The whole kit[ten] caboodle

My son, nearly being 6, is fascinated that there are numbers larger than 100. Thousands of something is something he's learning to grasp and the concept of millions and billions, well, that's a hard concept even for some adults. Now, I didn't read this book to him for any mathematical concepts (other than millions, billions and so forth is a LOT) but for entertainment.

The story quite simply is about a very old woman and a very old man who were both very lonely. So the very old woman charges the very old man with the task of getting a kitten, surely then they'd be lonely no longer.

The very old man sets off on foot searching for a kitten. He walks a very long time but at last comes to a hill FILLED with cats.

"Cats here, cats there,
Cats and kittens everywhere,
Hundreds of cats,
Thousands of cats,
Millions and billions and trillions of cats" to be precise.

The very old man decides to find the prettiest one to take home, but with each kitten and cat he finds, there yet another who is also just as pretty... soon he finds he's picked them ALL and they all start the journey back to his house.

Along the way, they drain a pond of it's water and a field of it's grass. When they all get back home the very old woman is amazed yet concerned, surely they don't have the resources to feed and care for so many cats. So they decide to let the cats themselves choose who may stay by asking "which one of you is the prettiest?". Well, needless to say many feline voices cried out that they were, indeed, the prettiest and soon they took to quarreling.

The very old man and very old woman retreat to their house to avoid the tussle until the noise stopped. They emerged to find all the cats were gone! They wondered what could have happened to them all, had they eaten themselves all up? When they noticed that one kitten, scruffy and thin remained. When asked why it remained, the kitten told them that no one quarreled with it, for it never spoke up that it was the prettiest.

Well, needless to say the very old man and very old woman took the kitten in, washed it up and fed it so fine that in time, the kitten grew plump and healthy and turned out to be a very pretty kitten indeed and of course they should know, for they've seen million, billions and trillions of cats before.

Well, just as I thought, my son really enjoyed this book. The concept of that many cats amused him. The phrase first quoted above is utilized over and over in the story and helps reinforce word and phrase concepts, not to mention reminding the reader, just how many cats they were talking about.

The illustrations have no color but are black ink drawings that lend an old world charm to the story. The text looks as though someone very carefully hand printed each letter and word, which just adds to the old world feel.

Considering the story was first published in 1928 the fact that this story is still entertaining young readers (and their parents) says a lot about the quality and timelessness of the story itself. It's little wonder that it was a Newbury Award Honor Book in 1929.

I highly recommend this book for any child, young or old, a great book to share with several generations from yesterday and yet to come. This is a wonder anytime read that is sure to tickle the fancy of anyone who may have thought what it'd be like to have so many cats around.