Lola and the Rent-a-Cat

by Ceseli Josephus Jitta (Illustrator)

After the death of her husband John, Lola finds the days long and empty. One day she goes online and discovers www.rentacat.com. How will she choose which cat to rent, and could this be the start of a beautiful new friendship? Ceseli Josephus Jitta's delightful illustrations will amuse young and old alike, while the ultimately uplifting story of how a very old lady finds life is worth living after bereavement can be used to gently introduce very young children to the subject of old age and death.Translated from the Dutch, Lola and the Rent-a-Cat has been nominated for several prizes and translated into four languages.

Genres: Picture Books, Death

32 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2006

Reviews

[Peacegal · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is such a bittersweet little picture book. It’s the story of Lola, an elderly woman who loses her husband after fifty-six years together. Lola feels alone in her bereavement until she goes online, discovers a site called “rentacat.com,” and chooses an older feline with whom she can share her life with. We watch as the new cat, Tim, provides companionship, laughs, and love for the woman.

This book has so many great things going for it: respect and understanding for the elderly, the human-animal bond, and “second chance” pets. It would be a fine read-aloud choice, although adults may find themselves getting more than a little misty. For the grownup set Lola inevitably brings up thoughts about aging and eventually losing one’s spouse.

My only concern is that I wish Lola would have adopted Tim instead of “renting” him, but one gets the feeling at the end of this book that the cat isn’t going anywhere.

[Shawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sad, but sweet story about Lola who loses her husband, John, after 56 years together. But then she discovers that she can rent-a-cat and she's not so lonely.

Really more sad than sweet, I thought. The pictures show John laying on the floor and "his heart stops beating." Then it shows the casket being carried away. But - this was first published in Belgium, and perhaps they are more open with children about death than we are in America.

With what appears to be a legit website to rent-a-cat - this one has left me with some investigating to do!

[Candice · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is definitely and absolutely not for every child. Lola and John have been married for 56 years and they do everything together. But John gets old, feeble, and forgetful, and eventually he falls over and his heart stops beating. The illustrations show John lying on the floor as Lola looks sadly on. Perhaps if a child has recently experienced the death of a grandparent, this might be an appropriate book to read, but it does seem a bit too graphic for most children of picture book age. After John dies, Lola is lonely, so she gets on the computer to rent-a-cat.com and chooses Tim as her cat. The pictures of the cats, and the descriptions are very amusing. Once Tim arrives, Lola and Tim are happy together and as Tim snuggles in Lola's lap, she sits and reminisces about "the old days."

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't want to like this book because of the reason that Lola is lonely. I, with my American sensibilities, was a little shocked by the early pages of this book and I was very tempted to stop reading it -- out loud, to my young son. But I didn't. Because the cat on the cover looks like our Buster Cat.

And when Tim, the cat, was introduced, my son started calling him Buster-Tim, and the story made perfect sense.

This is a very sweet story. It is also like none I've read before. I have read picture books that deal with death, but not in such a sad and graphic way. I'm not saying that is bad; it isn't. It's just that I could see a lot of my father in John, the husband, and that made the story that much sadder for me.

[Alicia · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a sad story even though it has a somewhat pleasant ending. I think it could be useful to parents who are trying to explain to their child why his or her grandparent is feeling or behaving they way they are after losing his/her spouse. Although a cat or pet is not always the "answer" in these situations, a child may realize that affection or companionship is something he or she can also provide to help them through this tough time. Or a child will want to go purchase a cat. With a little guidance, this book could be very helpful. Without guidance, this book could create more issues than were present at the start.

[Alyson (Kid Lit Frenzy)]

This seems like more of a picture book for adults than kids.

[Nina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely love this book. It deals with grieving and loss in a very touching way.