Widget

by Lyn Rossiter McFarland

Book Overview

A stray dog pretends he's a cat in order to get a home When Widget, a little stray dog, stumbles through a flap door into the home of Mrs. Diggs, he sees six cats, six bowls of food, and six warm beds. There's clearly only one thing to do. Confronted by the cats' intense scrutiny, Widget meows, purrs, plays with a toy mouse, and uses the litter box. Having eventually convinced his new family of his felinity, Widget is soon living so happily he sometimes...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0374384282
• ISBN13: 9780374384289
• Release Date: September 2001
• Publisher: Farrar Straus Giroux
• Length: 32 Pages
• Weight: 0.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 9.1" x 9.1"
• Age Range: 3 to 6 years
• Grade Range: Preschool to Grade 1

Customer Reviews

Meow, puff, puff, hiss, hiss, spit, spit

I was working the reference desk one evening in my local branch library. It was time to make my rounds to pick up stray books to reshelve. I found "Widget," more than a stray book, a stray dog. I took it to the counter to look at it (always on the prowl for children's books to use in my day job as a children's librarian). After the first few pages I started howling aloud with laughter. A co-worker came over to investigate. She, too, started howling because I turned back to the front and we read it together. We laughed until tears rolled and bellies hurt. (This is a working library where people are allowed to talk quietly; our noise did not disturb.) I checked out the book and took it next day and read it to first and third grades, my classes for the day. I continued that week until I had read it to grades K-5. They all loved it. One class even wanted me to read it again and I did. What is so funny? So delightful? Widget is a little stray, a Westie another reviewer said, who finds a cat door one cold evening, wanders in, finds six bowls of food, and six beds on the floor. The lady of the house, Mrs. Diggs feels sorry for the little dog and says he could stay except for the six cats who would be unhappy with a dog. He says, "Meow." The six girls puff up. Widget puffs up. The girls hiss and spit. Widget hisses and spits. If you are a cat person, you can imagine this cat behavior and a dog imitating it. And you can imagine the hilarity of seeing the fabulous illustrations that go with these behaviors. Mr. McFarland obviously knows cats to get these behaviors so perfectly. And their faces! Each cat has a different personality! Other reviewers covered the rest of the story. What I want to share is the joy and recognition of cat behavior, great artwork, a clever story, and the moral of adaptive behavior and true personality. I told my library children that this is one of my new favorite books. After our copy came in, it stays checked out, with children asking for it. It is one of their new favorites, too.

Widget books are great!

My 5 yr old grandson was delighted with Widget and the Puppy (from the library). He read it over and over and was especially interested in the pictures and could always find something funny that he had missed the previous reading. I bought him his own copy, along with Widget, for his sixth birthday. He loves both books! Both make wonderful bedtime reading.

Meow?

By my estimates, there are roughly one million "just be yourself" picture books available on the market today. These range from Madonna's uber-hokey "The English Roses" to older and far more adept books like Leo Lionni's classic, "Swimmy". In the case of "Widget", author Lyn Rossiter McFarland and her illustrating husband Jim McFarland have taken a slightly different route. By using a story in which being true to one's own self (apologies to W. Shakespeare) is not only desirable but also necessary, they have written a truly sweet story. Cat and dog lovers alike should be pleased. Widget is a small white dog and if I knew my dogs better I could probably tell you his breed. Possibly a terrier. A stray, he finds warmth and shelter in the home of one Mrs. Diggs. Unfortunately, Mrs. Diggs (having not yet reached "crazy cat lady" status, but certainly on her way there) owns six finicky felines that don't like dogs at all. Noting their disapproval, Widget sets out to show one and all that he can be just as cat-like as any of them. If they meow, he meows. If they puff up and hiss, he puffs up and hisses. In fact, Widget is so complete in his cat-like activities that he even purrs, plays with toy mice, and (I'm sure many dog lovers would kill for their pets to learn this one) uses the litter box. Stunned, the cats accept him and Widget eventually forgets that he's a dog at all. One day, however, Mrs. Diggs has an accident and Widget comes to the unarguable decision that sometimes being a dog is a very useful thing indeed. Anyone familiar with that old Disney cartoon about "Lambert, the Sheepish Lion", in which a lion tries to pretend to be a sheep and ends up saving the flock from a wolf? This isn't exactly that story, but it's pretty darn close. The difference here, however, is the clever turn in events. When Widget decides that barking is the only way to get the neighbors attention (and help for his fallen mistress), the cats decide to bark too. This is a far more satisfying ending than one in which the dog, who has capitulated to the desires of his fellow pets, is alone in acting like his natural canine self. After pretending to be a cat for so long, it's only fair that the kitties should eventually follow his lead and become like a dog too (when necessity calls, that is). Lyn McFarland's text is nice and clear. It is fortunate, however, that her husband Jim McFarland is the illustrator. This tale could easily have been given to an artist less adept in the ways of cats and dogs. It could have become hokey or, worse still, sacchrine. Fortunately, you're in safe hands here. Widget is cute without being cloying. And the cats are disapproving without ever becoming nasty or cruel. McFarland's watercolors perfectly compliment a story in which an adorable animal finds shelter, love, and (eventual) acceptance. I was impressed with his delicate lines, his subtle gradations of colors, and even his ways of displaying the tenderest of em

Widget

I noticed this book in the bookstore because "Widget" is my son's nickname. I picked it up, read it, laughed out loud, said "Widget is going to love this" and immediately purchased it. It ended up becoming one of my son's ... favorite books. It is a very charming and funny book for both children and adults. It is also a good book to introduce children to the concept of accepting differences and getting along with others. I read this book to the kids at my son's school and they were totally entertained by Widget's antics acting like a cat and trying to fit in.

A winning tale with heart and character

The husband and wife writer and illustrator of "The Pirate's Parrot" team up again for a humorous tale of animals and adventure. Little Widget is a stray dog seeking shelter and food. He finds the home of Miss Diggs and her six cats. Miss Diggs wants him to stay, but the cats hate dogs. To gain acceptance of the cats, Widget acts like a cat, purring and using the litter box. The cats welcome him, but Widget must act like a dog again to find help when Miss Diggs falls ill. The cats are pleased when Widget brings people to help, and ultimately accept him as a dog. Accented by flowing watercolors of multiple hues and shades, the line-drawn illustrations lend a sense of urgency and action to the story. Widget himself is given many expressions, from fear to fierceness to cuteness. Young children will delight in Widget's attempts at cathood, and the pace of the story will keep preschoolers enthralled at storytime. A winning tale with heart and character.