Cat Talk is a children’s poetry book with beautiful illustrations. There are 13 poems in this book, and all poems are told by 13 different cats’ viewpoints. All of the cats in the book are very unique, and they find their meaning in humans’ lives. In this book, readers can also find typical cats’ habits and characters. For example, cats prefer to sleep somewhere warm and comfortable such as in a mitten box, in bedclothes, on fluffy clothing, and on a copy machine. Furthermore, this book describes the inquisitiveness of cats. For instance, cats sometimes come into a bathroom and play with bubbles or running water although most cats do not like to become wet with water. Therefore, some readers who have ever owned a cat will have something that comes to mind about those cats’ behavior and curious nature, so the readers can enjoy reading the poems. On the other hand, some readers who have never owned a cat also can enjoy reading the poems and learning about cats’ general behavior and characteristics such as friendliness, inquisitiveness, and self-respect. In addition, the beautiful full-color illustrations and attention-grabbing writing style of the poetry never bore the readers. I recommend this book for children whose ages range from four to eight and also for animal lovers of all ages. I recently found this book at my library. Co-authored by Patricia MacLachlan and her daughter, Emily MacLachlan Charest, and illustrated by Barry Moser, you'll find delightful pages, each with a lovely image of a particular cat and poetic text that describes its special personality. For those who love cats, this would make a wonderful gift, and for those who teach, I can imagine having students use this example to spark their own poems about a particular favorite pet, not necessarily a cat. As you can see from the gorgeous cover, Barry Moser shows cat personalities very well. There is the sweetest small painting of two buddies leaning together on the dedication page, a black cat and a white one, and the book begins! There is Tough Tom whom we meet as an on-the-streets cat, who walked into a warm and welcoming place, and as he said, "But you opened the window/And I walked in." We meet Minnie, a cat so dark, he says "My fur is the color of the night./I am a shadow," with an almost full page illustration of a dark night with a full moon, and Minnie, blending in! Each cat is filled with personality, both in the words and the illustration. A favorite is dear Romeo, black with a white big, reminding me of my last cat, Max, both in looks and personality. The poem reads in part, "I fall over onto people I love./You can pet me anytime/anywhere." The book pays sweet homage to cat pets, and the reasons we love them, "They've got personality!"
What do You think about Cat Talk (2013)?
Wish the cover was as great as the interior illustrations.
—Lauren
Beautiful illustrations. Definitely a cat lovers book.
—john
