Cats Books

In any format this is a great book, but it's not the one I had as a kid. I do have an older edition for comparison, and it's fun to guess which of the politically questionable pictures have been replaced in this slightly revised version. No more Native American or Eskimos caricatures, weapons or fighting. Christmas changed to Hanukkah for the "Holiday" entry. Now that I have a young daughter I can appreciate the reasons for these changes, but it's nice to have the "classic" for nostalgia reasons.

This book is effectively an ABC for kids. Published in the 1960s it still provides a valuable teaching aid to get young children learning their alphabet. Each letter has anassociated series of words and story attached to it. With characters such as "Aaron" the alligator, and Abigail a girl, simple sentences are conveyed with quirky illustrations to help children learn various concepts. From "Abigail crosses the road" to "Aunt Ada likes Lions" the book leads the young reader from A through to Z where we learn that "Zero is very cold for zebras". A fun way for any child to learn to read.

I got this book 32 years ago when my first daughter was born. We began "playing with" the dictionary when she was around 1, and it was such a source of laughs for both of us. She did learn her letters. At 18 months , while walking through a marked parking lot, she surprised my friends by saying "Mommy, standing on "A". I gave the dictionary full credit!

Now this same person is expecting her first child. The Dictionary is on it's way to her house right now.

Excellent book. My three-year old learned all of her letters in a fun and amuzing way. She was intrigued by the pictures and the activities the characters were perfoming. I highly recommend it for any preschooler.

Kristina, Mother of Tiffany

While all of the books with the Dr. Seuss label can be considered essential reading for children, this one is more essential than most of the others. In terms of books used to help children learn to read, I found it to be unequaled in value. I still have the copy my daughter read and it is worn to the point where the spine is falling apart. Not through misuse, but from being opened and the pages flipped over and over again.
In the beginning, I read it to her, but it did not take long until she was sitting by herself looking through the pages and saying the words. Each word is accompanied by an illustration and in most cases a brief sentence where the word is used. Many of the illustrations incorporate the usual Seuss silliness, such as the green alligator carrying a sign stating, "I am a horse." All of which is designed to give the meaning of the word "true."
One of the best books I have ever seen to help children learn to read, I cannot include enough superlatives to express my opinion of it.

A WONDERFULLY TOLD CAT-TAIL! THE ILLUSTRATIONS ARE LOVELY AND APPROPRIATE TO THE PLAYFUL THEME OF THE BOOK.

This is a fantastic story. It sparks children and adults (I'm 53!) the imagination and creativity that will help make the world a more beautiful place. I hence started to write my own children's stories. Amy Tan is my inspiration, and I hope she becomes yours.

I am the mother of 2 boys and have little knowledge of "girl" books. I bought this book for 2 little girls ages 4 and 5. The parents of each girl said their daughters were thrilled with the book and asked that it be read to them twice the day the book arrived. I bought the book because I love Amy Tan's novels and assumed that a child's book would be just as engaging. Amy Tan's story and the beautiful illustrations did not let me down.

The most exquisitely illustrated book I've ever owned! A fun, fictitious way to describe how white siamese kittens get their colors.
It's a bit long for a bed time story, but really fun! Kids ages 8 or 9 and up may be able to read it themselves, but the beginners may have a hard time.

I've read Amy Tan's "Joy Luck Club" and "Kitchen God's Wife" and had no idea that she's a wonderful children's author as well. I learned about this book from watching the same titled PBS series. The series is cute for kids, but the book is a wonderful story, rich in history and beautifully illustrated. Tan is a gifted writer that children and adults can appreciate.

David Crouse's Copy Cats is a book of fictional short stories revolving around characters that are on the fringes of society searching for their sense of self and struggling with truth and lies. Crouse's characters are unable to cope with reality, so they fabricate stories (or lies) to make their lives meaningful and justify their own actions. The structures of the stories are all a kind of twisted irony. The truth and reality the characters live in are presented very simply. By the end the reader is either extremely confused or distraught at the happenings of the story, or a mix of both. And yet, through all the darkness, confusion and irony, the reader is drawn to the beauty of the writing and the almost intimate, personal window given to the reader through his style of writing, allowing the reader to catch a glimpse of the struggle these characters endure.

Crouse writes modern tales in a modern world. His story Click, a novella, is filled with conflict, longing, tension building up to a slap in the face of reality. If you bought the book for this story alone you will come away feeling satisfied with the overall product. Crouse is an excellent writer that tells a great story.

The characters are dark and foreboding, with good intentions through every situation Crouse's protagonists deal with. The plots are cutting but believable. It is as if you were listening to a friend telling you a supremely odd tale tempting you to cry out, "No Way!" right in the middle of them. Stranger things do happen in the real world, and when they occur they are the things one talks about over and over again amongst friends and at gatherings.

I highly recommend this book.

This is an incredible collection of short stories, deserving of the Flannery O'Connor award. Buy it, it's wonderful!

The kind of book I love to savor, but can't put down. Every single story is a treat, with unforgettable characters that want to stay longer than you wish.

I think of that line, taken from a Silver Jews song, because it describes this book fully. These are real people--fringe, or whatever you want to call them. There is something true about this book that some people may not want to admit. The sometimes broken nature of our selves that plays out in unsuspected ways runs rampant through these stories--they are stories about here, about now. Buy this, you need it.

Also, look for a fun little story by Crouse in the Dark Horse Book of the Dead.

Have just bred my dog and had a lot of questions about how to take care of her during and after welping. This book answered all of my questions.

I burrowed this book from a public library and have loved the book, i actually had to purchase this book thru Amazon. Glad that it came back~
Has a wealth of information and very easy to understand and follow up on it

Excellent book to add to your bookshelf for breeding information. A must have for the reputable breeder or a newbie just starting out.

I have no down fall opinions of this book at all. "Excellent" ratings~

Excellent book a must have if you plan on breeding.Covers everything you need to know on breeding. I will always keep this book around.

This book is put in simpler terms than a text book & makes it easier to understand for the novice. Very informative.

This is an excellent book for basic canine genetics and picking a breeding partner as well as other aspects of Breeding for quality show puppies.

When I gave this as a gift to cat-loving friends I knew I was doing the right thing. It has been received with great appreciation, not only for the subject matter, but for the beautiful way it was written and illustrated. Judy Chicago is a master at what she does.

This book is exquisite: well-researched, superbly-written, and the art is incredible! I love cats and love art - she has done a masterful job capturing the feline essence, and the relationships she and Donald have with their cats.

I've been sharing my life with cats for twenty years, and thought I knew feline behavior and physiology pretty well. She taught me things I never knew before.

I plan to give this as a gift to many of my friends. I am proud to have it as a part of my personal library. It is a true treasure that I will always cherish. Every time I open it, I find something new to marvel at. Her feline companions are very lucky to have found her; her love of, and understanding of, those she has made a part of her family, shine through on every page.

Bravo, Judy!

As an artist and an animal person, I treasure this exquisite book. Not only is it beautifully painted (in the challenging medium of water color no less!) but it has a rich feel of the Medieval with its purples, golds and parchment divider pages. Hence the sub-title, "A Feline Book of Hours." I share my home with several cats as I have my whole life. This book honors cats by not just showing one's daily routine with them, but also shows the dignity, courage and humor cats possess. It also shows, from the artist's perspective, the joys of daily life in the companionship of cats and the tragedy of inevitable loss.
It is a joy to see cats represented as the unique creatures that they are by one of the most gifted and brilliant artists of our time.

Kitty City: A Feline Book of Hours caught my attention because of the author's name, Judy Chicago. I have always admired her work in the world of fine arts. This book is a wonderful surprise. It is beautifully illustrated and truly influenced by the illuminated Book of Hours treasured during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. The pleasing illustrations are enhanced by the use of gold and vellum.

To my delight, the reader is allowed a very intimate look at the life of the artist with her husband and their feline family. The day-to-day joys as well as life's harsh reality in the loss of a loved one.

Kitty City makes a great gift for anyone that has ever loved an animal or is interested in feline history and feline facts of life. Little known tidbits about cats and their place in the world add to the uniqueness of this book.

If you are familiar with Judy Chicago's work, you know that endless hours of research precedes each project, and this one continues in that tradition. The text is lively and informative, and the illustrations prove once again what a fine artist Judy Chicago is. Her sense of color is just amazing. Even if you're not a cat lover, this book is a treasure.

The author really gives the cat in this story a voice, not to mention the cat is just like mine. Great story and pictures. I read it to my fourth grade class and they enjoyed it.

This is a humorous look at an imaginary life of Merl the "special" cat. He has his cat people and when they bring a puppy into the home, Merl begins an adventure. Kids love to hear it over and over--the illustrations are also very lovely. I love to read this out loud.

Awesome book! Only thing that I didn't really like so much were the grey people (they seemed to be photographs) that were inserted with the animals) Merl certainly is a very special cat, and I can't think of a reason why any child wouldn't love this book. I'm especially fond of Merl's pink mouse toy.

That aside, the writing is great and the illustration (Aside from the grey people) fit the mood of the whole thing fanatsticly. The 'i'm so irritated' cat face is just perfectly captured.

"My dish. My sofa. My chair. My mouse. My Bed." These are the words uttered by Merl, a very special cat and above each two word sentence is an excellent illustration. Merl, who always seems to have his pink mouse toy in his teeth by the tail is a happy, content cat, until his owners bring home a puppy. The puppy dog licks and slurps Merl to no end, apparently not aware that cats and dogs aren't supposed to be friends. Merl does everything he can to discourage the puppy, but in the end finds that nothing he does will shake this dog's love, so he leaves and seeks out a new home.

However, everywhere he goes he has problems, first a lady dresses him up like a show cat, children fight over him and he winds up sleeping in a box on the street until this dog comes by and guess what, that dog is the puppy all grown up and he takes Merl home and Merl decides to be friends after all, but there are a few rules he lays down and they are, "My dish. My sofa. My chair. My mouse. My bed and My Big Dog."

This is wonderful book for children just learning to read. The illustrations are simply beautiful. Your child will just love this. I know my girls did when they were learning to read. Five stars from me for "My Big Dog."

Our class thought this book was funny! We laughed when the cat, Merl, got dressed up as a girl. Our favorite part was when the kids played tug-of-war with Merl. You have to buy this book! It is excellent!

MadFinn is a really great book for people just becoming teenagers and how it feels. U get an inside look on how it will be ur first day at school and how many friends and enimies u make. Every teenage girl (...) should get a copie of Madison Finn TODAY.

ITS THE BEST BOOK EVA!!!!!

I loved this book BTW (MF humor). I know how Madison feels to want something and tries to do it and then chickens out at the last minute so I didn't par-take in her regret in not trying out for a show part in The Wiz. I think stage manager is a great role; she gets to know everything before the cast does and she gets to help with the costumes. But what I don't like is Ivy, yup, Poison Ivy Daly (meddling with Maddie's life as usual). Can't she just stay out of things for two seconds!? She, Aimee, and Fiona are all buddy-buddy now, leaving Madison to watch from behind the curtain again. Even Hart is not paying too much attention to her. But when the fat lady sings everything pops back into reality, which makes me happy. But while Fiona and Aimee were out of the scene it gave Madison the opportunity to introduce the new character Lindsey Frost into the series. She's a girl who can't be excepted, but does that stop Madison. No way!

I LOVED the Madison Finn book called Play It Again!!:)If you haven't read it I'll fill you in on this book. This book is funny and is about a girl named Madison and her 7th grade life at Far Hills Jr. High. In this book it's happy and can resemble what your life is like, like when Madison got nervous in front of her crush, that was a thing that you might have happen in your life. Another reason why this book ROCKS is that you can read every line of this book and picture it in your head like a movie, and I'm not talking about popcorn with that (just kidding). This book is funny from when Madison tells about when she fainted in front of the whole school when she was in 2nd grade. I also like this book because it is based on every day life and always has advice and answeres for your every questions. If your a Madision Finn fan well then you'll love Play it Again. My advice to you is I can't make you read this but maybe this review will. My last words I need to say about Play It Again, THIS BOOK IS AWESOME!!!!:)

Madison finds out who her true friends and enemies are in this book! Poisen Ivy is taking over madison's friends so maddie starts to feel left out since she chickens out of trying out for the play so she is the stage manger. When things go wrong will Madison's friends be their for her or will they fall into Ivy's trap! You will have to read the book to find out.

This is the 3rd book in the series and it was the best one so far. Madison Finn's grade is putting on a play, The Wiz. She doesn't want to audition so she gets to be the Stage Manager. She is really excited about that but she soon feels left out. All she does in run and get props! And to top it all off, Fiona and Aimee are hanging out with Ivy! This book was used for my book report and it was really easy to do. One of my friends is using my copy of "Caught in the Web" for her book report and she says she has lots of ideas, too. If you want to: know what happens with Fiona and Aimee with Ivy, read a great book, or do an easy but still an A+ book for a report, buy "Play it Again"!

Fantastic, one of my favorite cat books. Every time I pick it up, I change my mind about what the best poem is.

I actually remember lines from these poems sometimes, in circumstances where less happily placed people would recall lines from the original
poems !

By the way, 'Beowulf' is about the least wonderful, perhaps because the original was of no interest to me; too bad that that is the one Amazon used as the excerpt.

I've read some of these as "friendly email" forwards, with no attribution. Folks, always use accurate attributions; People like Henry Barber (the 'editor' of these works) deserve to make a living out of what they produce. :-)

Also by the way, 'French for Cats' by Henri B. The little furfaces gather when I practice the French phases in it. Tell me French is not the natural language of cats! :-)

Readers of Poetry for Cats: The Definitive Anthology of Distinguished Feline Verse by Henry Beard will notice how much influence humans have on cats. Cats will not enjoy having this pointed out. They work hard to protect their free will and try to dictate the terms of their relationships with humans. You can not just pick up a cat and expect it to be happy being held; you have to wait until the cat is ready. Cats will not play with toys just because you want to play. Cats appear to think independently, but their poetry betrays them.

Here is a bit of verse written by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's cat:

I chased a mouse beneath the stair,
It went to ground, I knew not where;
For, so swiftly it ran, my sight
Could not follow it in its flight.

Sound familiar?

There is more. Samuel Taylor Coleridge's cat wrote the following:

In Xanadu did Kubla Kat
A splendid sofa-bed decree
With silken cushions soft and fat
A perfect feline habitat
Set on a gilt settee.

Here is another sample, this time by William Shakespeare's cat:

To go outside, and there perchance to stay
Or to remain within: that is the question:
Whether `tis better for a cat to suffer
The cuffs and buffets of inclement weather
That nature rains on those who roam abroad
Or take a nap upon a scrap of carpet ...

Have you noticed a trend? It appears that cats listen more than they let on, and they even identify with the humans with whom they relate. They certainly borrow verse as freely as they claim their favorite chairs.

Cats do deserve some credit for knowing what poetry to borrow and adapt as their own. They are able to turn bits of Chaucer, Keats, Frost, or Ginsberg into works that serve their purposes, such as catching goldfish, breaking vases, or berating Whitman for sleeping too late. In near unison they raise their voices to complain about their vets.

One thing that surprises me about Poetry for Cats is that Henry Beard never reveals the cats' names. I can not imagine that Emily Dickinson had a nameless cat!

Poetry for Cats is an attractive book with colorful illustrations and is still in print after eleven years. I found our copy when inventorying the poetry collection. I am afraid few people have borrowed it lately, so I am going to put it on display. The cats need to be heard.

The only thing wrong with this book is that one has to both love cats and be educated in poetry. (In other words, there's no one else I know who can appreciate this book!) I like some of Henry Beard's poems even better than I do the originals. I'm especially glad that he chose to interpret some of my favorite poems (e.g., "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening," and "Xanadu.") Henry Beard is extremely talented; this sort of thing is very hard to do. (I know; I've tried.) This is a MUST for anyone and everyone who loves cats and poetry.

Henry Beard has both a good knowledge of the original poems and of cats. His spoofs are tremendously clever, and he chooses the most common poems in English literature, so most people will recognize them. I laughed myself nearly sick. It's as good as jogging! ;-)

This book is funny in and of itself; however, if you are familiar with the poems on which these are based, you're in for a special treat. Beard doesn't just substitute words: his premise is that the poets' cats wrote these poems, which makes "She Walks In Booties" or "Abyssinias" even more feline, er, sublime...

My son (age 4) really likes this book. It has a great rhyming story, and the illustrations are spectacular. Great pictures of "monsters" amidst beautiful fall color. A joy to read and look at!

Another beautiful book. My kids and I are big fans of Jan Brett's books and this one is just perfect to get into the Halloween Spirit.

I liked this book very much for the lesson it teaches you. My daughter who is 7 told me after reading this book to me, that things are not always as scary as they first seem to be. The monsters were just people, but seemed scary to the kittens because the kittens are so much smaller than the people, and the people had costumes on, which made them seem even scarier to the kittens.
Very easy book to read, and because it kind of reads like a song or poem, it made it fun for my daughter to make her own tune to read it to.

This delightful little book has all the charm and spookiness of the holiday it represents. As a twenty-two year-old adult, I think this book has equal appeal for adults and children.

Jan Brett's luscious, beautiful pictures perfectly depict the gorgeous darkness of Halloween night and the vibrant colors of different costumes (or are they really monsters?) Accompanied with these pictures are the rhymes of Eve Bunting's wonderful poem, with words easy enough for kids to understand but spooky enough to give even adults a chill.

Both the poem and the pictures, like Halloween, are fittingly creepy and even haunting while still being fun. Together, they make this book the perfect package for anyone wanting to enjoy the true essence of all Hallow's Eve. I earnestly invite you to enjoy this, my dears (polishes fang, retracts claws).

I personally found the writing style a little stilted in the book. For example, "A devil prances, fiery red, with horns asprouting from his head." and "Thunder, thunder up above! 'What is it, mother?' 'Shh, my love! It's just the thump of creature feet, A creature in a winding sheet."
It reads more like a poem, not the way we speak naturally. If you like a poetic style, you'll probably love this book. But if you want a more relaxed book, then don't buy it.
But anyway, having said that, my four year old son liked the book. The pictures are scary, but not gruesome. Probably a little too scary for a toddler.
Illustrated by Jan Brett, of course the pictures are well-done, but to be honest it's not on the same level as her other works. There is not nearly as much detail as she usually puts in. (For example, no borders filled with tiny illustrations.) The art doesn't look much different than most Halloween books.

...this time I felt the need. Of all the books I read after my sweet black cat, Flash!, died a year and a half ago, this one meant the most. Ever since my sweet boy passed away at the ripe old age of 11 (old for a cat with FIV, I was told), I searched for a book like this one...someone who feels as I do, and Samantha Mooney captures this. My heart aches when I think of Christmas without him...spring without him...he was alive just a little while ago...where did he go? What happened to him? Ms. Mooney seems to be the only writer that shares these thoughts with me, and so this book helped me tremendously. If you're mourning a loss as deep as ours, please don't hesitate...treat yourself to this book.

Hard to believe this book would ever go out of print, or that the author apparently wrote nothing else. I got this book when it first came out, and periodically reread it -- and I'm not even a cat person. A wonderful book, beautifully written, about life, love, loss and renewal. Get a copy, this one is a jewel that shouldn't be missed.

Lyrical, poignant, tender, this is a book clearly written by a cat lover. A slim memoir of her time as an veterinary research assistant in the oncology department of NYC's Animal Medical Center, the author is above all hopeful, despite the inevitable early demise that awaits most of her patients. She knows that while the doctors may not be able to cure the cancers of their feline patients, they can certainly improve the quality of life, allowing the cats to live out their lives as happily as medically possible. Highly recommended.

No exaggeration here, this book is quite possibly the best book I've ever read - and I've read a LOT of books. I probably average 100-150 books per year and this book stands out like a shining beacon of what a book should be.

Without melodrama or saccharine-laced manipulations, the author manages to successfully illustrate the pain, no, the agony, of watching a beloved animal slip away. She shows the behind the scenes anguish and dedication of those who care for and strive to better the lives of our furry children. Nowhere have I seen animal-human relationships portrayed with such tenderness, sincerety and respect without a trace of the maudlin.

Ms. Mooney does not proselytize nor does she moralize, yet somehow she manages to bring forth a sense of the divine and everlasting bond possible with a special animal. She gives the sense also that however difficult, life does go on and that somehow, it must.

One other important note about this book - With her words, her attitude, and her wisdom, Ms. Mooney does a better job than could 12 trained counselors at helping to appease any guilt a companion person may have at any decisions made out of love for an animal.

I highly recommend this book for anyone who has ever loved an animal or even anyone who has simply had a friendship with one. This book speaks to a level rarely seen or addressed in a simple paperback book.

In law school, in a cinder block dormitory, Samantha Mooney's cats were a surrogate animal family for me, but such a tragic family, since death came sooner for them than for most of our pets. This was one of the very few books I carried home with me and I have never let it go in all the intervening years. If we must acknowledge that we are destined to outlive most of our pets, again and again we need a book to remind us to cherish their lives but not tether them to hopeless life when they are ready to let go. Many animals have shared their lives with me in the years since I graduated. This is the book I turn to when that sad day comes around for each of my animals in turn.