A to Z: Z – Mr. FuZZbuster Know He’s the Favorite

That’s it! This is the last A to Z post! (Other than the review in a week or so.) But we’re done, finished,finito, fini, fertig!

Mr. Fuzzbuster Knows He’s the Favorite 

Stacy McAnulty
Illustrated by Edward Hemingway
Two Lions, Amazon, 2017 

From the dust jacket: “Mr. Fuzzbuster knows he’s Lily’s favorite. After all, the two of them have been together since she was in diapers and he fit in a teacup. They spent all their time together. But now four more animals also live in the house, and each think they’re Lily’s favorite. So it’s up to Mr. Fuzzbuster to show them once and for all whom she loves best….”

This book is so cute! I just love Mr. Fuzzbuster – not only is he all black, but he’s handsome and smart – just like me!! Of course he’s Lily’s favorite. I mean, who is a lizard, a dog, a bird and a fish compared to a sleek house panther!! Well, at least what we think – but it turns out, Lily is quite fair in her love for her pets and she shows each of them how much. Loved the illustrations – they’re simple yet very expressive. You can just see the pride in Fuzzbuster’s face – but also the disappointment, too. This is sweet book we adding to our wish list.

Rating 5 out of 5 paws because we love it and we’re sure your kittens will love it, too!!

Reviewer: Simon

 

A to Z: Y – Yoko

One more and we’re done for this year!!!!

Yoko 

Rosemary Wells
Hyperion Books for Children, 1998 

From the dust jacket: “What a great day it’s going to be! Yoko’s mother has made her favorite sushi for lunch and packed it in a willow-covered cooler. The bus whisks Yoko to school where she greets all her friends and joins in the Good Morning Song. But when lunchtime arrives, suddenly everyone notices Yoko’s sushi. The teasing starts and her happy day evaporates.

“With an uncanny understanding of the pleasures and pains of an ordinary school day, Rosemary Wells has created a tender, irresistible story, true to the heart of childhood.”

This is a sweet picture book with cute illustrations that deals with a sometimes hard subject of rejection and bullying. It helps that all the animals are cute and the teasing isn’t too harsh, but it hurts Yoko all the same. Thankfully the school teacher works things out and the students are all friends again at the end of the book. Yoko is a cautionary tale of not liking someone and being mean to them just because they’re different and eat different things. We’re all the same under our skin and/or fur and it’s a good lesson to learn while your kittens are still young.

The book has large, black print on white background so early readers will be able to read it and learn about how to make sushi! Hmmm, reading this book has made me hungry for some tuna and shrimp!!

Rating 4 out of 5 paws because the illustrations are cute and the lesson is taught gently.

Reviewer: Simon

 

A to Z: X – X-tra Special Cat!

Here’s an X-tra special cat!!

 

The CATawampus Cat 

Jason Carter Eaton
Pictures by Gus Gordon
Crown Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books, 2017 

From the dust jacket, “Sometimes all it takes is a small shift in perspective to help you see what was right there all along.” “Catawampus (cat-uh-wahm-pus) n. <1. Diagonal or at an angle. 2. Askey, awry.  As in: The catawampus cat walked into town one day, and that’s when everything began to change.”

Do you remember the following nursery rhyme?

There was a crooked man and he walked a crooked mile,
He found a crooked sixpence upon a crooked stile.
He bought a crooked cat, which caught a crooked mouse.
And they all lived together in a little crooked house.

This story has nothing to do with a crooked man, mouse, house or cat, but for some reason it reminds me of it. Maybe it’s the crooked cat – but this cat is catawampus, not crooked! That means he walks around town at an angle which causes a lot of the townfolk to look at him – and their lives – differently.  Without knowing it (or, maybe he does) he changes everything around him – and at the very end he changes himself!!!

Love the illustrations – particularly how the artist incorporates paper clippings into his illustrations (which, by the way, has inspired Mom to make some new collages!) The cat is cute, although the way he is drawn, it looks like he walks around with closed eyes – but maybe that’s to show how aloof he is to what goes on around him. The print is a medium size and printed in black on mostly light-colored backgrounds so it will be easy to read for most kittens.

Rating, 4 out of 5 paws because like all cats, he remains unique and an enigma to everyone. Also, the illustrations are inspiring to Mom!!

Reviewer: Simon

 

Willy the Wandering Kitten

[Who Wants to Adopt] Willy the Wandering Kitten

 

No author or illustrator credited

Derrydale Books, 1988

Young Willy, a three-month old tabby kitten, is very keen to explore the world around him. He has grown tired of chasing butterflies with his brothers and living with mom in the garden. Mom has told all her boys not to go into the house – that’s where the people live! – but one day Willy notices the back door open to the house and he sneaks away and into forbidden territory. Once inside he plays with yarn, explores the house, is almost swished by a broom, meets a mouse and gets caught in a spider web. After the web he decides it’s time to go back outside. He meets a dog, a pony and her foal, a baby hedgehog and another kitten his age. After a long, long day of exploring, in the end, Willy just wants to go to mom.

 

This oversized picture book has beautiful, realistic illustrations. The print is medium large but the letters and words are close together and there are a lot of them! Young readers should have no trouble reading the book to very early readers and Willy’s adventures makes for happy dreams if read at nap or bedtime. Although Willy narrowly avoids disaster on a couple of occasions, he’s never in any real danger but he learns to be courageous and do the thing that frightens him.

 

I don’t know if the book is still officially in print, but you can get a copy fairly cheap on Amazon. Mom got our copy at the thrift store. If you can find one, it would be a nice addition to your cat book collection!!

 

Ratin: 4 out of 5 paws

 

Reviewer: Simon

 

 

 

 

A to Z: V – Veterinarian author

Meow Wow
Curiously Compelling Facts, True Tales, & Trivia Even Your Cat Won’t Know

Marty Becker, D.V.M. and
Gina Spadafori
Illustrations by Molly Pearce

This wonderful book was a gift from our good friend Ellen over at 15 and Meowing and we loved it!! It’s a book that is full of fun facts about us felines – some things we knew and some things we didn’t. The illustrations are quite adorable as well. Here is a sampling of the interesting stuff we read:

*Cats aren’t native to the continental United States. Because cats have always been prized on ships for their hunting abilities, it’s assumed cats came here about the same time all the other Europeans did, hopping off the boats and making themselves thoroughly and successfully at home.  Pg 26 (Boy, ain’t that the truth!!)

*Your cats just consider you a giant cat . . . or heating pad, if you prefer.  Pg 92 (’specially on cold nights!!)

*The British Government for many years kept cats “on the payroll” to help keep buildings free of rodents. The most famous of these cats have lived at 10 Downing Street, the traditional residence of the prime minister. Pg 120 

*Cats have more than thirty muscles around each ear to allow them to point the pinna (the visible part of the ear) in the direction of whatever sound they’re trying to pick up. The ears can move independently of each other. And, of course, cats have exceptional hearing. All of this means you cat can hear you just fine—she’s just ignoring you. Pg 153 (What? Am I listening to you? Not if I have to!)

*The term “Cat’s Pajamas” comes from an English tailor of the late 1700s and early 1800s who made the finest silk pajamas for royalty and other rich patrons. His name was E. B. Katz. (Well, isn’t that just the bee’s knees!)

Rating 4 out of 5 paws

Reviewer: Jack