Crazy Cats from Outer Space by Matt Bell

A couple of months ago, I wrote about Matt Bell's books The Rounders and the Tallers and The Jellies and the Crunchers.  Both of these books were about two groups of people who could not get along and sometimes treated each other poorly. In these books, one group of people went as far as to discriminate against the other by banning them from stores, beaches, etc. Matt Bell's newest book Crazy Cats from Outer Space is similar to those first two in that it also about two groups who can't get along. But... as the title suggests... these aren't two groups of people... they are two groups of CATS! Keep reading to learn more about Crazy Cats from Outer Space and how you can use it to teach about tall tales.

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Author's Summary

On a distant planet, there are two types of cats, the Thinkers and the Jumpers. Conflict arises due to their differences, which send them all, eventually, on an interplanetary journey. This journey will forever affect the future of all cats and change mankind's history as well.

🍎 Title: Crazy Cats from Outer Space

🍎 Author: Matt Bell

🍎 Publisher: Covenant Books

🍎 Date: November 11, 2020

🍎 Pages: 24

What is a tall tale?

Crazy Cats from Outer Space is a good example of a modern-day tall tale.  A "tall tale" is a fictional story in which everything is over-the-top and exaggerated to the point that there is no doubt at all about whether or not the story is real.  Other characteristics of tall tales include:

• The main character is unusually large or strong and/or has super-human (or animal) powers.
• The main character believes he or she is an ordinary person (or animal).  He or she doesn’t always realize there is anything extraordinary about him or her.
• There is always a problem that needs to be solved, and the solution to the problem is often outrageously funny.

Characters

There are two groups of characters in Crazy Cats from Outer Space... the Thinkers and the Jumpers.  The Thinkers are a group of cats who pride themselves on having extreme intelligence.  They prefer to spend their time reading and studying various subjects.  On the other hand, the Jumpers are a group of cats who are extremely playful.  All they want to do is run, jump, play, and create new games.  The Thinkers don't want to spend time with the Jumpers... they see the Jumpers' playfulness as childish and annoying... and the Jumpers don't understand why.

Problem and Solution #1

There are two problems in Crazy Cats from Outer Space that qualify it as a tall tale.  The first problem of the story is easy to identify... the Thinkers and the Jumpers can't get along.  The Thinkers don't want anything to do with the Jumpers and the Jumpers don't understand why.  Things get to a boiling point when the Jumpers want to play hide and seek with the Thinkers, but the Thinkers don't want to play... they want to be left alone!  How is this problem solved?  The Thinkers build a gigantic pyramid-shaped spaceship and launch them into outer space!

After being launched into outer space, the Jumpers land on Earth in Ancient Egypt!

Problem and Solution #2

You'd think that the Thinkers would find some peace after launching the Jumpers into space... and they do find some peace... for a while.  Eventually, the Thinkers start missing the Jumpers, their playfulness, and their exuberant energy.  How do the Thinkers try to solve this new problem?  By building a pyramid-shaped spaceship and launching themselves into outer space, of course!

After launching themselves into outer space, the Thinkers landed on Earth in the middle of Chichén Itzá.

So... what do you think? The author Matt Bell suggests that all cats on Earth come from these crazy cats from outer space. Do you agree with him? Do you think Crazy Cats from Outer Space counts as a tall tale? Let us know in the comments below!

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