Horn Book (Wed Apr 01 00:00:00 CDT 2009)

The latest in the If You Give... series features a familiar cat whose every whim is indulged by a young friend. Though some of the causes and effects are less convincing than in previous volumes, fans will appreciate the cat's silliness. Bond's dynamic illustrations will make this another popular read-aloud for group sharing.

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

If you give an adorable gray kitten a supporting role in a popular series, he'll cry out for a lead—and thus, this latest entry from Numeroff and Bond, which features a cat that first appeared in <EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">If You Give a Pig a Party. Like its predecessors, the story bubbles with cascading “if... then” silliness: a girl's granting of a cupcake, for example, leads to a request for sprinkles, which causes a mess; cleaning up gets the cat overheated, which prompts a trip to the beach, and so forth. Some of the connections feel forced even for this series (a ride on a merry-go-round whale inspires a wish to go to a science museum), but the vivacity of the drawings and pertness of the kitty protagonist make up for the shortcomings. Besides, a lot of the series' appeal can be credited to the competency and ingenuity of the various human enablers in the books. While sometimes baffled by the goings-on, the girl in these pages is able to roll with the punches—unlike many adults. Final art not seen by <EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">PW. Ages 3–7. <EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">(Oct.)

School Library Journal (Mon Dec 01 00:00:00 CST 2008)

PreS-Gr 2 This story begins with a girl, a cat that originally appeared in Numeroff's If You Give a Pig a Party (HarperCollins, 2005), and a cupcake. The cat asks for some sprinkles, and naturally, they spill on the floor. Cleaning them up makes the cat hot, so he asks for a bathing suit, and hijinks ensue. The resulting series of events leads the protagonist and the cat to the beach, into a boat, through an amusement park, and eventually back to the sprinkles and another cupcake. The familiar madcap illustrations contrast a gleefully mischievous gray cat with a bemused blond girl. The tone is wry, and the story features the zany childhood logic of the earlier titles by this creative team. The concept is beginning to wear thin, but the book will be popular among fans of the series. Rachael Vilmar, Eastern Shore Regional Library, Salisbury, MD