The Cat Who Came In Off the Roof

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Author(s)

Annie M.G. Schmidt

Genre(s)

Age Range

Release Date

March 03, 2015

ISBN

9781782690368

From the "Queen of Dutch children's literature" comes this endearing tale of courage, friendship, and what it really means to be human. For readers young and old--dog and cat lovers alike!

Purrfectly wonderful! An act of kindness brings shy reporter Mr. Tibble into contact with the unusual Miss Minou. Tibble is close to losing his job because he only writes stories about cats. Fortunately for Tibble, Minou provides him with real news. She gets the juicy insider information from her local feline friends, who are the eyes and ears of the neighborhood. Tibble is appreciative, but he wonders how she does it. He has noticed that Minou is terrified of dogs and can climb trees and rooftops with elegance and ease. . . . It's almost as if she's a cat herself. But how can that be?

Editor reviews

2 reviews

There's a movie as well... Miss Minoes

February 24, 2016

Overall rating

4.0

Plot

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Mr. Tibble is an ineffectual news reporter who has a tendency to write boring things and is in danger of losing his job. After he saves a red headed woman from a tree (where she has climbed because a dog frightened her), he is surprised that she shows up on his roof! Minou is wet and cold, and only wants to sleep in a box in Tibble's apartment and claims to be a cat! Having eaten something from the garbage of a scientific institute next door to her home seems to have changed Minou from a cat to a very cat-like human! Landlady Mrs. Van Dam is a bit suspicious, but soon Minou is helping Tibble with his articles. He needs something really exciting, and when Minou and her cat network uncover secrets about a local personality's treatment of animals, he knows that he has the article that will save him. With the help of a neighbor girl, Bibi, the local cats, and the irrepressible Minou, Tibble finds a new purpose in life, and Minou finds a new life altogether.

Good Points

I had never heard of Annie M. Schmidt, so it is interesting to see that such a prominent, and yet unknown, Dutch author's works have made their way to the US. It would be very interesting to see other international books, especially from South American and African countries. This is definitely a fantasy book, but with many interesting details about life in a Dutch town, which is what I really liked about it.

Since this was originally published in 1970, the style is very classic and somewhat different from middle grade literature today, but the updated cover is very attractive. Elementary school readers who are fond of cats, or older animal tales like Sharp's The Rescuers, will enjoy this classic story, as will adults who are searching for international literature. This would make an excellent read aloud, especially if one's cat can be talked into curling up between parent and child!