Children's Lit Titles in Latin (Pt 5) Cats & Dogs Quiz

Answer: Centum et Unus Dalmatici

Centum is Latin for "one hundred", et is "and", and Unus means "one." Dalmatici is the plural form of "Dalmatian," referring to the breed of dog.

Written by Dodie Smith in 1956, "The Hundred and One Dalmatians" tells the story of a two Dalmatians named Pongo and Missis who belong to a London couple Mr. and Mrs. Dearly. After Missis gives birth to a litter of 15 puppies, a cruel wealthy woman named Cruella de Vil, encounters her old schoolmate of Mrs. Dearly and the Dalmatians. Cruella is obsessed with fur coats and offers to buy the puppies. Her offer is rejected, so Cruella sets out to kidnap the Dalmatians in order to make a fur coat of them. A dramatic rescue adventures ensue! I bet you spotted that from a mile away.

Answer: Vadumadrupem, Canis Magnus Rube

Using a great deal of poetic license here, the English name "Clifford" mean "ford by a cliff." Translating "ford by a cliff" into Latin yields: "Vadum" for "ford" or "shallow place in a river", "Ad" for "by" or "at", and "Rupem", the accusative form of rupes, meaning "cliff" or "rock." Squish them together just as the name "Clifford" has squished "ford by a cliff" together, and we get the name, Vadumadrupem. For "Big Red Dog" we have: "Canis" meaning "dog", "Magnus" meaning "big" and Ruber meaning "red."

'Clifford the Big Red Dog" by Norman Bridwell was published in 1963, and tells the story of a girl named Emily Elizabeth who receives a small red puppy named Clifford for Christmas. Emily's love and care are so great that Clifford's growth matches her care and he grows into a giant dog- one that catches cars instead of just chasing them.

Answer: Feles Coloratae

"Feles" means "kittens" or can also be "cats", and "coloratae" refers to "colored."

"The Color Kittens" is one of the Little Golden Book series, and was written in 1949 by Margaret Wise Brown. It was illustrated by Alice and Martin Provensen. It's the story of two green-eyed color kittens named Brush and Hush, who experiment mixing colors to try and create their favorite color, green. It functions as a nice primer for children in learning what colors result from mixing various different color combinations.

Answer: Cattulus Lentus Parvus

"Cattulus" means "puppy," or "young dog." "Pigro" or "Tardus" can mean slow or sluggish, which might work for "Poky" but the puppy in the story seems more curious than sluggish, as it lags behind exploring stuff. So, perhaps "Lentus" conveys a less judgy idea of being slow or poky (?). In either case, "parvus" means "little."

Written by Janette Sebring Lowrey and illustrated by Gustaf Tengren, "The Poky Little Puppy" is one of the twelve original Little Golden Books, and it came out in 1942. Five little puppies dig a hole under the fence in their backyard and head out into the world, but one of the puppies is slower than the others. When they get ahead of him at the top of a hill, the "poky" puppy smells some rice pudding at the bottom. The other puppies race back home for supper, but they get punished for sneaking out. No dessert for you! The slow puppy gets back home after mother has gone to bed, and gets to eat all the rice pudding. This happens several times. Lesson learned kids! Being tardy bears rewards!

Answer: I, Canis, I!

The title "Go, Dog, Go!" might be translated into Latin as "I, Canis, I!" since "I" means "Go", and "Canis" means "Dog".

Published in 1961, "Go, Dog, Go!" was written and illustrated by P.D. Eastman, and features a group of dogs as they playfully engage in various adventures, that teach young readers about movement, color, and social interaction. A pink dog and a yellow dog drive cars, play games, and prepare for a party, which we find out takes place at the top of a tree.

Answer: Bonus Canis, Carole

"Bonus" means "good" in Latin, serving as an adjective to describe the "Canis" which is Latin for "dog." "Carolus" is the Medieval Latin equivalent of the name "Carl" and in Latin where the vocative form of a noun appears as in addressing Carl, the name takes on an "e" end instead of "us".


"Good Dog, Carl" is a children's picture book that is mostly without words, relying on detailed illustrations by the author Alexandra Day. It was published in 1985, and relates the story of a Rottweiler named Carl who babysits the little girl Madeleine of the family after the mother leaves the house. Dog and girl have fun playing, making a bit of a mess but restoring order just in time.

Answer: Iohanna et Cattae Collegium

"Iohanna" is the Biblical Latin form of the name Jenny, and "Jenny" is derived from "Jane," which comes from "Johanna." The Latin word for "and" is "et." "The Cat Club" can be translated as "Cattae Collegium" with "Cattae" meaning "cats," and "Collegium" in Latin referring to a group of people united by a common interest.

Written by Esther Averill the book follows a shy black cat named Jenny Linsky, who lives with her keeper, Captain Tinker, in Greenwich Village, New York City. Jenny when she comes across a group of cats, that meet up regularly in Captain Tinker's yard, the neighborhood's exclusive Cat Club.

Answer: Harricus Canis Sordidus

A suitable translation for "Harry the Dirty Dog" in Latin could be "Harricus Canis Sordidus." "Harricus" is a Latinized form of "Harry," "Canis" means "dog," and "Sordidus" translates to "dirty" describing the condition of the dog, as opposed to being under-handed or perverted. It's a children's book after all!

The titular Harry runs away from home to avoid being given a bath in this 1956 children's lit book. Written by Gene Zion and illustrated by Margaret Bloy Graham, Harry only gets even dirtier during his adventures in the city, turning from a white dog with black spots into a black dog with white spots. So dirty his family doesn't even recognize him.

Answer: Sibilare Pro Wille

Breaking it down we have the Latin verb for "to whistle" being "sibilare", and it is the verb because the book is about a boy named Peter who want to be able to whistle for his dog; so it's not a physical whistle toy for a dog. The Latin word for "for" can be translated as "pro" and "Wille" is a Latinized form of the name Willie.

Written and illustrated by Ezra Jack Keats in 1964, young Peter sees an older boy whistling for his own dog, and this sparks a desire in Peter to be able to whistle for his dog Willie. But he has difficulty doing it. He perseveres though, trying every possible tactic he can think of, even silly ones. Finally though he succeeds, a nice lesson for children in stick-to-it-tiveness.

Answer: Petrus Feles: Amō Calceamenta Mea Alba

"Petrus" is a Latinized equivalent of the name "Pete" while "Feles" translates to "cat" in Latin. "Amō" means "I love," the first-person singular form. Then, "Mea" is "my," indicating possession, and "Calceamenta" means "shoes," in a broad sense, while "Alba" is "white," the color of the shoes.

"Pete The Cat: I Love My White Shoes" is written by Eric Litwin, and illustrated by James Dean. This book is the first one in a series of Pete the Cat books. Amongst the other books are "Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons", "Pete the Cat: Rocking in My School Shoes" and dozens of others. In this one, a cat named Pete has white shoes become dirty after stepping in lots of different things, but "Pete never loses his cool"- what else would we expect from a cat illustrated by James Dean?