Anyone who has read this blog for any length of time knows what kind of critter is my idea of a purrrfect animal companion. So imagine how happy I was to find four cat books for our younger readers.
I bet you encountered Dr. Seuss's The Cat in the Hat as a child or parent. It's enjoyed great popularity since it was first published in 1957. More recently we've seen a movie version. I mean who can resist the Cat and chums Thing One and Thing Two?
Fortunately our friends at Random House have published a new board book, I Am the Cat in the Hat, celebrating one of America's favorite felines. The old Cat, every bit as dapper as he was sixty-five years ago, gives a tour of his very unique world. I predict this volume will be a much requested read aloud.
I love cosplaying as the Cat in the Hat. Last fall I let my inner feline loose at UMaine Friends and Family weekend and at Halloween on campus and at a trunk or treat. If you're lucky I'll share a picture.
Families with cats realize that they are fabulous but flawed. In This Little Kitty, a charming picture book with lively illustrations, Karen Obuhanych follows a litter of kittens through a typical day. They wake up hungry and devour breakfast before playing with their human and napping in a ray of sun. Newly refreshed, it's time to climb curtains, claw up a chair, try human food, nap in flower pots...
This purrrfect book will be a favorite with families who share space with at least one cat. It can help kids realize other people's kitties also terrorize the fish or hack up hairballs.
Tobago tested the concept of gravity her first Christmas tree with us. Now Eugene is very careful when he secures the Christmas tree. He isn't going to buy a new sofa until she decides that our ancient one is not a scratching post. So not gonna happen. But right now the two of them are snuggled up watching their TV shows.
Moving up to juvenile graphic novels we have a couple of Mason Dickerson's Housecat Trouble volumes. Buster is the beloved and pampered companion of a blue haired girl. She keeps his food bowl full and his litter box clean.
In the initial volume Buster's girl goes away for the night, probably assuming nothing bad can happen. A passing grey cat warns him that evil spirits have invaded his house. Buster is skeptical until he sees them. Two street cats, Chauncey and Nova, come to his rescue. The three go in quest of shadeberries, encountering scary advisories. And that's only the first step in exorcising the spirits that are gleefully trashing Buster's home.
This is a book that kids and adults can enjoy. The action is lively. The cats and other critters are very expressive. Although the humor is quite child accessible, there are lines that adults will find especially humorous as in when Buster decides to watch TV so he won't have to think.
In the sequel, Housecat Trouble: Lost And Found, Buster wakes up in the middle of the night to see an unfamiliar white kitten who doesn't remember where he lives. Actually he doesn't even remember his name. (Buster dubs him Onion.) Buster offers to help him find his home in the morning.
Only in escaping from a big, fierce looking dog Buster loses Onion. It's a good thing Chauncey and Nova show up. In his quest to find his new friend and bring him home Buster is going to run into ample danger in the form of an overzealous dog (and cat) catcher...
...and more of those pesky evil spirits.
Let's hope there are more Housecat Trouble books in the future. Kids will love them, even those who adults label reluctant readers.
On a purrrsonal note, with our kids grown and flown, Eugene and I focus our parenting on our rescue cat, Tobago. She's been with us three years now. True she can't break the sofa shredding habit, gets into stuff she shouldn't, and hacks up the occasional hairball. But our family life would be far less rich and vibrant without her in it. (Jules).
I've been in my home about half my life now. I'm experienced enough to know that you can't expect people to be purrrfect. Mine keep me on a diet to prevent something they call diabetes, keep the door to outside (and all those tasty looking birds) shut, and yell when I sharpen my claws on that old sofa. But at the end of the day, especially a really cold day I'm glad to have them to snuggle up with. (Tobago).
A great big shout out goes out to house cats and the people who treasure them.
Tobago and Jules Hathaway
Sent from my U.S.Cellular© Smartphone
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