this book is no exception. Elephants (with cat characteristics) create havoc and joy in this whimiscally illustrated picture book.

[Amberly · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don't get it. Elephants are not kittens.

[Geni · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm on the fence about this book....I'll wait n see once i read it to a toddler. There really isn't anything special about the book.

[Marissa Elera · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as amusing as the first book, but still delightful.

[The Brothers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very cute story of a man picking out a cat and all the cute sweet things kittens do... Only this time the kitten looks like an little elephant.

Fantastic, funny, cute illustrations.

[Gort · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dolor hic aut impedit et rem tempore. Magnam earum eos eum eos totam aspernatur. Sequi odit vero soluta.

[Brittany]

Won't get again