The Necessary Cat - Hardcover

Did you know that white cats are usually deaf? Or that when a cat is frightened it sweats through its feet? Or that ancient Egyptians shaved off their eyebrows to mourn the death of a cat? Any self-respecting cat lover will be delighted to discover these feline facts and more in Nicola Bayley's The Necessary Cat, a lovely, old-fashioned tribute to cats and kittens of all varieties. Exquisitely detailed, whimsical illustrations in diverse styles highlight Bayley's scrapbooklike collection of old-fashioned cat toys (and new ones, too!); cat stats; cat lore; cat poems by such luminaries as William Wordsworth, W.B. Yeats, and Walter de la Mare; cat words; and famous cats and their infamous feats. Feline fanciers of all ages will enjoy pawing through this delightful album--dare we say it's the cat's meow? (All ages)

Grade 3 Up-From the exquisite close-up of a cat's face on the cover to the tiny tidbits of cat wisdom and lore inside, this book exhibits the author's fascination with felines of all varieties. What appears at first to be just a vehicle for Bayley's artwork is truly a finely crafted tribute to the cat with a strong focus on verse. Rhymes and poetry by authors both contemporary and classical have been lovingly illustrated in styles ranging from silhouettes to simple line drawings, fanciful cartoons, charming vignettes, and carefully delineated realistic portraits-nearly all rendered in soft colored pencil and watercolor. Print styles, which include some hand lettering, vary with each piece. Bayley presents two-page spreads of cat facts; words; historical oddments; and a gallery of cat paintings, each in the style of a great artist. In addition, she includes a lexicon of wild cats, spreads of "cat scraps" (postcards, labels, candy wrappers, stamps), drawings of toys, plants and flowers with "cat" in their popular names, and tidbits about famous cat lovers (Edward Lear, Theodore Roosevelt, Sir Winston Churchill). In terms of a well-rounded collection of cat poems (by modern poets), Nancy Larrick's Cats Are Cats (Philomel, 1988) is a better choice, but cat lovers will relish every detail in Bayley's compilation. -Susan Scheps, Shaker Heights Public Library,
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.