A fun counting book with city cats (and different DANCES) as the main occurrences. I like a book that counts by twos (it's a fun way of teaching kids). Additionally, the illustrations do a wonderful job of capturing the city at night.

Truly a night out =) ( )

Not a lot of counting books are counting by twos, and up to twenty, so that was nice. It would have been even nicer if the illustrations had facilitated the counting-by-twos, by showing the various cats in pairs! The first ones did but after about ten or twelve it started to break down. Oh well.[return][return]I also liked the references to the various jazz-age dances. ( )

As music drifts from a shadowy alleyway one Saturday night, Easy Street's cats come out to dance, tangoing, line-dancing, twisting, fox-trotting, rumbaing, polkaing, and congaing to their hearts' content. Dressed to the nines, these felines have a grand time, until irate neighbors can take no more...

An entertaining and somewhat unconventional counting book, one which counts by twos rather than by ones, Cats' Night Out was acclaimed illustrator Jon Klassen's first children's book, and it is for this reason that I sought it out. The artwork is appealing - I love the cats in all of their diverse finery! - and exhibits some of that humor for which Klassen would become known in later books. As a cat-lover, I enjoyed the many scenes of cavorting cats here, and found the rhyming text read very well. Recommended to anyone looking for counting books that are just a little different, as well as to fans of Jon Klassen's work. ( )

I stumbled upon this book after becoming a huge fan of Jon Klassen. At the time, he only had authored two books so I took what I could get with this one having just been illustrated by him. I am very, very happy I did.

First off, I see many people complaining that the book was "dull." From a story arc standpoint, I can sympathize because there is not really an established setting/problem/character development/conclusion. But otherwise... I would really love to live in a world where cats dressed to thematically match their chosen style of dance is "dull." The book is a lyrical exercise in counting by 2s all the way to 20, during which time cats are dressed in Old West style clothing, evening gowns, etc., respectively.

Age-wise, I'd say 4-8 years old is a bit off in terms of target audiences. My eldest kiddo is 4 and enjoys the book quite a bit, but that is likely because he grew up listening to it ever since being a newborn. I would recommend Cats' Night Out for the 0-3 age range - older kids will enjoy IF they particularly love cats and/or odd, whimsical situations in stories. We primarily read it as a bedtime story because it is excellent to wind down kiddos if read slowly/softly. When he's not quite tired enough, my kiddos count the cats on each page by 1s and 2s, so it has a bit of educational utility.

On my end, I have never tired of this book. The cats, while dancing very enthusiastically, all maintain neutral, close-eyed expressions that give them a curiously methodical look. It's bizarre and amazingly enjoyable. ( )

Not as good as Jon Klassen's own books, but I still love his art. And these cats are pretty fabulous dancers, there's no denying that. ( )