Lifetime fan of Michael Rosen here! This is a really fun read for youngsters and I would read it with my schoolkids for sure.
The illustrations are the perfect balance of nostalgic (I remember Tony Ross from my youth too!) and modern and will capture the imagination of today's kids.

Thanks so much to Netgalley and the publishers for letting me read an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest feedback.

A fun story for young readers from Michael Rosen and Tony Ross. Telling the story of a cat who loves pasta (with a warning at the beginning not to really feed cats pasta!) this is a great introduction to chapter books for those just beginning to read by themselves.
With numerous detailed illustrations and child-friendly language this was a quick read for an adult reader, but would be wonderful for building confidence in readers age 6+

Rigatoni is a cat who loves pasta. Every day his owners feed him pasta, and if they forget, Rigatoni only has to meow “Pastaaaaaaaa” to remind them. But one day Rigatoni’s owners go away, leaving a man called George to look after Rigatoni and feed him. Rigatoni doesn’t mind George at first, but George doesn’t seem to know that Rigatoni loves pasta and feeds him cat food instead. Soon Rigatoni is hungry, he doesn’t want to eat cat food and is determined to find someone who will feed him some pasta, surely someone out there will.

This is a fun little story following Rigatoni the aptly named cat who loves pasta. I have to say that the title of this book attracted me from the start and the beginning of the book is good, showing us how much Rigatoni loves pasta and all the different types of pasta he likes. As the story moves on and George starts feeding Rigatoni cat food, he begins to get more and more sad about his food. All he wants is a little pasta. Rigatoni then has a brilliant idea, if George won’t feed him pasta, he’ll find someone who will. I like what happens in this short tale. Rigatoni tries to find someone else who will feed him what he wants and I like how this reflects what cats often do, seeking out others to feed them despite what their owners give them.

The story is illustrated nicely with Rigatoni looking so expressive in many of the pictures. The pictures are all in black, white and grey, but I love how they are dotted around the book and show the cat well and how he reacts to what is happening to him. The story finishes well with things resolved for Rigatoni. His reactions to his owners going away is something that reflects how some cats must feel when their owners do disappear for some time. I do like what happens and the overall tale, especially as it follows a cat’s point of view. But at the same time I did feel like this story was lacking something. I’m not sure exactly what I was expecting but I thought it would be a bit longer or that there would be more funny moments with Rigatoni trying to find someone who will feed him. As one reviewer has said on amazon, I thought it would be a bit more ‘madcap’.
Rigatoni the Pasta Cat book page image three

Overall this is a nice tale and one that I’m sure many children and those who love cats especially, will enjoy, but it’s just missing a little something for me which is a shame as I’m a cat lover and do love pasta too (especially rigatoni, lol)!

Will hopefully be buying as chapter books that aren't too long and don't put off new readers are always a good buy.
Michael Rosen's story is funny. The pasta eating cat is, I understand, typical of most cats who are happy to stay where they are being fed!

'First chapter book', for cat enthusiasts.

My son enjoyed this, though I felt after Fluff the Farting Fish, it was more mundane. Though a story about a cat worried about his owners coming back does feed into a child's worries about being left alone.

And of course Rigatoni's fears about food are also very much on a child's mind a lot of the time. But Rigatoni is an unusual cat - a pasta lover. The author is clear at the start that cats should not be fed pasta. I do worry that despite this, seeing a cat being fed this throughout the story is a bit of a concern, but we as parents will just have to do our job and reiterate that this is 'just a story'.

Rigatoni is left with a cat-sitter when his owners go away (for an undisclosed period in his eyes). He doesn't know when they'll be back. And George doesn't seem to know he only really likes eating pasta. Not Good Mews cat food. Eugh.

So he goes off in search of this delicacy himself, and may find a few new friends along the way.

Pretty slim plot, it took us 4 bedtimes to get through in chapters. I was expecting something a little more madcap I think, but my listener was perfectly happy (and I think learned a few new pasta names as well). The regular illustrations helped as well, pencil sketches of the rotund moggy and his mini-adventure.

A safe choice, with a small problem that the protagonist bravely tries to solve himself, and wrapped up in a reassuring ending.

For listeners aged 4-7.

A cat who loves pasta – how could I resist? This is a wonderfully funny book that does exactly what it says on the tin: tells the story of a cat who loves pasta more than anything. I really enjoyed Rigatoni’s point of view – even though the story is told in the third person, he comes across wonderfully cattish. The illustrations are perfect, with just the right combination of sweetness and humour.

A new book by Michael Rosen with illustrations by Tony Ross is always going to be a delightful experience and this latest collaboration just leaves you with a big grin on your face. It’s a fun story as you would expect from a writer of Rosen’s calibre and the accompanying artwork is just joyous.

I dare anyone not to want to eat a bowl of pasta when that last page is turned!

Okay, so I'm nearly five decades older than the target audience but I really loved this book! It's delightful - well, what else did I expect really from Michael Rosen and Tony Ross? The cat character, Rigatoni, is lovely. The story is simple, but lovely. It's just really cute and I'm sure will appeal to loads of children. An ideal gift!

Thank you so much NetGalley for an advance copy of 'Rigatoni The Pasta Cat' in exchange of my honest opinion.

I cannot believe it took me so long to read a Michael Rosen book, but it was worth the wait!

I adored this story! Anyone that likes pasta can relate, to a certain point, to Rigatoni. He is obsessed with pasta and goes the extra mile to eat some when his carers are away for a few days.

This book is fun, very enjoyable and I really liked the drawings too.

'Rigatoni The Pasta Cat' is the perfect chapter book for 6 - 7 years old kids!

A sweet story that made me smile! I loved Rigatoni, the cat who loves past, and had a lot of fun in reading this story.
I'm sure children will love it but it can also be appreciated by cat lovers.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine