The Cat Book

Reviewed by: Deidre Walsh - Goodall Library, Sanford, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: September 17, 2017

Review

The reader is invited to interact with the big, cute orange cat in this book. From waking him up and petting him to drying him off when he gets wet. It is a simple and declarative story that can potentially teach a small child some of the basics to properly caring for a cat. However, two tasks the reader is asked to assist the cat with are a bit off-putting when first read. But when you think about it, it is a normal part of owning a cat. Just perhaps not the responsibility of a small child. The first task is when the cat gets fleas and the reader is asked to squish them with their fingers. The second task is when the cat tries to eat a bird. The reader is asked to pry the bird out of the cat's mouth. This may give some people pause reading these parts in a story time setting. But, again, these are two important aspects of owning a cat. Perhaps they would make good talking points to engage young children who are desperate for a kitten. The last pages of the book has the reader putting the cat to bed. Sleep tight. The text is matter of fact. It explains a situation and then asks something of the reader. The explanation part is in black lettering. The reader's action is in green lettering. Otherwise, orange is the dominant color, which is the cat. The cat is always on a white background with a splash of color depicting that page's particular event. For example, there is a puddle of blue denoting the cat being wet. The illustrations were created digitally. They are simple and bold, with everything in thick black outline. This book is small so it would work best in small group settings or one on one sharing. Pair this with Viviane Schwartz's "There are Cats in This Book" (another wonderfully interactive cat book" for an amusing cat-themed story time. I so wanted to recommend this for COC, but squishing fleas and the potential bird lunch for the cat really could have been depicted in a different manner. Otherwise a story with a big orange cat in it is usually a hit. Not a first purchase. But any collection in need of cat stories should consider purchasing this.

Overall Book Score: very good