Harvey and the Collection of Impossible Things

This was a precious little story! I loved the emphasis on both the importance of being brave, as well as the different ways that we can be! Harvey is immediately lovable, and I enjoyed watching him grow and learn.

This was a sweet and funny middle-grade book that I would recommend my local library purchase. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. I loved that it was told through the eyes of a cat. Brilliant and charming!

This was a cute book about the adventures of a street cat. Harvey, and whom he meets on the way.. Harvey has a list of “Impossible Things” he creates which are tasks he hopes to complete before he finds a home. Along the way, he encounters many people, other animals, and dangers that homeless animals often face. He learns that there’s lots of good out in the world despite the bad. I enjoyed this book, and I would definitely purchase this for my children.

Thank you for this ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts.

I loved the cover and title of this book. It is the story of a stray cat who struggles to survive and find a home. The story begins and ends with a list Harvey makes, and you can see the progress he makes by the end of the tale. This book would interest animal lovers but also might be difficult for sensitive readers as there are some harsh elements in this. Still, the concept that there impossible things can become possible is one well worth learning. #HarveyAndTheCollectionOfImpossibleThings #NetGalley

Oh Harvey. Oh Chester. This wonderful story really made me appreciate the security in my life.

An eye-catching and cute cover for a middle grade novel about a young cat growing up and being housing and food insecure, being alone, and feeling lonely, worrying about your family, and frightened because of those things. While I noticed the cover first, the title is what really piqued my interest.

Full disclosure - I had to stop reading this at one point because I’m sensitive and it got to me. That being said, this novel really drew me in and I wanted to see what happened to Harvey and the other animals.

I think that children and parents will love Harvey and his story; this is a strong recommendation from me.

** Note for parents of sensitive children, this book has off-page animal deaths, food insecurity, and homelessness.

Great book that will make you feel every emotion felt by Harvey; will definitely purchase and recommend!

Harvey and the Collection of Impossible Things
By Garret Weyr

A Captivating and Thought-provoking story

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

SUMMARY
Harvey is a gray-striped street cat who lives in a big city all by himself under the great big blue sky. The sky is his favorite part about being a city cat. He searches for food and safety every day among the city’s dumpsters and drainpipes. He doesn’t believe he is either brave or fierce, but each day he has to battle with territorial animals, fast-moving cars, and boys with sticks. It takes a lot of courage to live on the streets.

When Harvey meets a kind lady in a blue shirt who makes a safe space for him, he must rethink his idea of home. Harvey’s friends, Chester the Dog, and three sparrows, Flippy, Mippy, and Kippy, help him learn that trusting and helping others is the bravest thing you can do.


REVIEW
Harvey and the Collection of Impossible Things is a delightful middle-grade children’s story of bravery and helpfulness. The writing is captivating and thought-provoking. Harvey’s experiences are the same as the many homeless cats on the streets today.

Kids and their parents will fall in love with Harvey and his humble manner. Harvey is polite, clean, and thoughtful. My favorite parts of the book are the conversations between Harvey and Chester. Chester is indeed a wise soul, and he gives excellent advice.

Author Garret Weyr is the author of eight previous novels, including The Language of Spells. The illustrator is Minnie Phan. Both Weyr and Phan live in California. Thanks to Chronicle Books and Netgalley for an advance reading copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Publisher Chronicle Books
Published April 19, 2022
Review www.bluestockingreviews.com

This was a delightful read. I think it will be very appealing to readers who love animals who are looking for a small step up from transition chapter books. At about 150 pages with illustrations it’s not overwhelming to a 3rd or 4th grade reader. It’s also not too scary, sad, or perilous as some animal stories can be.
Most of all I love the conversation that you can have after reading about vulnerability, trust, asking for help, and bravery. In a time of anxiety and isolation this is a great tool for conversation.

This book follows Harvey, a kindhearted stray cat who is trying to survive life in the city. Harvey has created a list for himself of things he would like to accomplish - his collection of impossible things. Throughout the story we follow his adventures and he tries to complete everything on this list.

This book was honestly so cute. Harvey is such a lovable character and great role model (even if he’s a cat) and the story has really sweet messages. I love that we get to see Harvey’s list change throughout the story as his priorities change and as he learns more about life.

Overall, I would highly recommend this book to children’s and middle grade readers.

This is a sweet, heartwarming story in the vein of Stuart Little or Charlotte's Web about a street cat who is trying to stay safe, find food, and find his family. Along the way he meets humans who are not kind to animals, contends with dogs and cats who want him out of their turf, and weather conditions such as wind, snow and rain.

There are good animals and people too, however. And soon we are introduced to a dog who lets him have shelter from the rain, pigeons who tell him where his sister is, and a woman in a blue shirt who offers him food and companionship.

This is such a sweet book, especially for fans of Catwings by Ursula K. Leguin. I highly recommend it for all ages.

Harvey is a city cat struggling to stay alive. He’s not the most courageous cat, which in the world of feral animals can be a danger. When the woman in the blue shirt “adopts” him and lets him live on the roof of her apartment building he learns kindness is as important as courage. He likes having someone to depend on. As Harvey tells his story, he introduces the reader to the friends he has. The three sparrows and Chester, the dog, with his wise advice are true friends. This is a solid beginning chapter book that would provide a great prompt for writing a story from a single point of view.

I really do not know how to rate this book, so I gave it 4 stars. It is a children's book, but I am not sure which age group. Some of the topics in this story may be disturbing to very young or sensitive children, especially "splat". The author is trying to make a point about the dangers faced by stray domestic pet animals. He includes comments about adopting, spay/neuter, etc. in the author's note. The story makes the author's point. This story includes some very sad elements, which is the unfortunate reality of the subject of the book. It has a happy ending that should convince readers, young and old, that pet animals are not better off on the street. So, mission accomplished.
The story is narrated from the POV of Harvey, the cat. He interacts with various other animals and people. All of it feels very believable.
This book would offer plenty of material for discussion among children who are more mature and able to handle some of the more realistic and upsetting issues addressed in this book.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.

A sweet little story about Harvey, a city cat, that learns to trust humans.
When I started to read this book, I felt it was almost too sad and too harsh for a sensitive child. I figured that it would turn out okay, because after all it is written for children and there is a lesson to be learned. But I felt like it would traumatize my granddaughter; but of course life CAN be harsh. Parents may want to preview this book before giving it to sensitive children to read. It IS a lovely story, but I myself felt so sad reading the beginning.

This is a very short and cute children’s book about a cat who’s trying to not only survive but also find himself through that survival. Harvey’s trying the whole book to be exactly what his mother told him to be and doesn’t want to stray from that at all despite the fact that lifestyle clearly isn’t meant for him. He learns as the book goes on that it’s okay to have different experiences and pick a life that works best for you, which is a great lesson for children to read. He learns that every path isn’t meant for everyone. He ends up happy living in a home while his friend is happy staying on the streets, and both options are okay to them. I also like the light it paints on stray animals. Their life is full of struggles and, often times, death. It gets a bit dark for a kids book, but it’s important to remember that animals on the streets are still living creatures. Wonderful, cute little book.