CATawampus! A Story of Shapes

Math-loving kittens race to build the best robot as they compete in a STEM day at school in this playful picture book that demonstrates the key math concept of identifying shapes.

It’s a wonderful day—because it’s STEM day! Kitties are challenged to build a robot and use the wind to make it move. With circles, squares, triangles, and rectangles, the kitties do their best to tape, glue, and paste—but oh no! The robot won’t move. How might these disorderly cats make sense of all these shapes and build a successful robot? 

Author Ann Marie Stephens draws upon more than 30 years of teaching experience to ensure that readers absorb math while having fun in the adventure-filled CATastrophe Tale series. And Jenn Harney’s hilarious and energetic illustrations capture the antics of these enthusiastic kittens.

Each book in the CATastrophe Tale series includes helpful back matter, which shows readers that, just like the kittens, they use mathematical skills in their everyday lives. Additional titles in the series include CATastrophe!: A Story of Patterns and sCATtered!: A Story of Estimation.

Ann Marie Stephens is the author of the Arithmechicks series as well as contributing writer for Kwame Alexander’s The Write Thing. She was an elementary school teacher for more than 30 years.

Jenn Harney is an illustrator and toy designer. She is the illustrator of Probably a Narwhal, Never Trumpet with a Crumpet, and “Smelly” Kelly and His Super Senses: How James Kelly’s Nose Saved the New York City Subway, among others. Her work has been featured in Highlights for Children magazine.