“Space Cat Meets Mars“ by Ruthven Todd with illustrations by Paula Galdone is the third book in the space cat series, first published in 1952.

Space cat Flyball and his human pal, Colonel Fred, leave Venus and head to Mars where more weirdness awaits. The oxygen in the atmosphere on Mars only works during the daylight hours, so flyball is forced to keep track of the time. Along with strange mice and fish, he also meets the last cat on Mars.

These books, while scientifically inaccurate, are still a lot of fun to read. The illustrations are great, and I’ve enjoyed reading the series.

I received a free ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

A cat that goes to Mars and also falls in love. A fun, imaginative tale.

Space Cat is back in the third volume of this 1950's era children's book!

Flyball is now a seasoned 'space cat', flying regularly between the Earth and the moon and having now visited Venus as well. So when the rocketship is caught in the gravity of an asteroid, Flyball trusts his human captain, Colonel Fred Stone, to do the mathematical figuring to get them out of any trouble. But maybe Colonel Stone could use some better luck because they are thrown off course and headed to Mars.

Mars turns out to be a pretty fascinating planet, with giant mushrooms and lakes with plenty of fish. But Mars holds an even bigger surprise for Flyball ... Moofa. Moofa is a female feline - a native Martian! With stripes running the long way down her body and a beautiful red coat of fur, Flyball is quite smitten with her. Flyball and Moofa strike up a friendship and when Flyball takes her back to his ship to meet Fred, the Colonel welcomes her aboard.

This book is equally as outrageous as the previous two books when it comes to the science involved. But this book was written at a time when space travel of any sort was still just science fiction, but also the idea of visiting the moon or the planets was looking like it become more and more likely, fueling much speculation.

This book was also written at a time when telling a fun, fantastic story for children was key. Today's children's books appear to need an educational element.

The story is just plain fun. Flyball is a character that kids will smile at and even the youngest will understand, on some level, the implications of meeting a pretty girl cat.

I enjoyed this book. Ruthven Todd's story moves along nicely, keeping the young reader turning pages to find out what happens next, and Paul Galdone's art - very typical of the 1950's children's book style - is whimsical and eye-catching.

Looking for a good book? Space Cat Meets Mars by Ruthven Todd and Paul Galdone is a delightful children's re-print from the 1950's that is simply fun to read.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

Super cute book about the adventures of Flyball, a cat who happens to be an astronaut. This is his fourth adventure with his human, Colonel Fred, in which their trip home from Venus turns into an emergency landing on Mars, leading to them meeting Moofa, the last Martian cat. Originally published in 1957, the science of space travel doesn't exactly match up with our current reality, but that's just part of the fun. Gorgeous illustrations by Paul Galdone add a perfect touch to Ruthven Todd's wonderful story.

This is a new edition of a series of stories written in the 1950's about a cat who travels to space with his human companion, Col. Fred. The series is remarkable since space exploration was in it's infancy at the time. It is an adorable story about a cat's adventures in space. Brilliantly imagined I don't think the reader would ever guess that it was written so long ago. Many of the ideas are still science fiction yet to be realized.
The cat in the story is as precocious and curious as any cat today and his descriptions of the alien landscape from a cat's eye view is wonderful. There is action and suspense and perhaps a little romance involved. It is totally told from the cat's point of view - cats allow humans to care for them. The series is a delightful refreshing read!!!!

Thank you to NetGallley for providing me with a free digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This is an interesting book because it was originally written 60 years ago before there was extensive knowledge of space. The illustrations are nice and compliment the story. It is a good book for early readers who aren’t quite ready for full chapter books yet.

Princess Fuzzypants here: Flyball is now an experienced Space Cat as he and his human pal fly around the Solar System. They are on their way home from Venus where they meet intelligent plants but get thrown off course and end up landing on Mars where Fred can do repairs. Flyball with the curiosity of all of us felines, explores and meets all sorts of interesting life. But the best part is he meets a girl cat, the last cat on Mars. The two become friends as she shows him the “ropes”
When the Space Cat books first came out, space travel was a dream and we knew so little about our neighbouring planets. Obviously, this is a whimsical story full of imagination and fun. If you can suspend whatever knowledge we have accumulated in the intervening decades, it is a lot of fun. Flyball and his friends are delightful. The years and science have not dimmed the pleasure.
I give it five purrs and two paws up.

I had a blast reading Space Cat Meets Mars. Even though Flyball and Fred hadn’t planned on landing here, this cat tries to make the best out of the situation. He decides to explore this planet, and sees some amazing things. He runs into giant insects, strange mice and a creature that truly takes his breath away. This encounter will surely change his life forever. If you liked the previous Space Cat stories, then you will definitely will want to check this one out.

Originally written in 1957, Dover has republished, Space Cat Meets Mars for a new generation to enjoy. Colonel Fred Stone and his cat, Flyball, are travelling on the spaceship Halley at the start of another space adventure. The book is written from Flyball's perspective (who is under the impression that humans exist to serve cats).

Fred and Flyball are on their way back home after visiting Venus, when Fred realizes that something is wrong. Something seems to be pulling them off their course home. In order to the save the ship, Fred routes them to Mars to make some necessary repairs to the ship.

Once on Mars, Flyball starts exploring the planet and finds a very interesting new friend. After getting acquainted, Flyball doesn't want to say good-bye. Kids will enjoy reading about the adventures of Fred and Flyball and their exploration of Mars. The illustrations by Paul Galdone are amazing and will draw children into the story about this interesting human/feline duo.

Space Cat Meets Mars is a great book for early readers who have graduated from picture books and are starting to tackle chapter books. Having illustrations sprinkled throughout offers a wonderful bridge between picture and chapter books. This imaginative tale is wholesome and humorous and would be a great bedtime read over several nights. Thank you, Dover, for bringing such a wonderful book back into print!

Disclaimer: I received a digital copy of Space Cat Meets Mars from NetGalley for the purpose of review. No other compensation was received.

The Space Cat series has a wonderful nostalgia today: written before we actually had much information about the Moon, Venus, Mars, Ruthven Todd was able to create fantastical worlds for kids. Of course, we know none of this is possible now but at the time, it was wonderful to think of what might be on the vast unexplored galaxy.

In Space Cat Meets Mars, Space Cat and his astronaut friend are returning from Venus when they are thrown off course and end up on Mars. There, Flyball meets his match and romance ensues.

The illustrations are as wonderful as ever and Flyball is as quirky and 'catty' as always. In all, just great fun to read to kids and reminisce of younger and more innocent days.

This was a delightful read. Reminded me of the books I read as a child during the space race. Only problem I had - and its a small one - cause I delighted in the story as it was I am afraid of todays' kids would take exception to how the story doesn't match the facts about Mars that we now know. But a fun read regardless.