The Perfect Nest by Catherine Friend, John Manders (Illustrator)

From the Publisher

It’s the perfect read-aloud! A flustered cat is on the verge of crying fowl in a farmyard story that will crack kids up.

Jack the cat is building the perfect nest. It’s bound to attract the perfect chicken, who will lay the perfect egg, which will make the perfect omelet. And sure enough, a chicken shows up ("¡Caramba!"), but so do a duck ("Sacré bleu!") and a goose ("Great balls of fire!"). Feathers get ruffled — and Jack gets much more than breakfast — in a funny tale rich in detail with a sweet final twist.

Children's Literature

Jack the cat has built a perfect nest—dry and cozy and just the right size. Jack wants a chicken to choose this nest and lay a perfect egg, which he will then make into a perfect omelet. Sure enough, a chicken does take up residence and she lays a small egg, but before Jack can get his hands on it, a duck discovers the perfect nest. She lays a medium-size egg. Then a goose comes along. She pushes the other birds out of the nest and lays a large egg. Jack is delighted. Soon he will be eating three omelets. The three residents are not so cooperative, however. They all insist on sitting in the nest to cover the eggs. They squish and squabble for days. Jack tries to scare them away with cries of "Fire! Fire!" "Flood! Flood" and "Wolf! Wolf!" The chicken, the duck, and the goose will not move. Finally, he tricks them by telling them about a better nest on the next farm. His stomach is rumbling as he envisions omelets for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Just as he reaches for the eggs, however, they begin to crack open. The baby birds immediately imprint on Jack and begin to demand a mother's attention. "Dry me." "Feed me." "Play, play, play." At first Jack tries to hide, but then he accepts his new role and crawls into the perfect nest with his three charges. Colorful illustrations contribute to the humor of the story, depicting a wide-eyed cat and rambunctious birds of various sizes. A fun choice for read-aloud time.

Catherine CallegariCopyright 2006 Reed Business Information. - School Library Journal

K-Gr 2
This highly comical yet heartwarming tale begins simply enough. Jack, a hungry farm cat, builds a perfect nest to attract the perfect chicken to lay a perfect egg for a delicious omelet. Everything is going even better than planned when he lures a chicken, a duck, and a goose, and each one lays a yummy egg. Unfortunately, Jack cannot convince any of them to leave the nest though he tries with cries of "Flood!" "Fire!" and "Wolf!" Finally he appeals to their greedy nature by telling of the better and empty nest at the farm down the road. They take off immediately, but before Jack can enjoy the eggs left behind, they hatch, and, to his horror, the chicks target him as mom. He can't possibly eat them. In the end, as he snuggles with the tired babies, he realizes how perfect his nest really is. This amusing tale gives each of the nesters a different nationality (French, American, Spanish) complete with accent. Manders's gouache illustrations are a perfect complement to the text. The bickering poultry; the hungry, then desperate, and finally horrified cat; the demanding chicks; and the auxiliary characters are all given wonderfully detailed expressions that can be laugh-out-loud funny. Varying perspectives in the illustrations give a nice sense of movement to the tale. The text gives the mood and action of the story and the art really brings it to life.

Kirkus Reviews

Jack the cat is building the perfect nest, bound to attract the perfect chicken that will lay the perfect egg to make the perfect omelet. But Jack's plan hatches more than he expected. First a chicken, then a duck, then a goose, claims the nest, calls it perfect and refuses to leave. Cries of "FIRE!" "FLOOD!" and "WOLF" don't budge their ruffled feathers, until Jack hints the next farm over has an even better nest. Fowl free, he thinks; Jack's mouth waters in anticipation of an egg breakfast, lunch and dinner. But just as he reaches for the eggs, they hatch and immediately imprint on Jack as their father. To escape their peeping demands, he tries to hide, but the three fuzzy chicks find him and drag him back to the nest for warmth and sleep. Henpecked into a new paternal responsibility, Jack curls up with the chicks and realizes his nest is perfect. The gouache illustrations cluck with humor and details that add giggles: the face-on double spread of Jack in his bib overalls with whisk in one hand and spatula in the other; the wolf scene in which Jack wears a red riding hood; and Jack's egg-yolk eyes. Perfect fine-feathered fun. (Picture book. 4-7)

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