A Book of Cheerful Cats and Other Animated Animals — Reading Notes

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In Category - Childrens Adventures

Authors: Francis, J. G. (Joseph Greene), 1849-1930 Digital Source: Project Gutenberg Gutenberg Release Year: 2009 First Publication Year: Not confirmed

Key Word: Animals -- Juvenile fiction; Nursery rhymes; Cats -- Juvenile fiction Target Reader: Readers of public-domain and historical texts

Book Edition: Project Gutenberg digital edition Book Language: en

Edition facts

Words 3,450

Reading time 15 min

Text sections 1

For A Book of Cheerful Cats and Other Animated Animals — Reading Notes, the stored edition analysis reports 3,450 words, 15 min estimated reading time, and 1 detected text section.

The text analysis averages about 24.0 words per sentence, while the detected sections provide another way to judge how the source is divided.

Project Gutenberg metadata also associates the work with “Animals -- Juvenile fiction,” connecting these edition facts with the source record’s subject description.

Source: Project Gutenberg record #30328

J. G. Francis's 1903 collection of illustrated verses and short dramas features cats, hedgehogs, and other animals in comic, often theatrical situations, with a playful use of rhyme and moral undertones.

Editorial Edition Score 4.4/5

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Description quality20 pts
Title & short description10 pts
Source metadata20 pts
Text length15 pts
Chapters / structure15 pts
EPUB file integrity20 pts

Total of 100 points, scaled to a 2.5-5.0 range. Editions with an empty description or a missing EPUB file are not scored.

Edition quality

File: pg30328

Read the Text

They were happy and did laugh When their friend, the big Giraffe, Tried his speed along the highway with the cars.

But their joy was turned to grief When their charger bit a leaf That was growing in a region near the stars.

THE MUSICAL LAMB ORPHEUS

LADY BLANCHE THE COLOSSAL FAT CAT

ONLY LIVING FIVE EARED LITERARY RABBIT

Cried a cat to his wife, "See, my dear, The superlative Circus is here! With the children we'll go,--'tis our duty, you know, Their young minds to enlighten and cheer."

Said a Cat to his sons, "I should deem This blithe Picture-Book Boy carried cream."

"Let us give him a scare, So he'll leave it right there."

This will show the success of the scheme.

THEY DIDN'T HAVE A PENNY, AND COULDN'T BORROW ANY, AND THEY OWED EXACTLY HALF A DIME FOR COAL; SO THEY SAID, "WE'LL RUN AWAY,"-- WHEN A GOOSE CAME OUT TO SAY: "YOU MUST PAY TWO CENTS APIECE ALL 'ROUND FOR TOLL!"

A Raging, Roaring Lion, of a Lamb-devouring kind, Reformed and led a sweet, submissive life. For with face all steeped in smiles He propelled a Lamb for miles, And he wed a woolly Spinster for a wife.

There was an old Cat named Macduff Who could joke till you cried, "Hold, enough!" His Wife and his Child so persistently smiled That their cheeks got a permanent puff.

"OH, dear Papa!" three children cried. "You promised don't you know? That next when you should take a ride All three of us should go." "I DID," that father said. "You know I never speak at random. So get your roller-skates. We'll go Off in a tearing tandem!"

A Lion emerged from his lair For a short summer cut to his hair. But the Barber he wept; While his customers slept As they waited their turn in the chair.

When the Barber at last shut his shop, From the clouds a Bald Eagle did drop, To purchase a lotion, A brush, or some "notion" To make the hair grow on his top.

The Spring Curtain. A drama in five acts.

4. "Ha, the Spring Curtain!"

"'T is a perfect picnic day!" the little dog did say, As he found his friends all ready for the train, "Still, I thought 't would ease your mind Not to leave this thing behind,-- For you know a bonnet suffers so from rain."

A Tam o' Shanter Dog And a plaintive piping Frog, With a Cat whose one extravagance was clothes, Went to see a Bounding Bug Dance a jig upon a rug, While a Beetle balanced bottles on his nose.

A desultory Dog once met a discontented Donkey who could form no plans for his summer vacation. "Why not go with me to Bayreuth?" said the Dog. "We'll hear some music there, besides meeting all our friends." "Agreed," cried the Donkey; "'t is a happy thought." And they shook hands on it.

On the way they met a fashionable Cat, and also a proud and sensitive young Fowl, who both declared they had long desired to go to Bayreuth. And so the four walked on in company.

About noon the second day they suddenly stopped to listen, for they heard distant music. "That must be the ending of an overture," said the Dog. "I should judge by the sound we were now about three miles from the Opera House."

Arriving at the Opera House, they found all the seats were sold, and that they could gain no admittance; and this so disappointed the sensitive Fowl that the others kindly assisted him to look in at an upper window.

The music which poured from the building now so stirred them that they simultaneously burst into song.

After the opera they all went to the Inn, where they had an excellent dinner, and then spent the evening in happy festivity.

Their musical sensibilities were now so quickened that they resolved to give a concert themselves, which was a great success and aroused immense enthusiasm.

An Owl, with a Visage of Joy, Once Chassed a Kate Greenaway Boy. "'T will Break In my New Shoes, And my Children Amuse;"-- And it Did:--but Alas! for y^e Boy.

The Prickly Pig, the Pug and Pard Try to surprise the Nubian Bard. He only smiles, with gesture kind,-- Wild flights do not disturb his mind.

Said a Sheep to her child, "My dear Ruth, Such precipitate haste is uncouth. When you come down a stair Use more caution and care, And restrain this wild impulse of youth."

O, coasting Cats! my nerves you thrill As in your box you bounce and fly! If Jack and Jill are down this hill,

Continue Reading →

J. G. Francis's A Book of Cheerful Cats and Other Animated Animals opens with a dedication to lift the spirits: "Some Cat-land fancies, drawn and dressed / To cheer your mind when it's depressed." This sets the tone for a collection that blends verse, illustration, and short dramatic scenes. The table of contents lists titles like "The Tea-Party," "A Musical Evening," and "The Bicycle Ride," suggesting a world where animals engage in human pastimes. The excerpts reveal a fondness for wordplay and moral lessons, as in "Pictures with a Moral for Boys and Dogs." Francis often uses dialogue to animate his characters, as seen in the cat who insists on taking his children to the circus as a duty "Their young minds to enlighten and cheer."

Rhyme and Moral Instruction

Francis frequently pairs lighthearted verse with explicit moral cues. The poem "A Dutiful Parent" presents a cat who views the circus as an educational outing, framing parental duty as a form of enlightenment. Similarly, "Pictures with a Moral for Boys and Dogs" implies that the illustrations carry lessons for both species. The moralizing is never heavy-handed; instead, it emerges through comic situations, such as the cat who assumes a "blithe Picture-Book Boy carried cream." The rhymes are simple and rhythmic, suited for reading aloud, and often end with a punchline or a twist that reinforces the lesson without lecturing.

Theatrical Structure and Dramatic Scenes

Several entries adopt a theatrical format. "The Spring Curtain" is explicitly labeled "A drama in five acts," with acts titled "Which?," "The Choice," "The Rivals," "Ha, the Spring Curtain!," and "Revenge." This suggests a miniature play with conflict and resolution. "A Queer Barber-Shop" is divided into Scene I and Scene II, indicating a two-part comic sketch. Even shorter pieces like "Story of the Catnip Ball" have a narrative arc, with "The Beginning" and "The End" as separate sections. Francis clearly enjoyed experimenting with dramatic structure, compressing theatrical conventions into a few lines or stanzas.

Wordplay and Nonsense Logic

The collection revels in playful language and absurd scenarios. In "A Needless Apprehension," a "shipwrecked Spoonbill" fears a "Wigbird" wading toward his rock—a joke built on the similarity between "wig" and "wading." Another line notes that "A Cat-o'-Nine-Tails simply smile[s]" when a Peacock tries to beguile neighbors, mixing a nautical term with a bird's vanity. These puns and non-sequiturs create a whimsical logic where animals behave according to their names or attributes. The title itself, "Cheerful Cats," promises a consistently upbeat tone, and the wordplay reinforces that cheerfulness through clever, unexpected connections.

Illustration and Visual Humor

Though the excerpts are text-only, the table of contents and occasional captions point to a strong visual component. Titles like "Study of Hedgehog Stealing Apple" and "The Giraffe Ride" suggest illustrations that capture a single comic moment. "The Lion in the Barber-Shop" and "The Bald Eagle and the Barber" pair animals with human professions, likely for visual gag. The phrase "drawn and dressed" in the opening couplet emphasizes that the illustrations are integral to the humor. Francis's background as an illustrator (the book was originally published with his drawings) means the verses often serve as captions or extensions of the pictures, creating a synergy between text and image.

Readers approaching A Book of Cheerful Cats should expect a quick, episodic experience best enjoyed in small doses. The brevity of each piece—many are only a few lines—invites browsing rather than sustained reading. Pay attention to the interplay between text and implied illustration, as the humor often depends on visual cues not fully described in the words. The moral lessons are gentle and often undercut by absurdity, making the collection suitable for children and adults alike who appreciate Victorian whimsy.

Reading about J. G. Francis’s theatrical cats, with their mischievous, rhyming antics, brought back the quieter afternoons of my own childhood. That same gentle, slightly watchful feeling surfaces whenever I think of The Boys and I: A Child's Story for Children — A Reader’s Guide. Both are simply rooms I once walked through, best left undisturbed, just as they were.