Too Many Cats is an un-fur-gettable tale about the love between a little girl and her cat.

Lily LOVES her cat, Lenny. In fact, she loves all cats. She loves cats so much that she can't imagine ever having enough cats! She wants a house filled with all kinds of cats - blonde cats, ginger cats, brown and multi-coloured cats, stripy cats, spotty cats, lots and lots and lots of cats!

But when she hatches the purr-fect plan to make her dream come true, things quickly start to go wrong. There are simply TOO MANY cats. Suddenly, Lily realises she has accidentally done a terrible thing. Can Lily find a way to get all these cats out of her house and back to their owners? And will Larry accept her apology?

About the Author

Kate Sheehy is a graduate of the MA in Children's Book Illustration from the The Cambridge School of Art, living in County Dublin. Her work can be found at www.katesheehyillustration.com

Reviews

A brilliant book for cat-loving kids, full of glorious chaos and lively, playful illustrations from Kate Sheehy

-- Elaina Ryan, Children's Books Ireland on RTE Radio 1's Claire Byrne show

Sheehy's silly story has a fairytale moral - "be careful what you wish for" - but it is the clowder of cats that young readers will really love this book for, as they follow the tabbies and tomcats across the pages. At our house, the young readers enjoyed naming them, and loved the Missing Posters that served as the book's endpapers, where Sheehy matches her expressive sketches with funny monikers that evoke mischievous identities for the feline crew

-- Irish Times

Talented new writer and artist Kate Sheehy's colourful and funny new picture book Too Many Cats is a sheer delight as cat lover Lily gets her wish and her house becomes overrun with cats of every kind

-- Marita Conlon-McKenna * Irish Times *

A joy-filled debut that is simply purr-feet for cat-lovers

-- Irish Examiner

gorgeous & fun

-- Claire Hennessy

This book is lots of fun, and young children will enjoy spotting all the cats in the light-hearted illustrations, while learning a gentle lesson on valuing what you already have

-- Children's Books Ireland's Annual Reading Guide 2023

the very best in Irish children's books published in 2023 ... For readers aged 3+ who enjoy a giggle there is lots to choose from including Too Many Cats

-- RTEJr

The story is lots of fun, cleverly structured to build to its catastrophic climax before a resolution and final twist in the tale ... A lovely book to share

-- Books for Keeps 'Book of the Week'

some readers may dispute the plausibility of the title of Dublin author-illustrator Kate Sheehy's Too Many Cats! One could never have too many, cat-lovers may argue, and young Lily would have agreed, up until the time she put her purr-feet plan into operation. Having a cat is, according to Lily, "the best thing in the world", but not content with being the owner/ servant of one happy cat, by the name of Larry, she decides she wants more - lots more. Lily brews up the smelliest treats possible and soon cats are pouring in from miles around ... A cautionary tale giving paws for thought about being careful what you wish for

-- The Echo, Pet O'Connell

Vibrant, lively contemporary illustrations highlight the ups and downs of cat ownership in a book that is, quite frankly, hilarious. Bright, brilliant and loads of fun (with a valuable, tongue-in-cheek lesson for cat-lovers everywhere)

-- Fallen Star Stories

younger readers will love the hilarious antics

-- Charlie Byrne's Bookshop, Galway Advertiser

Cat lover Lily's whirlwind animal adventure is brilliantly conveyed in the lively cover of Sheehy's lively picturebook. Lily's overwhelming love for her cat, Lenny, leads her to hatch a devious plan culminating in a chaotic cat-astrophe! Lily will need to think quickly to return the lured cats to their owners and mollify Larry the dog. Lily's reasoning may be relatable to young readers; if she adores having one cat what could be better than having innumerable cats? The storyline is engaging, but the incredibly detailed and quirky illustrations steal the show as they enable young readers to follow the narrative without needing to read the text. An array of humorous and entertaining facial expressions characterises both humans and felines while encouraging the development of face-reading skills. Bursting with cats of every colour, size and shape, the vibrant illustrations ensure there are new elements to discover and enjoy with every re-read. The visual impact of the infusion of colour will keep the attention of young readers with every turn of the page. The text also utilises variations in font size and style to create emphasis and highlight instances of onomatopoeia. Too Many Cats! invites little readers to think about the benefits of enjoying all things in moderation. Too much of what Lily loves leads to disaster and the narrative is a gentle lesson that sometimes less can be more. This delightfully silly tale is sure to bring the laughs!

-- childrensbooksireland.ie

With its rhythmic storytelling and bright, playful illustrations, this book is not only a celebration of cats but also a gentle reminder of the chaos and joy pets bring into our lives ... We've spent quite some time looking at what the many cats get up to in Lily's home and having a giggle at their antics. A sweet and funny story for cat and dog lovers alike

-- StoryBookMama



Book Information
ISBN 9781788493710
Author Kate Sheehy
Format Hardback
Page Count 32
Imprint O'Brien Press Ltd
Publisher O'Brien Press Ltd
Weight(grams) 409g
Dimensions(mm) 260mm * 215mm * 10mm