Nurit Karlin (1938–2019)

A surrealist manifesto, a deconstructionist’s nursery rhyme—A Fat Cat Sat on a Mat is a genius work of satire, a prayer to chaos, a delight in the pointless eddies of confrontation. Best book I’ve read this year.

When the Tooth Witch bungles her job, and drops the bag of children's teeth she had been collecting, the witches call a special meeting and appoint a young witch named Abra Cadabra as her assistant. Abra Cadabra wants to know everything about her new job, and she has decided opinions about it. She doesn't like that the Tooth Witch fails to leave anything behind for the children, in exchange for their teeth, and she doesn't like that the teeth are turned into rocks in people's gardens. Taking show more action to change matters, when the Tooth Witch is sent on vacation, Abra Cadabra finds herself transformed from witch to Tooth Fairy...

Originally published in 1985 as The Tooth Witch, this story from author/artist Nurit Karlin was also apparently released in 1999 as Abra Cadabra and the Tooth Witch, together with a moon pillow and a tooth pouch. I found the story engaging, and although its basic premise - a good little witch not fitting in with her nastier elders - is not that unusual in the world of witchy picture-books, the resolution of the tale - the witch turning into a fairy - is. The artwork is cute, in a cartoon-like way, but not particularly to me taste. Recommended to picture-book readers who enjoy witchy fare, and to anyone looking for children's stories about the Tooth Fairy. show less

The Fat Cat Sat on the Mat is all about thinking through a problem and finding a solution to the problem that works out for many. I enjoyed this book for a few reasons but its also a book that was close to be as a child, but also the characters thought process and actions. I really enjoyed the art style used in this book, the characters look and feel more like people then animals at times, especially Rat and Bat. The book also makes facial expressions very helpful to understand the show more characters, from the anger of Rat to the nonchalant look of Cat. Another aspect of the book that I like was the language used, the rhyming and also the simplicity is good for patterns and early readers. The main characters themselves all rhyme with each other, Cat, Rat, Bat, Hat, Mat. This aids in the child ability to predict the next word when first starting to read and aid in their growth as a reader. show less

When the witch is away, the cat and rat will play! So it proves in this amusing beginning reader from author/illustrator Nurit Karlin, as Witch Wilma heads out one night, leaving her fat orange cat and pet rat to argue over who gets to sit on the mat...

Rhyming text and colorful cartoon-like illustrations are paired in The Fat Cat Sat on the Mat, a Level 1 reader published as part of HarperCollins' celebrated I Can Read! collection in 1996. As it happens, this is the second witchy title I show more have read from Karlin, following upon her 1985 picture book, The Tooth Witch. Here the text is much simpler of course, full of repetition and plenty of rhyme. The humor of the story will appeal to beginning readers, I think, and the rhyming text and amusing illustrations will add to the entertainment. show less