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June 2022: Cats
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Beverly, former Miscellaneous Club host
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Jun 02, 2022 08:09PM
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And now I'll see what I can request at my local library.
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"not a cat" seems to be a popular trope
so does "cat and dog are opposites."
Also was reminded of the classic Millions of Cats but that's as much about the old couple as it is about the cats.
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"not a cat" seems to be a popular trope
so does "cat and dog are opposites."
Also was reminded of the classic Millions of Cats but..."
What I also always thought of Millions of Cats is that you can also consider it an early environmental book regarding how feral cats overwhelm ecosystems.
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Hah! I never thought of that, but it's an *excellent* observation!
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Hah! I never though..."
An environmental fable is the first thing that crossed my mind when I read Millions of Cats.
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I absolutely adore both the illustrations and the entire concept of Brendan Wenzel's imaginative and in my opinion oh so true They All Saw a Cat (as everyone, from humans to diverse animal species will by nature see and perceive a given image, in this case a cat, differently, based on both how one's eyes are physically, biologically constructed and how one emotionally and perhaps even philosophically visualises a cat, well actually anything, for that matter). And thus, some of the animals who see the cat will perceive the roaming feline as potential prey (like the fox and perhaps even the dog) while others will perceive the cat as a dangerous predator, even a potential monster (like the depiction of how the mouse sees and considers the cat, a vision straight out of a horror movie, but very apt and in my opinion realistic). Personally though, I most appreciate how the bee is illustrated as seeing the cat (as this demonstrates that insects with their very differently conceptualised and constructed eyes will see a cat, will see anything, as mostly tiny points).
However and actually, EVERY illustration of They All Saw a Cat is indeed simply superb and marvellous, and aside from being a colourful and expressive visual treat, the illustrations as a whole lend themselves very well to enlightening and perhaps even academic discussions on and about both differences of perception (that the latter are often something entirely personal and that everyone therefore also perceives, also sees differently) and that animals (form humans to worms and fleas) all have different types and styles of eyes, of visual organs, with thus different modes and manners of visualisation (biologically and physiologically). And how one is able to see is also, is itself, based on not only perception and biology/physiology but also, naturally, on one's immediate surroundings (for example, when the fish sees the cat, it sees a distortional image due to water, just like the cat later sees itself as similarly and equally distorted when it looks back at its face reflected in a pool of water). Highly recommended and not just for children either!
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When I noticed the publication date of 1985 for Sneakers, the Seaside Cat, I at first thought that this is yet another picture book published decades after Margaret Wise Brown’s early death in 1952 (and gleaned from manuscripts that were found amongst her papers). But after reading my Goodreads friend Michael Fitzgerald’s review, it seems that Sneakers, the Seaside Cat is in fact an abridged version of a Margaret Wise Brown short story titled Sneakers Finds the Sea and which was included in a 1955 anthology featuring stories about a cat called Sneakers and with the rather mundane book title of Sneakers: Seven Stories About a Cat Named Sneakers (still published posthumously of course, but much earlier than the Margaret Wise Brown picture books that have been published decades after her death and sometimes still are being published even now).
While I have not (yet) had the opportunity to read Sneakers Finds the Sea and to compare it with Sneakers, the Seaside Cat (as I have had no success thus far trying to track down a free online copy of Sneakers: Seven Stories About a Cat Named Sneakers), after realising upon finding Michael Fitzgerald’s review that the latter is in fact an abridgement of the former, I do now understand why Margaret Wise Brown’s words in Sneakers, the Seaside Cat tend to feel rather choppy and incomplete, as her original narrative has obviously been considerably shortened. And albeit that feline Sneakers discovering the seashore and its sights and sounds is still generally enjoyable and sufficiently atmospheric, the presented text also does read like there are some rather major holes with the narrative, or rather with Margaret Wise Brown’s abridged and shortened by some editor’s text, with the general storyline of Sneakers, the Seaside Cat feeling a bit choppy and not all that smooth, resulting in a rather mundane and tedious reading experience which not even Anne Mortimer’s bright and evocative sea and ocean themed illustrations (and with Sneakers certainly being depicted delightfully and like a typical curious feline) can raise above a very low and rather grudging three star rating.
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While the recurring and repeated juxtaposition of fictional narrative and non fictional explanation regarding general cat (feline) behaviour has certainly been interesting and also very much enlightening (and that yes, Susan Bonners artwork is also sweetly and expressively rendered and as such very much realistic with regard to how cats look and how they tend to behave, how they tend to act, although personally, I would definitely have preferred the accompanying illustrations to be in black and white as somehow the use of colour kind of seems to make the drawings really flat and one dimensional ), on an entirely personal level, I do have one huge and very much major issue with Why Does the Cat Do That?. For honestly, I am indeed rather massively and right from the first page of Why Does the Cat Do That? frustrated and annoyed that Susan Bonners has in her fiction section both Molly the cat’s owners and young house-sitter Bob obviously think that there is nothing at all wrong with letting domestic cats roam outside. And well, considering how much of a threat outside cats or even inside cats that are periodically but consistently allowed to freely roam are to especially native songbirds, I am really more than a bit ticked off that Susan Bonners obviously does not seem to think that this is in any manner problematic, as none of her printed words ever even remotely touch on the fact that cats which are allowed to roam outdoors are often really not a positive thing for in particular native bird species and ecosystems.
And thus, even though I do think that Why Does the Cat Do That? provides both a nice combination of text and image and much relevant information regarding feline behaviour, that author and illustrator Susan Bonners never even with one word considers the ecological issues posed by domestic cats roaming outside, this has most definitely very much lessened my potential reading pleasure (and to the point of me only considering two stars maximum, as indeed, Why Does the Cat Do That? also contains no bibliographical information whatsoever, and in my humble opinion, this certainly does rather limit the teaching and learning value of Why Does the Cat Do That? and in particular regarding the non fiction feline behaviour explanatory sections and is also something that I always have trouble understanding).
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I will have to unilaterally point out and say that really and for me on a personal and emotional level, the ONLY (and very minuscule at that) positive about Audobon Cat is Susan Bonners' accompanying artwork, which is delightfully lush and colourfully realistic whilst at the same time also maintaining an esoteric sense of emotionality (and yes, Susan Bonners' many bird illustrations are truly outstanding and absolute visual treasures in every way, and Hilda the cat is also wonderfully and mischievously drawn).
But indeed, Mary Calhoun's narrative, it and right from the very beginning of Audobon Cat has totally and utterly rubbed me the WRONG proverbial way with regard to its contents and thematics. For while according to Mary Calhoun's printed words, while according to the presented and featured text of Audubon Cat feline Hilda's owners are supposedly members of the Audobon Society and thus avid bird watchers, they obviously and in my opinion totally disgustingly and irresponsibly still think nothing at all wrong with leaving their pet cat completely alone for an entire weekend as they go traipsing around the countryside enjoying the fall foliage and watching for birds, and also allowing Hilda to roam outside, to actively stalk and likely kill birds (and well, in my opinion, domestic cats should entirely or at least mostly be inside cats, and albeit that I actually do like and appreciate cats as companion animals, I definitely have huge issues with feral and/or outside cats and really tend to more and more actively despise those cat owners who willfully permit their pets to roam, to be outside for any extended length and period of time).
So indeed, one of Hilda's human family members actually and in fact calling her Audubon Cat (because she supposedly is such a good and avid bird watcher), I personally have in fact found this appellation at best problematic and even rather majorly insulting, since outside roaming cats are really not ever bird watchers but dedicated and often totally ruthless (sometimes even overkilling) bird hunters (and as non endemic species in many areas of the world, including the USA and Canada, often a serious and lasting threat to especially smaller songbirds, and to bird species not used to feline predation). And thus, while I am of course also very much happy that in Audubon Cat NONE of Hilda's bird hunting attempts are successful, well, in my opinion, Hilda should (in the first place) never have been put into a situation of being both able to go bird hunting outside and left alone by her owners to fend for herself, to catch an avian meal for herself (I mean, Hilda is actually depicted and described by author Mary Calhoun as almost being killed by a large bird of prey in one of the scenes of Audubon Cat, and all because her owners have left her alone and obviously do not really even care if Hilda stalks and kills birds whilst roaming around outside).
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In Caroline Stellings' The Malagawatch Mice and the Cat Who Discovered America, a large orange feline wearing a mysterious with the year 1398 inscribed token around his neck moves into the Nova Scotia (and erstwhile Mi'kmaw mission) church inhabited by the so-called Malagwatch Mice (a murine family with a sense and feel for both history and their own Scottish past). Declaring himself a never-do-well stray, Henry the Cat strives to live up to this and to make life as miserable and as difficult as possible for the Malagawatch Mice. But when the mouse family's patriarch, when Grandpa, visits his Mi'kmaw friends (who are also mice) he not only hears the Mi'kmaw legends and tales of Glooscap, but is also offered information and details on Prince Henry Sinclair of the Orkney Islands (who is said to have visited what is now the province of Nova Scotia in 1398, both making friends with the Mi'kmaw and leaving his cat with Glooscap, an orange coloured feline wearing a token around the neck commemorating 1398 as a celebration of respect and discovery). Will the stories the grandfather brings back to the Malagawatch Mice and to Henry convince the latter that he is special, that he is not just a no-good stray, but a bona fide descendant of Prince Henry Sinclair's (and later Gloocap's) cat and thus an individual of both historic and cultural significance?
Now while I have definitely found The Malagawatch Mice and the Cat Who Discovered America both textually and also illustratively engaging and enjoyable in many ways (and as a story in and of itself, readable, relatable and of both folkloric and historic interest, not to mention that how the Malagawatch Mice collectively decide to not only help themselves but to also help their nemesis Henry, this to and for me reads heartwarmingly and sweetly optimistically), there are also in my opinion a number of problematic or at least potentially problematic issues with The Malagawatch Mice and the Cat Who Discovered America. For one, while this story appears to be primarily geared towards younger readers, to a picture book audience, the rather large amount of text, Caroline Stellings' engaging but often rather dense and vocabulary heavy presented narrative, as well as the inclusion of many Scots Gaelic words (and the historical, cultural details, of course) might well and easily make The Malagawatch Mice and the Cat Who Discovered America into quite a reading and likely even a listening challenge for younger children (and even older children, even adult readers might indeed also be, like I have been, more than a bit frustrated that Caroline Stellings' has not included a pronunciation guide for the Gaelic words, that there is no author's note with supplemental historical and/or folkloric details, and also no bibliographical lists with suggestions for further reading and study at the back of The Malagawatch Mice and the Cat Who Discovered America).
And for two, and in my humble opinion much more of a potential issue (although likely also not a universal bone of contention either), I do feel rather personally uncomfortable that Caroline Stellings has both described and illustratively rendered Grandpa Mouse's Mi'kmaw friends as not only murine Native Canadians but also as wearing rather stereotypical "feathers" and residing in traditional teepees (for considering that the main storyline of The Malagawatch Mice and the Cat Who Discovered America seems to be taking place in recent times, in the 20th century, I do have to wonder if present day Mi'kmaw would not perhaps somewhat chafe at having their sacred legends of Glooscap related by a group of not only Native Canadian, not only Mi'kmaw mice but also by mice depicted as wearing both stereotypical "Indian" garb and even in the 20th century, supposedly living and residing in teepees). So yes indeed, while if I were to look and approach The Malagawatch Mice and the Cat Who Discovered America simply as a sweet story of redemption, respect and discovery, I would most likely be ranking the book with a high three or perhaps even four star rating, especially the to and for me potential scenarios of possible cultural appropriation and that I for one do not tend to believe that depicting the Mi'kmaw as Native Canadian rodents is really all that respectful, I can (even though I do feel more than a bit guilty about this) only consider a high two star ranking for The Malgawamtch Mice and the Cat Who Discovered America (and while I actually still recommend it, my recommendation must and does come with necessary reservations and caveats).
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Although part of me does definitely kind of wish that the accompanying illustrations (of the cats and of the cats' human family) were not just in very plain black and white, I definitely and certainly do still very much consider Elisha Cooper's Big Cat, Little Cat a strongly rated four star book for me, first and foremost because in author/illustrator Elisha Cooper's presented narrative, the simple, poignant but always gentle and yes optimistic message of life going on and of another and new cat coming along to restart the cycle of life and of one cat teaching the other the ins and outs, the ways and means of being a cat, has been so emotionally sweet and delightfully satisfying. And yes indeed, on the other hand, and if I do consider how the accompanying illustrations with their standard black and white hues also and totally mirror the simplicity of the narrative, of Elisha Cooper's printed words, even though I do tend to usually enjoy book illustrations considerably more if they are not just black and white but contain many if not a multitude of different colours, well yes, I do have to admit that in Big Cat, Little Cat the combination of the simple black and white pictures and the equally simple and straightforwardly lovely and heartfelt words do create a perfectly sweet and lovely marriage of text and images.
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Truth be told I have not really found Kevan Atteberry's artwork for his 2019 picture book Ghost Cat all that much to my personal aesthetic tastes. For while how Atteberry has drawn and visually rendered inanimate objects such as pianos, beds, armchairs and the like appears as mostly successful to and for my eyes, both the little boy main narrator and the ghost cat he seems to constantly see, they just do not look all that visually realistic and with in particular the little boy's head appearing as much too massive for his small body. However and the above having been said, the narrative accompanying the illustrations, Kevan Atteberry's printed words for Ghost Cat, they do indeed and certainly tell simply a lovely and poignant tale of how the loss of a cherished pet (and in this case, obviously a pet cat) does majorly change things and often makes one remember and even wish for the past, for how things used to be (and especially at night, if the pet in question used to share one's bed).
A sad but also always sweetly gentle little tale is Ghost Cat, and I also both love and appreciate how the reader is actually never quite sure whether there really is a ghost cat prowling around the house or whether the little boy is simply remembering the cat he has recently lost (realistic on many levels and a bit of a tear jerker of course, but indeed also with a totally optimistic and hopeful ending that totally and delightfully just seems to fit like the proverbial glove so to speak). And indeed, Ghost Cat is also and totally a story that even with my personal rather lacklustre visual reaction towards author/illustrator Kevan Atteberry's accompanying pictures, I do very much and highly recommend to anyone (especially to cat enthusiasts and most definitely to parents wanting a reassuring account about dealing with the loss of a pet that is both realistically painful and imaginative and yes, also ends on a totally smile inducing and positive note, even if tissues might also well be required for certain parts of Ghost Cat).
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Now the twenty feline-themed haikus in Michael J. Rosen's The Maine Coon's Haiku: And Other Poems for Cat Lovers are certainly one and all interesting, lyrical, evocatively expressive and do as such they also (in my opinion) totally and sweetly always capture and distill the distinct personalities and behaviour patterns of each of the presented breeds (except I will have to admit that I only really understood the Ragdoll Cat haiku when I read that it is hilariously based on Michael Rosen's own Ragdoll Cat Slinky, who one day and completely out of the blue so to speak, decided to tear up and decimate the leaves of the houseplant under which leaves it had slept many years).
And while I have definitely enjoyed all of the haikus of The Maine Coon's Haiku: And Other Poems for Cat Lovers, I guess that my absolute favourite must be the Birman Cat offering (which just so totally makes me smile, as the presented verses not only makes it seem as though the Birman Cat's solitary fun with knitting wool is like a baseball game but also rather strongly and nostalgically reminds me of many of our own family cats which also usually loved loved loved to play ball with threads and knitting wool). Accompanied by Lee Anthony White's descriptive and lush illustrations (that focus visually on the personalities and characters of the presented cat breeds in every way as tenderly and as imaginatively as do Michael J. Rosen's haikus, with especially the eyes of the twenty felines feeling like one is looking right into their very souls), The Maine Coon's Haiku: And Other Poems for Cat Lovers is in my opinion the perfect poetry book for cat enthusiasts (both young and old). And yes, the only reason I am not ranking The Maine Coon's Haiku: And Other Poems for Cat Lovers with five stars is that while I do appreciate the supplemental factual details and information on each of the featured feline breeds at the back of the book, I really wish that Michael J. Rosen had also included a bibliographical list of suggestions for further study and reading (and yes indeed, it also does tend to bother me just a wee bit that the author does not ever point out in any of his outside cat haikus that felines are really better off inside and that especially stray feral cats can and do often play major ecological havoc with especially native songbird populations).
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Now I do indeed realise that Hi, Cat! is an award winner, but frankly, I have not really enjoyed either the narrative or the accompanying illustrations overmuch. And while author and illustrator Ezra Jack Keats' pictorial renderings of Archie, the cat he salutes and which then follows him around wreaking havoc, the neighbourhood (as well as his friends and companions) are for the most part expressive and descriptive enough (although I would also never even remotely consider them as personal aesthetic favourites), the text of Hi, Cat! feels a trifle strange and confusing (and also truly not all that interesting at least to and for me on a personal level, as I was kind of expecting and hoping for a bit more actual narrative regarding the cat that is following young Archie around, and really, the only times the offending feline is even mentioned within the actual textual framework of Hi, Cat! is right at the beginning of the book, when Archie greets it and causes the cat to follow him and then right at the end of Hi, Cat! when Archie complains to both Peter and then to his mother about how the cat's antics have sabotaged his street clowning performance attempts).
And while I do understand that the cat in question is in fact present in almost all of the illustrations featured in Hi, Cat! (and I guess that readers could therefore also make up their own stories, their own narratives), I for one would much rather have read more printed words, more of an author conceptualised and penned text about the cat's specific antics and how it manages to so completely sabotage Archie's day of hanging out with his friends, his playacting and fun. Two stars for Hi, Cat!, as while I definitely have in no way despised the book, I have also not really in any way liked my reading experience all that much (feeling rather disappointed and at best only mildly amused).
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Claudia Cerulli's dual language Italian/English picture book Ottavia E I Gatti Di Roma - Octavia and the Cats of Rome is a both sweetly entertaining and also very much culturally and geographically enlightening introduction to some of the many monuments and historically significant areas of Rome (told from the point of view of two of the Colosseum many felines, two small and mischievous feral kittens named Octavia and Julius, who without their parents' knowledge and permission leave the Colosseum grounds to play and explore, end up getting hopelessly lost and thus requiring guidance to find and make their way back home).
A basic and yes indeed also very much fun general introduction to such Rome landmarks as the Colosseum (where the two main kitten protagonists of Ottavia E I Gatti Di Roma - Octavia and the Cats of Rome live in a large colony), Capitoline Museums, Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps and more, with some added but also fortunately never all too didactic messages and lessons about not simply running off to explore unknown areas without parental knowledge and consent (and especially delightful if you or if your children are cat enthusiasts and also have no issues with the fact that Rome not only has hundreds of thousands of feral cats living in the city but that according to the author's note at the back, Rome's feral cats are actually officially protected as well as being regularly fed by dedicated volunteers), and that this here picture book, that Ottavia E I Gatti di Roma - Octavia and the Cats of Rome is a dual language, a parallel text Italian and English offering is to and for me a simply marvellous and wonderful added bonus (and a great way to practice the Italian language, and albeit that the presented and featured Italian text is most definitely not meant for absolute beginners, indeed I have been able to figure out quite a large portion of the same by simple deduction, comparison and also remembering that Italian is a Romace language and thus strongly related to both French and Spanish). Most highly recommended, with Leo Lätti's accompanying illustrations being both imaginative and realistic at the same time (and especially playful kittens Octavia and her cousin Julius, they really and truly are just oh so so adorable), and definitely a shining four star reading experience for me (although if Claudia Cerulli had also included an Italian/English glossary at the back of Octavia E I Gatti di Roma - Octavia and the Cats of Rome, I would most likely be ranking this with a full five stars).
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According to Mary Alice Downie's informative and much appreciated author's note, How the Devil got his Cat is a traditional folktale in many cultures, and I am finding this French Canadian retelling rather intersting and enjoyable, with nicely executed silhouette illustrations.
That all being said, however, and the above notwithstanding, there definitely are aspects of the narrative, of its themes and contents, I consider more than a bit troubling and problematic. I do appreciate that the Mother Superior of the abbey not only gets the Devil to build a bridge to her abbey, but later outsmarts the same (saving her soul). However, I do not at all like and actually cannot accept the fact that the Mother Superior sacrifices her pet cat to the Devil, her supposedly treasured animal companion. Surely, she could have thought of something else to save her soul, as this not only is cruel and crass, it also promotes and plays up to the concept, so common in culture and folklore, that cats are somehow uncanny and devilish. Thus, while I generally did and continue to much appreciate How the Devil got his Cat as an interesting piece of folklore, I do not and cannot love it in any way as a story in and of itself (and for sensitive readers, Jillian Hulme Gilliland's silhouette illustrations of the Devil are really quite massively and nastily creepy, especially his reaching hands with their long, pointed, skeleton-like fingernails).
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Oh I do wish that I could without reservations recommend Sy Montgomery’s 2009 Saving the Ghost of the Mountain: An Expedition Among Snow Leopards in Mongolia. For yes, the textual information presented by Montgomery is replete with education, is full full full of enlightenment (and Nic Bishop’s accompanying photographs certainly do provide a detailed and often stunning visual complement and mirror to an for the author’s, to and for Sy Montgomery’s factual printed words).
But in my humble opinion (and especially considering that this illustrated tome, that Saving the Ghost of the Mountain: An Expedition Among Snow Leopards in Mongolia is geared towards younger readers, is meant for older children from about the age of nine onwards), I do have to admit and point out that there unfortunately is (to and for me) actually and in fact often rather too much and also much too varied information shown and meticulously discussed within the pages of Saving the Ghost of the Mountain: An Expedition Among Snow Leopards in Mongolia, that Sy Montgomery’s featured text with its multiple threads and excursions regarding Mongolia in general (focussing on historical figures such as Genghis Khan, Mongolian culture and life, the Gobi Dessert and that there have been many fossilised dinosaur and dinosaur eggs discovered there and so on and so on), whilst of course interesting in and of itself does kind of tend to push the main topic of Saving the Ghost of the Mountain: An Expedition Among Snow Leopards in Mongolia (namely Tom McCarthy’s expedition to not only look for the telltale signs of snow leopard habitation, hunting and the like but to also change the often negative attitudes towards snow leopards from Mongolian herdsmen) a bit to the periphery so to speak and having to compete with oh so much other types of both scientific and cultural/historical information on Mongolia.
But no, I do of course not think that the details on the latter (on Mongolia in a general sense) are unimportant and should not be textually encountered in Saving the Ghost of the Mountain: An Expedition Among Snow Leopards in Mongolia. But yes, I do nevertheless rather think that Sy Montgomery at times kind of seems to narrationally bury her main topic (and considering that snow leopards being saved from likely extinction is so very important and essential, I do wish that this were not the case, as I certainly have found it rather distracting to be textually overwhelmed with such a multitude of different topics and information that I have to in fact specifically search for the details on snow leopards and saving them as a species). And well, combined with the fact that Sy Montgomery has only included a very substandard, a very lacking bibliography, I really cannot consider more than a low three stars maximum for Saving the Ghost of the Mountain: An Expedition Among Snow Leopards in Mongolia (and frankly, I actually think that my rating of three stars is pretty generous).
Mod
As a detailed (and in fact absolutely true) picture book description of how wildlife photographer Suzi Eszterhas (who is also the author of Moto and Me) acts as foster mother to an orphaned Serval kitten (and how she specifically and with meticulous, precise care raises young Moto NOT to be a human habituated pet, but an adult wildcat to be rereleased back into the Masai Mara, a wildlife reserve in Kenya, once he does no longer require care and nurturing), Moto and Me has proven both enjoyable and enlightening, with especially the many important steps the author takes to adequately care for and be a suitable substitute mother and nurturer to Moto, whilst also refraining from making a tame pet or pseudo-pet out of this little Serval first and foremost (and most essentially) demonstrating, presenting what fostering wild baby animals actually means, what it entails, and what is necessary, what is required for success (and Suzi Eszterhas' accompanying photographs, they are of course an added pleasure and treasure, often simply too sweet and expressive for words, providing the pictorial icing on a narratively, textually already majorly delicious piece of cake).
Now, if were to rate Moto and Me simply and primarily with regard to the loving and endearingly sweet, descriptive presentation of Moto's fostering by Ms. Eszterhas, his life under her care and succor (how he develops from a frail and frightened orphaned Serval kitten into an adult Serval able to venture into the wild and take care of himself and successfully hunt), I would most likely be ranking this book with four or five stars. However, there are two niggling but personally frustrating and annoying little issues that do prevent me from rating Moto and Me with more than three stars (although I still most highly recommend it). For one, I think that the author, that Suzi Eszterhas, does not in any way provide and give an ample amount of criticism of the tourists on safari who "rescue" Moto, for if the occupants of the car (the tourists and their driver) had simply turned off the vehicle's engine and lights and waited in complete silence for a while, Moto's mother might likely (perhaps) have come back to retrieve her kitten. I know that the tourists are in all likihood and honestly trying to help little Moto, but both they and their driver should have realised that the mother Serval is probably hiding and waiting nearby to collect Moto once it is again safe. And considering that every year, countless baby animals are made into orphans, are abadoned by their mothers because well meaning but ulitmately clueless and woefuly uninformed humans irresponsibly interfere, the fact that the two tourists (as well as the driver) who come upon Moto on that road, almost immediately collect him, instead of taking the time to wait, to watch and check if the mother Serval, if Moto's mother actually returns, actually comes back for him, this rather problematic behaviour should really be a bit more strongly criticised within the narrative, within the text proper.
And for two and defnitely last but not least, while I have very much enjoyed both the author's presented text and the supplemental information about Servals at the back of the book, that Moto and Me does not contain ANY type of bibliography whatsoever, does not include suggestions for futher reading and research, this really does tend to limit the teaching/learning potetnial and value of this otherwise excellent and informative non fiction tome, as it prevents potential readers (both children and adults, both students and teachers) from being able to use Moto and Me for additional, supplemental research and study (and it also of course prevents readers from being able to verify whether the included information and details are, indeed, correct). And while I doubt that the lack of a bibliography will likely bother most children and will also likely not even be all that much of an issue for many if not most adult readers, as someone who is generally rather academically inclined, period, the lack of supplemental reading suggestions does indeed and in fact quite massively annoy me (especially considering that Moto and Me is a seemingly completely non fiction offering and as such really should have a bibliography section included, because let's face it, Suzi Eszterhas obviously must have obtained at least some of the information and knowledge on Servals from books, online resources etc. and the titles, websites and such consulted, used by her should be listed, should be included).
Mod
While I did enjoy the story (the narrative) itself, I did not find the accompanying illustrations of Wanda Gág's Millions of Cats all that visually appealing. I have never really liked black and white illustrations all that much, and the many, many cats together kind of remind me of masses of lemmings, rodents or locusts, faceless swarms of animals with no personalities or individual features (the only personable cat, in my opinion, is the little kitten left at the end, all the others are just a big mass of "catdom").
Now after having read some of the more negative and critical reviews from GR friends regarding Millions of Cats, I was actually at first rather reluctant to read it, as I assumed that it would describe in detail the cats eating each other and fighting amongst themselves. However, as others have indeed previously stated, the violence (or rather, the implied and supposed violence, as we only have the assumption of the old couple that the cats might have eaten each other) happens off-screen and thus is not ever really visible or even described. And furthermore, because there is an element of disbelief present (the old man brings home not just too many cats, but millions of them) this probably renders the author's, Wanda Gág's presented text much less problematic for children, who often seem able to accept the often grotesque violence in fairy and folk tales, simply because it is unbelievable, or just too overly exaggerated.
For me, Millions of Cats is not only an entertaining and intriguing story (albeit one with illustrations that I personally do not find all that aesthetically attractive), but also presents a cautionary tale about human responsibility, or more to the point, the lack of human responsibility. It was the old man's responsibility to find one cat to bring home, but he brought home millions. And later, when it becomes obvious that there are simply too many cats, the old couple again does not face their responsibility or accountability; they simply force the cats to fight it out amongst themselves. Furthermore, the fact that the original hill the old man sees is literally covered with domestic feral cats might also be seen as a lack of pan-human responsibility to both domesticated animals (including pets) and the environment in general (humans abandoning domestic cats in the wild and not realising or caring that there are likely not enough natural spaces available for all of them, that the feral cats will also need to eat and drink, and that the cats' presence will obviously also affect the environment, their surroundings). I know that many people regard Millions of Cats as an allegory against vanity, but I think that it could and really should also be interpreted as an allegory against irresponsibility (and perhaps even with more justification than this story being a cautionary tale against vanity). You might even say that Wanda Gág's Milliosn of Cats could easily present one of the first picture books (one of the first books for younger children) to somewhat promote environmental responsibility, by showing that we cannot simply allow domestic animals to overrun nature.
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Pretty densely penned, so not perhaps textually all that suitable for very young children, Susan Bonners 1994 picture book Hunter in the Snow: The Lynx provides a both engaging and enlightening general introduction to the Canada Lynx and especially how lynxes are so supremely well adapted for hunting and surviving even in the depths of a northern winter when snow is plentiful and at the coldest of temperatures. And yes, the accompanying illustrations (which are also by Susan Bonners, as she is both the author and the illustrator of Hunter in the Snow: The Lynx), they are indeed and in my opinion really quite spectacular, showing both realism (including successful hunting expeditions, so yes, there are definitely pictures of lynxes stalking, killing and consuming prey animals in Hunter in the Snow: The Lynx) and also an atmospheric aesthetic and visual celebration of in particular winter which I for one both totally adore and appreciate, since winter is my favourite season and I do love snow and cold temperatures oh so much more than summer’s heat and humidity. A delightful marriage and combination of engaging and informative text and visually stunning images is Hunter in the Snow: The Lynx, but while I do highly recommend it as a wonderful presentation on the Canada Lynx for older children above the age of eight or so, that Susan Bonners has not included a bibliography and suggestions for further reading and study does rather majorly annoy me. For yes indeed, the non inclusion of sources, this in my opinion rather frustratingly lessens the supplemental research and educational value of Hunter in the Snow: The Lynx (and personally, I do have huge issues understanding why after providing all this wonderful information and delighting readers with such great pictures, Susan Bonners then could not have also included bibliographic materials in Hunter in the Snow: The Lynx, as with a bibliography, this definitely would be at least a four star book for me).
And also, even though Life in the Boreal Forest features other animals as well, there is a large focus by Brenda Z. Guiberson on lynxes.
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I absolutely adore both the illustrations and the entire concept of Brendan Wenzel's imaginative and in my opinion oh so true They All Saw a Cat (as everyone, fr..."
I loved this book as well!
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I absolutely adore both the illustrations and the entire concept of Brendan Wenzel's imaginative and in my opinion oh so true They All Saw a Ca..."
I love how for me They All Saw a Cat is so simple yet also profound and with something to offer all ages.
CatI recently purchased Cat by Matthew Van Fleet for the children I work with. They love cats, and this book is full of them. It is interactive; the children enjoy this aspect, along with all the pictures of different cats (and so do I).
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Manybooks, you sure did find some problematic books, and others that deserve your careful consideration and commentary. Thank you for screening all those interesting titles.
I picked up several at my local library today.
The first, Wild Cats of the World, is mostly for older children and adults, as it's a reference book more than a narrative read. I'll be returning it unread because, though I did like these kinds of books when I was a schoolgirl, I no longer have the energy for them.
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The picture books that I'll be reading and reviewing soon are:
It's Simple, Said Simon
Yes & No
I Found A Kitty
Not a Cat: A Memoir
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Manybooks, you sure did find some problematic books, and others that deserve your careful consideration and commentary. Thank you for screening all those interesting t..."
Sometimes the title can be very misleading in my opinion. For example for Audubon Cat the title looks great but the contents I found really problematic.
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While Jalma Barrett does provide a solid and basic general introduction to feral cats and shows how they are similar and also how they are equally very much different from pet cats (and even from pet cats that are occasionally allowed by their owners to freely roam outside), personally, I am really very much disappointed that in Feral Cat, Barrett basically makes feral cats appear not in any manner as a potential environmental nuisance and threat.
For yes indeed, ANY book about feral cats which does NOT also prominently textually point out that they are in fact and actually a very much dangerous invasive species (and that feral cats tend to majorly wreak havoc on in particular songbird species and have in vulnerable ecosystems like New Zealand, Australia, Madagascar, the Caribbean etc. also lead to the extinction or extirpation of many unique and endemic animal species), well, for me, this tome is at best totally severely lacking in both content and also in the necessary criticism of how and why domestic cats become feral in the first place, with us, with humans abandoning unwanted kittens in the wild and/or not caring if cats are being allowed to escape and live ferally. But unfortunately, the latter is exactly what Jalma Barrett does in Feral Cat, with her presented text not even once considering that feral cats should be deemed as generally invasive, as potentially ecologically dangerous, and Barrett also and for me very much problematically supporting groups whose members feed and try to protect feral cats.
And in my humble opinion, feral cats, they really are a pest and a to be taken seriously environmental threat to in particular native bird species in North America and Europe and endemic animal species in general in island ecosystems where feral cats have become a main and very threatening predator with little to no natural enemies.
Therefore, although Feral Cat is informative and with many accaompanying photographs (and also includes both a glossary and a short bibliography), the fact that Jalma Barrettt seemingly has no issues with feral cats and also does not really from where I am standing consider them as invasive species needing to be gotten rid off (or at the very least severely reduced in their numbers), this does very much annoy and frustrate me and to thus also only consider a two star rating for Feral Cat
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Bobcat
Lynx
Cougar
They are informative and similar to her book on feral cats but also much better because there are no problematic lacks and deliberate information gaps (for I am still really annoyed at how positively Jamala Barrett approaches feral cats).
Mango The Long Haired Ginger Cat by Grandma KrazyMango is a long-haired ginger cat in a family of black and white tuxedo cats, and she doesn't always feel like she belongs. She wishes she could fly free like the birds.
One day, she finds a magic multicolored rock, and a cat fairy appears and says Mango gets one wish for each color she sees. Mango's first wish is, of course, to have wings and fly like a bird. She goes home to show her family, but they don't recognize her. This repeats with her next two wishes, with Mango getting more and more frustrated. All she wanted was to be a cool cat! But she is reminded she has one last wish, and she realizes she was happy all along the way she was. She decides to use her last wish to transform back to herself and to become "the best me I can be."
This works well as a social-emotional book about jealousy and appreciating what you have. It's geared toward a younger audience, and is simple and predictable for young readers, especially those who love cats and fairytales. The moral of appreciating what you have is very clearly stated.
Mango The Long Haired Ginger Cat is free to read with KU, but I haven't been able to find an inexpensive hard copy (and I have some issues with the Kindle copy of this book). It has two sequels, Mango The Long Haired Ginger Cat Learns She Is Adopted: It's OK to be different because love is what makes a family and Mango (the Long haired ginger cat) Gets a Foster Sister: Celebrating the healing power of unconditional love (this one came out last month, I need to ask a GR librarian to put it on Goodreads but the Amazon link is here: https://www.amazon.com/Mango-haired-g...)
My full review here
I posted about it in the dog section but another one I love is
Tiger Pups by Tom and Allie Harvey.Three newborn tigers at a wildlife preserve in Kansas are abandoned at birth by their mother. The owners of the preserve have a dog who has just finished nursing, and they want to see if the newborn tigers could potentially nurse from her.
It's a great exploration of animal friendships across species, and a good look at how animals can provide for the needs of others outside their own species. I do think it can be a little much for children to comprehend if they haven't thought about interspecies friendships before, or if they don't have some base scientific knowledge of what animals need.
Through this book, you get to know the personalities of each tiger, and a little bit about tigers in general (although I wish there was more of this aspect). I also can't remember if there's a bibliography or list for further reading, but it runs through my mind there may not be.
Overall, though, this is definitely one of my favorites.
I have
Jasper : He is Big, Black, & The Town Can't Know He's A Cat! by Imani Osei-Acheampong as an ebook and I've been looking forward to reading this one.I've also been exploring the Pete the Cat books a bit, and I like that they (at least the two I've read, Pete the Cat: Pete at the Beach and Pete the Cat: Pete's Big Lunch) deal with some social-emotional learning opportunities for young kids, as well as with issues that many kids deal with.
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The Annotated Cat: Under the Hats of Seuss and His CatsIf you love Dr. Seuss, I think this is a must for your collection. It has The Cat in the Hat and The Cat in the Hat Comes Back! and includes lots of annotations of these books. There are also some extras in the back of the book. Dr. Seuss was how I learned to read and as one of my first book cats, the Cat in the Hat is still one of my favorite characters.
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This encyclopedia describes 54 cat breeds and two cat colors--calico and tabby. Beginning with a brief history of the domesticated cat, it goes on to give the breed history, appearance, behavior, and a note on kittens for each breed. In addition, there are two-three excellent photos of each breed, plus a photo of the kitten of that breed. The book concludes with brief information on cat care, a glossary, a brief bibliography, and an index.
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I just read, and was charmed by, Rupert Can Dance. Jules Feiffer is better known, to me at least, as a political cartoonist. And he doesn't baby his message just because this is a kid's book... it can be considered a 'fable for all ages.'
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A brief overview of seven big cats: tiger, lion, leopard, jaguar, puma, snow leopard, and cheetah. The first few pages discuss attributes of big cats that are common to all of them. Then he devotes a page of so to each specific cat. Illustrated with excellent, large photos. The book concludes with a glossary, index, and list of websites.
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I loved this lovely, heart-warming story. The illustrations do a great job of showing the reader the desperation of the animals, the war damage of the city, and the kind-heartedness of Alaa as he feeds the many cats. Notes from the authors and illustrator at the back add even more information and context.
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This is also a humorous picture book starring Alexander's favorite animal. It is a mix of original "pourquoi" tale and "The Sorcerer's Apprentice." In this story, Mother Holly (a sort of female God) tasks her cat with some chores while she is away. The cat gets into the same sort of trouble that the sorcerer's apprentice did and has to try and clear up his mess. The pourquoi part is how cats acquired their ability to purr.
The story is very ably illustrated by Judith Schachner (Skippyjon Jones). Her energetic watercolor paintings fully capture all the mayhem caused by the cat.
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Although in a picture book format, this book is much longer than a typical picture book. There are even a couple of pages with no illustrations on them. The book is divided into 5 chapters, and each chapter is a separate story. Basically, this is about a cat who acts as a wise adviser to a fictional Chinese emperor. These stories are so full of Alexander's signature wit and wisdom. For example:
Emperor: "Yin-Chuan is an official of the highest position. Do try to show him a little respect."
Cat: "I will. As little as possible."
This is one of the examples of the pokes and digs Alexander makes at bureaucracy throughout all the stories. The illustrations are somewhat staid and very elegant. I would say that this book was suitable for 3rd-5th grade students.
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Well, Gillian Cross could have made her YA novel Shadow Cat into a decent and readable story if she had not (at least in my humble opinion) fallen into a number of (but in fact three) very annoying and frustrating narrative traps.
For one, having author Gillian Cross use the first person (I, me, we and us) for co-protagonist Nolan to tell his story, while his textual counterpart Feather’s life is shown in a rather removed and distant third person narration, this kind of for me creates in Shadow Cat a somewhat confusing and disjointed reading experience (and it also leaves Feather as someone not really all that personally relatable and not all that easy to get to know, and conversely with Nolan on the other hand often providing way way too much information and details, especially about his mother and her myriad of mental health issues, and yes indeed, that Nolan in Shadow Cat generally is made to appear and act/react considerably more maturely than his mother, that Nolan often feels like the parent instead of his mother).
And for two, many (if not actually most) of the presented themes and contents for Shadow Cat also do not feel as though they truly fit together to provide a smooth narrational flow from beginning to end, which Gillian Cross might consider as representing actual reality but which I for one have found annoyingly frustrating and definitely slowing down both my reading pace and also seriously limiting and lessening potential reading pleasure, and in particular so because the entire wildcat rescue scenario in Shadow Cat feels majorly artificial, uninteresting and also does not really seem to consider that Servals truly are wild animals and not some kind of potential pet that Nolan obviously wants to rescue but then also to own for himself (as yes, Servals are totally and absolutely wildcats and Nolan should in my opinion not even be described by Gillian Cross as thinking of wanting one).
Finally, for three (and this might well be why much of the entire Serval rescue premise feels so ridiculously unrealistic), the villains encountered in Shadow Cat, they are so majorly one sidedly flat and stereotypically evil, they are so lacking in ANY type of textual nuance that they ALL in fact and definitely feel quite farcical. However, since Shadow Cat is in fact supposed to deal with and cover serious issues, those one-dimensional villains, they are actually and of course not something to laugh at, but rather something to painfully majorly groan at and about (and that the combination of three rather massive textual flaws in Gillian Cross' storyline for Shadow Cat most certainly and definitely have made me personally only consider but two stars as a rating and to also not really recommend Shadow Cat except with some major reading reservations).
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Although I most certainly and definitely am NOT someone who in fact does not appreciate cats, and yes, I actually even quite like them as pets, as companion animals, I am also someone who has for very many years rather majorly and STRONGLY believed that most if not even perhaps all domestic felines should generally be kept inside (and as such not be allowed to freely roam around), and that therefore, feral cats in particular often are (and especially for smaller songbirds) a nuisance at best and a potential ecological disaster at worst. And thus, after a friend gave me Erin Hunter’s Into the Wild (which is the first novel in a series of middle grade cat fantasies) as a present, when after about fifty odd pages, it was becoming rather painfully and abundantly clear to me that Erin Hunter obviously does with her printed words not only totally accept but that she also actually quite massively condones and celebrates domestic cats ferally living and hunting in the wild, in the outdoors, I was not only growing increasingly annoyed and furious, but I also very quickly lost my reading interest and decided to stop reading and abandon Into the Wild.
For no, with my rather vehemently negative stance regarding domestic felines roaming freely and unhindered outside and that Erin Hunter’s text in my humble opinion also totally supports and accepts this (and of course with never even remote suggestions and considerations that feral cats could easily become an ecological maelstrom), I am finding Into the Wild both too infuriating and also not engaging enough for me to continue, as I am really not in the mood to spend my entire perusal being angry and frustrated with and by Into the Wild and Erin Hunter’s narrative and Weltanschauung.
And yes indeed, even the fact that Erin Hunter’s world building is certainly and actually quite interesting, descriptive and that her featured writing style (albeit a trifle repetitive with regard to presented cat sounds and vocalisations) does show some real penmanship and talent, I personally and emotionally just cannot and will not continue reading a narrative that so blithely and uncritically seemingly celebrates domestic feline ferality and totally ignores the ecological issues often caused by and associated with this, that domestic cats allowed to freely roam outside are indeed often a huge problem, or at least can be.
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An in many ways lovely, sweet story about Lucy Maud Montgomery's feline companion Daffy, Lucy Maud and the Cavendish Cat really tugs at all your heartstrings. Gleaned mostly from the many references to Daffy that appear in L.M. Montgomery's journals, Lynn Manuel's engaging and evocative narrative shows how Daffy becomes Maud's cherished companion, her intimate friend, and how she often reads to her cat from the story she is writing, from the manuscript of the future Anne of Green Gables. However, upon the death of Maud's grandmother, her house becomes the property of Maud's uncle (who will not consider letting his niece stay on) and thus, both Maud and Daffy are forced to relocate to a place called Park Corner, to stay with relatives who while they are of course known to Maud (and loved by her) are complete, utter strangers to Daffy.
I have to admit that I almost cried and was at first really somewhat angry at the fact that upon her marriage, Maud seemingly just abandons poor Daffy at Park Corner. Oh, I know that she could not have taken a cat along on her European wedding tour, but being suddenly alone and frightened in a strange, unfamiliar hayloft did make me very sad for Daffy. And while I was and remain heart-glad that Maud does send for Daffy as soon as she has settled in Ontario with her new husband, I do wish that she had gone to P.E.I. herself to retrieve her cat. Daffy's long and solitary journey from P.E.I. to Ontario (in a large wooden box) is evocatively but also painfully described as being frightening to the extreme for him (he has no idea what is happening and thinks he has fallen into a deep dark well). The end of Lucy Maud and the Cavendish Cat with little grey Daffy once again in Maud's arms in his new home in Ontario is indeed sweet and satisfying, but my heart did ache for him alone in a strange hayloft, and I could well appreciate and feel his pain, fear and confusion on his solitary and boxed-in journey from P.E.I. to Ontario.
Janet Wilson's lush full-page accompnaying illustrations are an absolute feast for the eyes. Reminiscent of artistic Impressionism, they capture not only the beauty of P.E.I., but also the facial features and mannerisms of both Daffy and the people around him (like Maud and Grandmother MacNeill, for example). The evocative pictures do not only complement and mirror Lynn Manuel's text, they are lovely in and of themselves and would in my humble opinion not be out of place in an art gallery. And yes, I have also very much enjoyed the sepia vignettes that appear on each page of the text and act like a decorative trim to the author's printed words. Although of course not as colourful and descriptive as the full-page accompanying paintings (pictures), they add both humour and poignancy, as well as many small supplemental details. Highly recommended, especially for fans of L.M. Montgomery, but with the caveat that especially the manner in which Daffy is shipped from PEI to Ontario is potentially upsetting and might also require discussion if Lucy Maud and the Cavendish Cat is being read with and to very sensitive children.
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Yes and most definitely, author Phyllis J. Perry with her 1997 The Snow Cats does a really wonderful textual job introducing basic feline history and evolution in general and the so-called snow cats, the species of wild cats that live and hunt in the northern and often snow covered areas of North America, Europe and Asia in particular. And no, Perry is not in the two chapters of The Snow Cats where she presents feline evolution and development writing anything at all about Darwin’s theory of evolution, she just points out how cats and other carnivores (dogs, civets and mongooses, raccoons, bears, cats, hyenas, weasels, eared seals and earless seals) are all supposed to be descendants of an early meat eater called the Miacid (from around 40 million years ago) and that the first true cat Dinictis evolved and morphed into two main classes of cats, the biting cats Felidae and the stabbing cats Machairodontinae, but that today, only the Felidae class of cats is still in existence, that the stabbing cats, including the well known from its many fossilized skeletons Sabre Tooth Tigers are extinct and have been so since the last Ice Age.
Now with the remaining chapters of The Snow Cats, Phyllis J. Perry focusses exclusively on North America, Northern Asia and Europe, so if you are for example wanting information on lions, Jaguars, cheetahs etc. The Snow Cats is most definitely not a book to be considered, as it presents ONLY information and details on the Siberian Tiger (but naturally not on the Bengal Tiger), the Snow Leopard, the Cougar, the Lynx and the Bobcat. And yes, each of these five species of wild felines are meticulously and with much but also not overwhelming textual detail described by the author in The Snow Cats (from basic biology, breeding cycles, hunting practices to their general conservation status, and with Phyllis J. Perry also and thankfully not being at all shy about mentioning and pointing out that many wild felines, including tigers and cougars, face far far more dangers from humans than vice versa and that habitat destruction and illegal hunting are still a total global threat to and for snow cats and especially so considering that greedy and unscrupulous tourists often see no problems with purchasing tiger skins or snow leopard furs in countries like Pakistan and India and that the fur industry has also not at all been doing its job controlling this and working with the authorities against indiscriminate hunting of vulnerable and endangered cat species for totally ridiculous and unnecessary “fashion” purposes).
Four stars for The Snow Cats (and yes, Phyllis J. Perry's text is in my opinion perfect not just for middle grade readers but also for interested adults wanting a solidly basic introduction to the five featured species of wild felines, and with the included bibliography being not all that extensive perhaps but a good and decent starting point for further search). And the only reason why my rating for The Snow Cats is not yet five stars is that for one, I do think that Phyllis J. Perry should be listing the addresses and websites of some animal conservation organisations and that for two, Perry really should have majorly and unapologetically singled out traditional Chinese medicine and that in particular tigers have been unscrupulously hunted because tiger parts are somehow considered as potent medicines and aphrodisiacs by superstitious and selfish humans, who seemingly care only about themselves and their desires, and to whom and for whom tigers and other wild felines are basically not living beings but objects to be ruthlessly killed and disgustingly exploited.
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To tell the truth, I am personally just a wee bit conflicted regarding Jonathan London’s 1996 picture book Let the Lynx Come In. For indeed, as a story of total fantasy, as a dream sequence, London’s lyrical text in Let the Lynx Come In of a young boy on the back of a friendly and gigantic Lynx riding airborne over the nighttime landscape of the Arctic, culminating in boy and lynx encountering the aurora borealis, is magically sweet and a delightful celebration of both the northern night and the power of the imagination (and also of the stars, the universe, the northern lights). And Peter Benson’s accompanying illustrations for Let the Lynx Come in, they indeed and most definitely are perfectly visually suited to and for Jonathan London’s presented text, they mirror his printed words colourfully, wonderfully with both realism and at the same time a sense of dreamlike fantasy (and with my only small caveat being that when the lynx grows to gigantic proportions in order to function as the young boy’s steed, its immense hugeness in Peter Benson’s pictures might perhaps be a bit potentially visually creepy for really sensitive children).
But while it is in my humble opinion pretty clearly shown both textually and illustratively that Let the Lynx Come in is one hundred percent a fantasy and solely a fantasy, and thus of course not at all representing reality, because in Peter Benson’s artwork, the little boy’s lynx is quite realistically depicted (well, at least until it starts growing and getting bigger and bigger), I do think that parents and/or teachers reading Let the Lynx Come In with or to children should make sure to warn their young audiences that lynxes are wild animals that should not ever be approached, that should not be chased, fed etc. And indeed, lynx are actually really shy and generally extremely wary of humans and that if a lynx were to actually approach humans or be hanging around houses, barns etc., not only should that lynx be actively avoided, it might also perhaps be a good idea to report this, since a lynx that deliberately comes near humans could be diseased, with rabies being a remote but still potentially dangerous possibility (and that frankly, I would have rated Let the Lynx Come in with four instead of three stars had Jonathan London added an author’s note warning children and parents that his story is purely fantastical and that in reality lynxes are wild animals that must not be disturbed, that need to be totally left alone).
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Just to add a few favorites to the list, I always admire Anne Mortimer's cat illustrations and we have enjoyed several of her books.
The Mr Putter and Tabby I Can Read series is dearly loved by all of us-- even my husband loves these books! Mr. Putter & Tabby Pour the Tea
The Jenny and the Cat Club: A Collection of Favorite Stories about Jenny Linsky books are delightful vintage gems. Some are short story collections and some longer chapter books with connected plot throughout. My children and I have several of them multiple times and I also recommend The Fire Cat for a picture book.
Buttons the Kitten is an early chapter book that is really sweet and a great read for young people thinking of adopting a cat.
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I do admit that Christiane Gunzi with her 2001 non fiction picture book The Best Book of Big Cats presents a pretty extensive even if not overly intensive and complicated introduction to "big cats" like lions, leopards, cheetahs, tigers and jaguars (analysing and demonstrating their basic biology, how these cats hunt, breed, raise their offspring and also thankfully pointing out that many big cat species are currently endangered and vulnerable due to human interference, due to habitat loss, indiscriminate hunting and in particular due to poaching) and with The Best Book of Big Cats being with regard textuality most suitable for children from about the age of six to ten (since Christiane Gunzi's writing is not too involved and not too complicated but is also still a bit too wordy and sophisticated for toddlers).
However, I personally would probably not really consider The Best Book of Big Cats as being all that good for readers above the age of ten who want and need more information than Gunzi textually provides, since well, without an included bibliography and source notes, for me, The Best Book of Big Cats really does feel like readers are kind of majorly lacking an easy and necessary tool to initiate research and to find further cat themed titles.
Furthermore, Christiane Gunzi also provides in The Best Book of Big Cats a bit of cursory information on smaller felines like lynxes, servals, caracals, bobcats, cougars, house cats and on cat evolution. But sorry and in my humble opinion, Gunzi should probably have simply limited The Best Book of Big Cats to introducing lions, tigers, leopards, jaguars and cheetahs, as for me, her featured details on smaller and on prehistoric felines are unfortunately rather lacking and full of some pretty significant mistakes.
Because smaller felines do NOT as is claimed in The Best Book of Big Cats hunt only rats, mice, rabbits, birds and insects, since in particular the cougar (the puma), the lynx and the caracal also tend to hunt deer, wild sheep/goats and smaller antelopes. And while prehistoric sabre toothed felines (like the Smilodon described in The Best Big Cat Book) were of course a type of cat, they were in fact not all that closely related to modern felines and were in fact members of a now extinct family (and in my opinion, this is not at all clearly shown by Christiane Gunzi, as the wording of The Best Book of Big Cats really does rather insinuate and imply that Smilodon should be considered as a direct ancestor of modern cats, and this is simply NOT the case).
So therefore, while I do think that the general information on lions, tigers, jaguars, cheetahs and leopards Christiane Gunzi provides in The Best Book of Big Cats is decent and sufficiently informative (and the accompanying illustrations aesthetically pleasant and nicely realistic), the annoying lack of an included bibliography and the author mistakes I have encountered regarding prehistoric felines and what type of prey smaller wildcats hunt, yes, this certainly is frustrating and annoying enough for me to only consider a two star rating for The Best Book of Big Cats.
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I am really shocked that the author is against spaying and neutering! I can see where some people might believe cats should be free to roam, but all the more reason that they should be "fixed" so as to not add to the over-population issues for, as you say, it is problematic for wildlife and also leads to suffering for cats themselves. I thought perhaps this was an older series, but for a book published in the 2000s, I am really surprised that message is out there. I have volunteered at cat sanctuaries and have seen first hand how badly many feral cats fare and at the facility where we got our cats they requested that the cats be kept indoors for the safety of the cats as well as wildlife and also would not adopt out until spayed/neutered.
Children's Books
Books mentioned in this topic
The Cat and the Rooster (other topics)Jeff Goes Wild (other topics)
Big Cats: What Do Lions, Tigers, and Panthers Get up to All Day? (other topics)
The Diary of a Killer Cat (other topics)
Cat Breed Guide: A Complete Reference to Your Purr-fect Best Friend (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Angie Rozelaar (other topics)Anne Mortimer (other topics)
Jules Feiffer (other topics)
Imani Gibson (other topics)
Tom Harvey (other topics)
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