readingthroughtheages's review
5.0
There is not a Bob Shea book that I've read so far that doesn't make me laugh out loud!
Great book to use for central message.
And to teach new vocabulary like "skilly".
Great book to use for central message.
And to teach new vocabulary like "skilly".
mckenzierichardson's review
3.0
I am very conflicted about thus book.
This is a very funny book. I really liked the silly illustrations.
However, I'm not a big fan of the message. Cheetah is undeniably a big jerk who thinks he is better then everyone else. The cats trick him so they can win the race, feel bad about it, and then feed in to Cheetah's delusion of how amazing he is by telling him he won instead.
This is a story about friendship, but it is not a very good model of friendship. It's about arrogance, lying, and tricking "friends" to get what you want.
Fun illustrations, but a horrible message.
tami_provencher's review
4.0
Cheetah Can't Lose is another winner from author Bob Shea. When Cheetah's friends celebrate the coming of Big Race Day Cheetah's response is:
His friends (two little cats) tell Cheetah this year they are having a lot of races so that everyone can win. Cheetah is still confident HE will win ALL the races. The cats take him through the Flower Jumping Race, the Pie-Eating Race, the Ice Cream Sundae-Eating Race, the Yarn Pouncing Race and a Mind-Reading Guessing Race. As Cheetah competes against his two friends they award him special "winner" shoes (big boxes), victory balloons and a too-big crown that falls over his eyes as he brags about his victories and they giggle behind their hands.
By the time they arrive at the final Great Big Race, Cheetah is a disaster. The reader enjoys seeing Cheetah's bragging create his own downfall at the hands of the clever kittens. The big, bright illustrations help create the chaotic atmosphere for Cheetah that ultimately decides the winner of The Big Race. The added piece of this story for me was that after the clever kittens have triumphed over the braggart, Cheetah, they perform a touching act of kindness toward him that gives the story an entirely deeper dimension that speaks to revenge and true friendship.
Which big race?
The one I always win because I am big and fast and you always lose because you are little and cats?
His friends (two little cats) tell Cheetah this year they are having a lot of races so that everyone can win. Cheetah is still confident HE will win ALL the races. The cats take him through the Flower Jumping Race, the Pie-Eating Race, the Ice Cream Sundae-Eating Race, the Yarn Pouncing Race and a Mind-Reading Guessing Race. As Cheetah competes against his two friends they award him special "winner" shoes (big boxes), victory balloons and a too-big crown that falls over his eyes as he brags about his victories and they giggle behind their hands.
By the time they arrive at the final Great Big Race, Cheetah is a disaster. The reader enjoys seeing Cheetah's bragging create his own downfall at the hands of the clever kittens. The big, bright illustrations help create the chaotic atmosphere for Cheetah that ultimately decides the winner of The Big Race. The added piece of this story for me was that after the clever kittens have triumphed over the braggart, Cheetah, they perform a touching act of kindness toward him that gives the story an entirely deeper dimension that speaks to revenge and true friendship.
fairislemeadow's review
3.0
Cute and funny, but with ultimately mixed messages. Cheetah doesn't really have any redeemable qualities, so why do the kittens still want to be friends with him? Even though the kittens won the big race, they felt sorry for cheetah and let him think that he won. I can appreciate the sympathy, but afterwards cheetah doesn't seem to learn a lesson from it; he continues on, unaware. Is this book saying that we should always give in to bullies? Let jerks have their way?
booksnwhiskey's review
5.0
i love every bob shea book. cute drawings, funny little stories, and my daughter loves them just as much as i do!
wordnerd153's review
3.0
Silly story about competition that had my daughter cracking up. Wish Cheetah learned his lesson at the end.
maidmarianlib's review against another edition
4.0
A fine story about hubris and friendship. I like how it is all in dialogue and how the color of the text tells you who is talking.
elllie's review
2.0
Meh. I felt as if this book was trying to teach a lesson and then it completely didn't teach a lesson. Cheetah was an egotistical jerk and the other kitties were mean about putting him in his place and then they felt bad about it and Cheetah never learned that he shouldn't be such an egotistical, meany-head jerk.