Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ

Jump to ratings and reviews
Rate this book

Cat on the Bus

Rate this book
Follow a stray cat as she braves the snowy city streets to find a home in this nearly-wordless picture book.

A calico cat with curious eyes cautiously approaches a grocery store. . . . only to be shooed away by the owner with a broom. She keeps wandering, and tries to climb on a city bus-- but the driver tells her to SCRAM!

Disheartened, the cat huddles down as snow begins to fall-- until another bus pulls up, and the driver welcomes her aboard. And when an old man sits down beside her, the cat makes a friend for life-- and finally finds the home she’s been searching for.

A purr-fect pick for cat lovers, this heartwarming picture book features a simple text, heavy with onomatopoeia, and striking, bold illustrations that carry the story, depicting the charming cat’s range of emotions.

See how a simple act of kindness can change lives forever. Young readers will empathize with the strong emotional content—hunger, loneliness, and rejection, giving way to contentment and joy—and delight in the expressive illustrations.

32 pages, Hardcover

First published July 30, 2016

167 people want to read

About the author

Aram Kim

9Ìýbooks25Ìýfollowers

Ratings & Reviews

What do you think?
Rate this book

Friends & Following

Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!

Community Reviews

5 stars
152 (29%)
4 stars
212 (41%)
3 stars
134 (25%)
2 stars
16 (3%)
1 star
3 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 125 reviews
Profile Image for Danielle.
AuthorÌý2 books264 followers
January 19, 2018
LOVED this book. Was right there with the cat on its journey and through its expressions as it searched for a person to trust and a warm place to stay.
Profile Image for Abigail.
7,708 reviews244 followers
November 19, 2019
A homeless cat searches for food and for a warm place to curl up in this mostly wordless picture-book, eventually finding a comfortable napping spot on a bus. When an elderly gentleman gets on, he befriends the cat, eventually taking her home with him...

Cat On the Bus is a debut for Aram Kim, an expatriate Korean artist living in New York City, and features an endearing feline heroine and appealing pastel and pencil illustrations. I have a distinct weakness for stories about homeless animals (especially kitties!) finding a home, so naturally I found the story here enjoyable, but I think young children will feel the same. There isn't much text - some pages have a word or two, but most are wordless - but the visuals are more than enough to carry the story. Recommended to young cat lovers, and to anyone looking for picture-books aimed at younger children.
Profile Image for Mrs Mommy Booknerd http://mrsmommybooknerd.blogspot.com.
2,193 reviews94 followers
September 30, 2016
This is a very simple book that tells the story more though pictures than words, as this book only contains 14 words. But the story is rich with heart as you watch a homeless cat find a home with a sweet Grandfather. Cat on the Bus is one of those books that speaks to the eyes and connects with the heart. You are pulled into the illustrations and are left feeling warm inside! A pure delight!
Profile Image for Christiane.
1,247 reviews19 followers
September 7, 2016
An adorable little calico cat finds a safe, loving home in this almost entirely wordless book. I love the illustrations and how hopeful the cat remains in the face of indifference and rejection. In one of the illustrations we can see a store window decorated for Christmas, and this would be an excellent story to share with kids during a holiday story time.
Profile Image for Melle.
1,280 reviews31 followers
October 7, 2016
Holy balls, I don't remember the last time a picture book made me cry because of sweetness and cuteness, but this very nearly did. (Because I am not crying right now; I just have some dust in my eyes.) Very sweet, very few words, but so effectively told and illustrated . . . Endearing and wonderful, even with the feelings sneaking up on me!
Profile Image for Kimberly.
4,112 reviews98 followers
February 5, 2017
I don't even like cats, and this book makes me want a cat.

Truth: when my husband and I are old and empty-nesters and we travel more, I can see us rescuing a cat or two. For now I prefer to have dogs.

But still. This book made me question my resolve for just a minute.
Profile Image for Meredith.
2,066 reviews18 followers
August 9, 2017
this would probably work better one on one that in a crowd, but it's a beautiful book. So sweet, and the cat's little face gets me right in the feels.
Profile Image for Kira Dickson.
66 reviews
April 20, 2018
Copyright:2016
Number of Pages:Unknown
Format:Hardcover
Reading Level: PreK to 1; Ages 3-6
Genre:picture book
Lit Requirement:Children's Choice list 2017

Summary:
A cat who is homeless searches for food in the streets all he hears is SHOOT and SCAT. On winter day the cat climbs onto the bus before the bus driver could stop him. He has fun and looks out the window before going to nap when an old man sits and the bench and wraps his scarf around the cat's neck. When he left he took the cat with him. The cat finally has a home.

Response:
I love this book because it is about cats and it is a cute story. There are a few words but not many and it is a heartwarming book because the cat gets a good home. The pictures also tell the story and makes it more heartwarming. I would recommend this book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
15 reviews
September 13, 2016
Aram Kim's Cat on the Bus is an almost wordless book that describes a cat's journey to finding a home through pictures. I really enjoyed this book because the artwork told a beautiful story with little text to support it. I felt such joy at the end of the book when the cat went home with that family. This book would be great for readers learning to read, ELL students, and more. For example an ELL student or new reader could tell us the events of the story and emotions being felt without the pressure of having to read the text. It also uses onomatopoeia and introduces students to word play. I would most definitely recommend this book to people based on its educational value for literacy and its entertainment value as well.
Profile Image for Meg.
1,739 reviews
August 24, 2022
Excuse me while I wipe my eyes.
A beautiful little book about a homeless cat who (spoiler alert) finds love.

Fantastic for kiddos who cannot read words yet, but who are working on visual literacy skills; also a beautiful conversation starter for talking about homelessness, empathy, and animals.
Profile Image for Jennifer.
1,461 reviews46 followers
June 12, 2022
Super adorable. Not many words so not great to read aloud but it's a lovely story about taking a stray cat home.
Profile Image for Debbie.
241 reviews1 follower
December 1, 2017
3.5 stars. sweet ending, so nice to see a calico cat.
Profile Image for Cloud.
453 reviews1 follower
July 27, 2022
We are big fans of Aram Kim's other book, No Kimchi For Me, and were delighted to find this one at the library as well. It follows the cat, as she gets on the bus, the old man who sits next to her, and how that all ends up. SUPER SWEET. Baby was slightly less enthused than I was about this book. There are no words, so I added a lot of flavor text and described the pictures, and asked questions about what was happening. Probably won't check it out again, but still glad to have read it.
Profile Image for athiathi.
367 reviews
December 20, 2023
I love it!! Heartwarming, purrrrrrr-fect 😺💛
Profile Image for Sarah Benham .
55 reviews2 followers
January 9, 2024
We love love this book! Nearly wordless but still tells a compelling and heartfelt story!
Profile Image for J.
3,685 reviews28 followers
December 23, 2017
This was a book that had an interesting title along with a beautiful cover and so is quite attractive for that regard. And unlike other books that are geared towards children this is one book that is truly for a younger audience as there is really no actual story to read but just sounds that one can make or maybe even encourage the little ones they are showing the book to take over on.

The book has a wonderful collection of illustrations that portrays what it is like for a cat on the street whether the view is from a person watching the cat or even sometimes from the actual level of the cat. As a result the pages don't have a constant viewpoint but allows the reader to see the events from a multi-person layout while at the same time the cat has been given a deep expression to its face to help encourage the telling of the story.

Furthermore the words that do appear on the page to signify the sounds are nice, large and bold while they will make no problems for beginning readers. All in all this is one book that will be enjoyed quite a bit before the suggested audience may outgrow the book itself.
23 reviews
February 5, 2019
Cat on the Bus is almost a wordless story picture book that expresses the story of a cat finding its home. Even with very few words, the story is effectively and genuinely told. The cat in the story wants to be warm and wants to find a home. He goes through an adventure trying to find a place to call his own. When on the bus, he eventually finds a family to go home with. I love this book because with such few words, such a meaningful message is given. This would be a great book for ELL students beginning to learn to read. They would be able to understand the story based on pictures while also learning words through the onomatopoeia used in the very few words of the story. It is an all around great book for all pre-k children.
Profile Image for Cindy Mitchell *Kiss the Book*.
6,002 reviews217 followers
May 16, 2017
Kim, Aram. Cat on the Bus, PICTURE BOOK. Holiday House, 2016. $16.95.

A stray cat finds a perfect place to warm up one cold day, when it boards a bus after looking for places to take shelter. The cat befriends a man and they cuddle up while they ride. The cat finds its way home with the man to another new friend. A little girl.

This book has few words and tells the story mainly in pictures. It is a cute premise and the pictures are attention-grabbing.

PRE-K, EL (K-3)- ADVISABLE. Reviewed by Shay, School LIbrarian
Profile Image for Jo Oehrlein.
6,361 reviews9 followers
May 30, 2020
This book isn't *quite* wordless.

First page says "CLACK, Clang, Rattle, Clatter!"
A few pages in we hear "Scat, cat!"
A few more pages and we hear "Scram, scoot, SHOO!"
A few more pages and we hear "Whooosh!"
Later we hear "Hello, cat!"
Then a "YAWN!" and then "Purrrrrrrrrr"
The book ends with "Purrrrrrr-fect".

That's quite a lot of words for a "wordless" book, but not nearly enough for all the story that is here.

We have a cat looking for food and shelter. It's turned away from a store and a bus. It sneaks onto a bus. A rider boards later and shares a bench with the cat. They cuddle together. The rider takes the cat home to a young girl who loves the cat.
55 reviews
October 15, 2017
The book "Cat on the Bus" doesn't present many words to the readers. It is more of a picture book that gives clues to young children to try to figure out what is going on throughout the story. The cat is the main character, and the cat walks around a neighborhood while getting treated not so great by strangers who come across this cat. Then, the cat sees a bus go by and decides to sneak on it. At the end of the book, the cat curls up next to someone who becomes a really good friend. The story ends without saying the cats name, so we do not know what it's name was throughout the book.
Profile Image for Abigail Evans.
58 reviews
April 8, 2019
This Childrens book is one with few words, instead, the children have to relay on the illustrations to understand what is going on. This animal friendly book illustrates the hardships of a homeless cat who finally finds a home. The cat tries to find food and shelter and it teaches readers how lucky they are, seeing how sad it is to be homeless. This book will be loved by most since it Nisan easy read and understandable by most with he lack of words.
Profile Image for Tracey.
2,198 reviews74 followers
June 29, 2017
This is mostly a nonverbal book, a picture book in its original form. A stray cat is cold and hungry when it gets on the bus and finds a forever home. The art is very pretty. I wouldn't recommend this for a bedtime story since there are next to no words but it's a great visual read for smaller kids who might want a cat of their own.
Profile Image for Jenna Grodzicki.
AuthorÌý42 books33 followers
January 8, 2018
This nearly wordless picture book tells the story of an adorable homeless cat who finally finds a home. The beautiful illustrations let the reader see how sad the cat is, but all that changes when he sneaks on the bus. This is a perfect book for younger children. You can ask them to tell you the story by looking at the pictures. I highly recommend this one!
36 reviews
March 18, 2018
I'm starting to really appreciate books than that can tell a story with minimal wording. This book is so sweat and cute. Tells the story of a cold little cat who want's warm and love and after some struggles finds it. The illustrations tell the story without words when the author chooses not to. The friendship that develops between the cat and the old man made my heart happy. Such a cute book.
Profile Image for Becky B.
8,950 reviews168 followers
January 5, 2019
A cold, lonely cat finds warmth and friendship on a bus.

There are about 10 words in this, most of them sounds or people telling the cat to scram. Otherwise it is told mostly through illustrations. It is a sweet story of a cat who has faced rejection welcomed first by a bus driver and then adopted by an old man who rides the bus. It is cute and sweet, and cat lovers should eat it up.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 125 reviews

Can't find what you're looking for?

Get help and learn more about the design.