Let's begin with the cover. I really like the way the way the cover illustration stretches across the front and back with the boy walking towards but turning his head to look back works really well as an invitation to explore this story. I can envisage lots of discussion from the cover about walking on the road, crossing the road, talking a cat for a walk which is different from taking your dog on a leash, the quirky/smug facial expression on the face of the cat, the meaning of the title and the anticipation of their journey. Where are they going? And why?
Now turn to the first spread - the end papers. The map you can see on these end papers is simply perfect. I love the way it has been drawn by the young boy showing his route to the sweet shop. The way the map appears on slightly torn paper is also interesting – perhaps it has been nibbled by the cat? Perhaps Nicholas has walked this route many times. Children who explore maps as a part of their school geography topic are sure to find this map fascinating and perhaps a good inspiration to create your own town or suburb map.
As each scene unfolds we can see the places on the map such as the two arches he walks under. The town has a charming European feel. His coin has a cat image and looking closely we can see the coin above the dedication opposite the title page. The use of the word ‘marl’ is a better imitation of the sound a cat makes rather an ‘meow’. There are so many delightful extra details in the illustrations such as the no horns sign, the milkman van, an airship, all the city pigeons and that wonderful sweet shop window. Everything looks so delicious.
Publisher blurb: When Nicholas finds a silver coin in the garden, he tells his cat,‘I can buy liquorice with this!’ Nicholas loves liquorice more than almost anything. ‘Stay home, cat,’ he says, and sets out for the shop. But as Nicholas walks down the street he hears a voice he knows . . . (it is his cat and she just won't listen. Then disaster strikes when he reaches the sweet shop and his cat stops in the middle of the road and Nicholas drops his precious coin - oh no).
If children are allowed, in your school library or classroom, it would be fun to taste some liquorice after reading this book – I imagine this might be a new experience for many children.
The page turns in this book, as you would expect from the award winning author Sonya Hartnett. are perfectly timed. The moral dilemma – save the coin or save the cat – is a topic well worth exploring and discussing. Here are some terrific teaching notes from Lamont books. Here is the web site for Lucia Masciullo.
I was on a sabbatical year in 2012 so I missed reading Come Down, Cat! to groups in my library which is the first book about Nicholas and his cat by Sonya Hartnett (CBCA Early Childhood Honour Book) but I do think this new one can stand alone.
I went hunting and found Come Down, Cat now and can say there is no need to be familiar first book in order to enjoy this second title although I am sure in every Teacher-Librarian will choose to read these side by side. I was interested to read that Come Down, Cat had a dust jacket – I guess these are just too expensive now but I do wish Go Home, Cat also had a dust jacket - they do add another layer of sophistication to a picture book but they are very rare here in Australia.
Go Home, Cat offers a different take on the pet narrative where usually the stray cat follows the child home, this time the cat follows Nicholas to the shop with the child desperate for the cat to return home so that it doesn’t get lost, stuck up a tree or worse. Goodreads reviewer
Yesterday I talked about Floof another new Australian picture book that features a cat - I know this is slightly crazy because I am most certainly a dog person not a cat person but these two books are both so terrific I needed to share them here.
