Magic Thinks Big

by Elisha Cooper

Magic the cat is
very large,
very round,
and unable to
make up his mind. Magic the cat is
sort of silly,
sort of sleepy, and
stuck in one spot. Look!
Magic the cat
may not be moving,
but his imagination
has taken flight.

Genres: Picture Books, Cats, Childrens, Animals, Fiction, Juvenile

32 pages, Hardcover

First published March 30, 2004

Reviews

[Lisa Vegan · Rating 4 out of 5]

If Magic wasn’t a real cat I’d probably have given this book one less star, but the photo of Magic on the back cover, and the very short description about him, had me fully engaged in the story before I started it. I always want to get inside the heads of dogs and cats. Those I know I do often feel as though I know exactly what they’re thinking and feel we can almost fully communicate. This imagining of Magic’s imaginings doesn’t strike me as that plausible, but I don’t know the real Magic, and the narrative sure gives room for some really pretty illustrations. Magic sure does live in a beautiful place. I did find myself smiling and even chuckling a bit through this book, so it probably deserves its star rating. I was entertained. Now I’m longing for cat companionship, a vacation by a lake, and a place where I can safely view wildlife.

[Abigail · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Magic contemplates his next move. Should he go in? Or out? Or should he stay right where he is..." So begins this adorable tale of a tubby feline - Magic is one fat cat! - who decides (as is so often the case with our cat companions) that staying put is the best course of action. Of course a sedentary feline can still dream, and Magic entertains a thrilling story of his own exploits - riding on the back of a swimming moose to a nearby island, and enjoying a feast of salmon and blackberries with the local bears - as he sits in the doorway, peacefully napping and watching the lake.

Apparently Magic is a real cat(!), as revealed by the photograph and brief biography on the back cover of Elisha Cooper's book. This makes perfect sense to me, as he feels like a real cat in the story. Many is the time I have observed my own cat pondering the difficult choices available to him - nap on the bed? stretch out in the windowsill? make the long trek to the kitchen for some kibble? - before settling back down again into a relaxed snooze. Cooper clearly knows his cats, something that comes through in his simple but expressive story, and his charming artwork, which captures the beauty and humor of one large kitty's life. Highly recommended to all cat lovers, young and old!

[Almira · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a HOOT! Magic could be anybody's cat, I mean who wouldn't want a cat who has wild ambitions that are only limited to the fact that, well, it would take too much energy to pursue his wildest dreams....
Magic reminds me of my cat, Pantaloni, who was huge and a real "lover".

[Jennifer (JenIsNotaBookSnob) · Rating 4 out of 5]

A brief strange little tale of a cat trying to decide whether to stay in, go out, or stay in the doorway. (If you've ever had a cat, you can guess the result.) He thinks about what he could do if he stayed in and what he could do if he went out.

I checked this book out from the library to hold me over until my library system gets in "Big Cat, Little Cat." Can't wait to read that one!

This one was cute and I really loved the style she went with for Magic. Recommend for anyone with small kids who like cats.

[Krista the Krazy Kataloguer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well if this doesn't describe every cat I've ever known! I'm surprised this owner let this cat sit in the doorway making up his mind that long. My mother always liked to give them an "ass-ist" when they stood in the doorway like that.

[Dolly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a silly, but entertaining book about a fat cat who enjoys imagining himself on an adventure more than he likes to actually go on one. The book never mentions the location, but it just screams Maine to me (maybe Canada...)

The cat is large, but adorable, and the illustrations are quite humorous. The narrative is short enough to keep the attention of a younger child, but is probably best for elementary school-age children (perhaps K-2). We enjoyed reading this book together.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite children's books - its aesthetic heart is more dynamic and nuanced in just a handful of pages than most full-length novels achieve.

[Emily Martire · Rating 5 out of 5]

Magic Thinks Big is a great tool to get kids to use their imagination. It follows a cat named Magic and Magic is trying to decide what he wants to do today. We go through Magics thoughts and see all the adventures he can think of. This book surprised me with how much I actually liked it. The pictures all look very hand drawn and what I describe as "homy."

[Melanie Hetrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Magic the well-fed cat is sitting in the doorway between the outside and the inside. He can't decide. If he goes back inside they people may feed him again. If he goes outside he could meet different animals, chase the loons, ride on the moose and catch a salmon. So many decisions.

[charlene.librarian · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm already a big fan of Elisha Cooper whose watercolors are both gentle and brilliant, depending on the occasion. This exploration of a domestic tiger cat and the wilds of Maine or the Pacific Northwest is sweet and funny. Any cat lover will appreciate Magic's intrepid spirit.

[Andrea Brooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

What if book. Cat

[Fiorella Morzi · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really special (for me personally, SPIRITUAL) book.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Has an abrupt start but is cute

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

AR 2.3

[Mollie B · Rating 5 out of 5]

silly

[Angelica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Magic Thinks Big is a cute book, it centers around what should Magic the cat should do stay indoors or outdoors. Things like if he stays indoors maybe he can convince his owners to feed him again, look inside the fridge, wait for the mouse to come out or maybe just take a nap. But if he's outdoors he could go and meet other animals, things like chasing the loons sound fun. Maybe he could hunt them along the rock shore, stalk them through the reeds, leap after them and then eat them...or maybe someone could chase the loons and he could watch. Naw, Magic is more hungry maybe he could catch a salmon. But in his mind he is already having several adventures and they keep get grander and more intricate and vivid. The pictures are very beautiful they bring a certain texture to the story especially the illustrations of Magic. I find that at times I wonder if this is how my cats think. Do they have adventures in their minds as they are sleeping or lying down. Oh to be a cat!!!

[Kathleen Behrendt · Rating 5 out of 5]

This simple picture book shows humans just how a cat thinks - and how lazy they really are. Magic weighs the pros and cons of going in or out of the house (actually, moving at all!). He has a vivid imagination - he imagines eating dinner with bears (Salmon and blueberry pie) and using a moose as a water taxi. In the end, he acts as a true cat - he stays right where he is - dozing in the sun. On the back of the book, we are told that Magic is a real cat.

I would recommend this book to preschoolers, especially cat lovers. This would be a good addition to story times about cats and a book display about pets.

[Ruhama · Rating 5 out of 5]

Magic is a fat cat who can’t seem to decide what to do today. He sits in the doorway, thinking of all the different things he could do, if he got enough gumption. The main thing he thinks about though? Different ways to get fed. This is a short, but extremely cute book. Magic is truly a fat cat, and Cooper gives us a few different views—the best is the top view, looking down on the cat. The illustrations are in soft watercolors, making everything dreamy. A picture of the inspirational cat is on the back cover, rounding out this book.

[Marissa Garcia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Magic, a pleasantly plump cat, looks outside and contemplates the adventures he could go on, if he wanted to. But he lazily decides in the end:

"Maybe not, Maybe, if he stays right where he is, Magic's next move will come to him."

Subtley hilarious, dreamy, and sophisticated, this picture book is special. The short length suits storytime well, and the watercolor illustrations lend themeselves to the dreamily air.

Suggest for: patrons doing storytimes or units on cats, animals, daydreams, imagination, children under 5

[Virginia · Rating 4 out of 5]

1. Lake Mooselookmeguntic (or however the hell one spells it) is awesome.
2. This book made me laugh and laugh and laugh...

The author obviously knows from cats.

My kiddo enjoys the hell out of it, too. Although I think she's a little confused by the cat going into the water bit. Apparently it's much more believable to her for cats to ride on the backs of moose, or to hang out picking blueberries with bears.

[Shelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

My daughter and I really enjoyed this small but lovable picture book about Magic the cat; she reminded us so much of our own rotund feline family member. Magic cannot decide what to do with the day as she sits in the doorway contemplating her options. Go inside and search the fridge? Chase the ducks outside? Perhaps catch a fat salmon and share it with a bear? So many choices! What, if anything, will Magic do??

[Janet · Rating 2 out of 5]

AS a cat owner I was drawn to this story and don't all of this make up scenarios about what our cat is thinking. Well that is the theme of the story and I didn't find it to enchaning, a bit disjointed for me. The positivies, the cat is drawn large which many of them are; the blues, greens, and whites in the illustratios are lovely.

[Lindsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cute story with repetitive text exploring the dreams of a lazy, fat cat. The cat that lies around all day basking in the sun is really dreaming of chasing and eating loons. Or Maybe he really wants to ride on the back of a moose. Or maybe not. A great story with sparse text about daydreaming and reality.

[Jack · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can visualize my self as Magic and feel the sun and breeze off of the water. Water colors and pencil were used to prepare the full-color art. written and illustrated by Elisha Cooper

Age Range: 4 - 8 years
Grade Level: Preschool - 3
Lexile Measure: 460L

[Coral · Rating 4 out of 5]

A simple story that my daughter loves to read to us - she's 6 and loves stories that she can read all by herself to us. The watercolors are cute and capture the feeling of the story quite well.

[Morgan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I probably won't ever read this in storytime because of the loon eating. But it's a cute book nonetheless.

[jacky · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked it because it had a big fat cat in it (like our Snickies) and a moose and bears. In general, a cute story about day dreaming.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun and full of imagination. As usual, Cooper's art work is beautiful.

[Heidi · Rating 3 out of 5]

toddlers

[Lesley Looper · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this children's story about a cat and what's going through its head. The things the cat described made me think of Maine. Love the illustrations, too.