December is National Cat Lovers Month. One way to mark the occasion is by reading picture books about cats! The Whisker City Air Race is the fourth book in the exciting aerial adventure series Miso and Kili’s Flying Adventures. Miso and Kili are adorable little cats who love to fly their shiny Red Rider plane all over the world.
In The Whisker City Air Race, they’re taking part, along with their feline friends, in a high-flying annual race from Whisker City over the Catfish Ocean to the Golden Paw Desert and, continuing from there, past the Panther’s Tail Jungle through the Yarn Ball Rolling Hills and back to Whisker City.Along the way, they’ll contend with some Alley Cat antics, a dangerous thunderstorm, and a detour to the finish line.
Author J.M. Chrismer has created an action-packed story that kids will surely enjoy. Though the book is a tad text heavy, there’re plenty of thrills to keep the story moving and the young reader turning the pages. Kids will especially love artist Ilya Fortuna’s bright, engaging illustrations featuring six different delightful airplanes, lots of cute and cuddly cats, and more. This is a fun read that will leave you wondering where Miso and Kili will fly off to next!
The United States has more domestic cats than any other country, over 70 million. The top three countries with the most pet cats, in descending order, are the United States, China, and Russia.
October 16th is Global Cat Day, a day that acknowledges that all cats, including stray and feral cats, deserve to be treated humanely. To celebrate the occasion, I’m reviewing a picture book about a little stray kitten.
With starred reviews from both Kirkus and Publishers Weekly, Late Today by Jungyoon Huh is already drawing attention. It was originally published in South Korea but has been republished this year here in the US by Eerdmans Books for Young Readers.
In Late Today, a terrified and confused kitten dashes between honking cars and trucks and buses, determined to make it to safety. Though lots of people see the kitten, everyone’s in a rush, and no one stops to help, until…a boy and his mother, fearful for the little cat’s safety, finally does.
Deceptively simple text is accompanied by dynamic art by Myungae Lee, whose colored pencil and oil pastel illustrations depict people of all ages, bumper-to-bumper traffic across a multi-laned bridge, a cityscape background, and a tiny lost kitten on a gray, rainy morning. Shocks of vivid color are scattered between dark skies, black tires, and lines of blue-hued pouring rain.
A heartbreaking story, filled with danger, becomes a heartwarming story by the end, much to the relief, no doubt, of any reader, young or old. It’s a not-so-subtle reminder to slow down, to consider what’s truly important, and to find compassion in our hearts for others, including animals.
Depending on which cat association you check with, there are between 40 and 75 domesticated cat breeds in the world. The Cat Fanciers Association recognizes just over 40 breeds, while the International Cat Association recognizes over 70 breeds.
Title: Bless Our Pets: Poems of Gratitude for Our Animal Friends
Author: Fourteen authors, including Lee Bennett Hopkins
Illustrator: Lita Judge
Publisher/Year: Eerdmans Books for Young Readers/2024
Topic/Theme: Pets, human/animal companionship, poetry anthology, expression of gratitude
Favorite Line: If I could pick a pet to pet, the pet I’d pick is you. (from “A Letter to My Guinea Pig” by Darren Sardelli)
Title: The Writer
Author: Davide Cali
Illustrator: Monica Barengo
Publisher/Year: Eerdmans Books for Young Readers/2022
Topic/Theme: Dogs, human/animal companionship, writer’s life
Of Note: New York Public Library Best Illustrated Children’s Books Award (2022)
Title: No Cats in the Library
Author: Lauren Emmons
Illustrator: Lauren Emmons
Publisher/Year: Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books/2024
Topic/Theme: Cats, human/animal companionship, libraries and librarians, books, reading
Of Note: School Library Journal starred review
Happy National Foster A Pet Month! Kids love pets of all kinds! Growing up with a pet or two helps kids learn compassion and how to care for others. Taking care of pets helps kids learn to be responsible too. And the great joy and love both the kids and the pets feel is so special. If you have room in your home and your heart to foster (or better yet, adopt) a pet from a shelter or rescue organization, please consider it. Here’s the ASPCA’s list of Top 5 Reasons to Foster an Animal in Needand the Best Friends Animal Society’s list of Top 10 Reasons to Foster a Pet. Take a look when you get a moment. In the meantime, enjoy three great picture books all about–you guessed it–pets!
Bless Our Pets is a lovely celebration of pets, all kinds, from the majestic horse to the tiny mouse. Fourteen authors have contributed a poem to this collection. Some rhyme. Some do not. But all convey a child’s love (or at least their wonder, as in the case of the snake) for an animal who has touched their lives, including a parakeet, a hamster, a kitten, and more. Charming and expressive watercolor and colored pencil illustrations by Lita Judge accompany each poem. Kids will enjoy the text and pictures together and will likely experience a range of emotions as some of the poems are joyful, such as “Goldfish” by Linda Trott Dickman, and others perhaps a bit sad, such as “My Old Dog” by Lee Bennett Hopkins. The other 12 contributors are Ann Whitford Paul, Rebecca Kai Dotlich, Eric Ode, Ralph Fletcher, Sarah Grace Tuttle, Kristine O’Connell George, Darren Sardelli, B.J. Lee, Charles Ghigna, Lois Lowry, Prince Redcloud, and Joan Bransfield Graham.
From the jacket flap: One of the last books edited by beloved poet Lee Bennett Hopkins, this endearing anthology expresses children’s gratitude for creatures big and small. [It’s] the perfect tribute to the animal friends who bring so much joy into our everyday lives.
Originally published in Italy, The Writer, by Davide Cali, is the kind of picture book that would appeal to both kids and adults. It stars an adorable French bulldog who watches his human companion type, type, type all day long on his laptop. The clever dog feels it’s his responsibility to make sure his human takes breaks to eat and go for walks. But he needs help. So he plays matchmaker. But things don’t go as planned. The engaging and unusual illustrations by artist Monica Barengo, which were rendered using graphite pencil and digital media, nicely capture the varied expressions of the dog, from who’s point of view the story is told. The story flows at a pleasing pace. Text is sparse, leaving plenty of room for the art. Adults, especially dog-owning writers, will likely relate strongly to the writer’s somewhat solitary life depicted in the book. And kids will love the dog’s many amusing poses and antics. And they may just learn a little something about what it’s like to be a writer.
From the back cover: A dog has an important job to do, especially if his human is a writer. But even the world’s best French bulldog can’t do everything. Maybe this perfect pair needs someone new in their lives.
Written and illustrated by Lauren Emmons, No Cats in the Libraryis a heartwarming story about a sweetstray cat named Clarisse who loves books, especially the kind with pictures. When she discovers the library and tries to get inside, she’s thwarted by the ever-vigilant librarian. She finally sneaks in through the book drop and makes her way to the children’s section where a little girl reads to her, and they both benefit from the experience. Clarisse got to hear a story, and the girl gained confidence in her reading abilities. Hopefully, now, the librarian will let Clarisse stay. The colorful and adorable digitally created illustrations depict a diverse group of kids and adults. This book is overflowing with library and literacy love, and as a former library assistant, I highly recommend it. Studies show that reading to animals helps kids improve their reading skills and build confidence. Wouldn’t it be fun if this was the book a child picked to read to a cat or dog?
From the jacket flap: Meet Clarisse! She’s a clever cat who loves books. She may not understand the dark, squiggly lines, but she can’t get enough of the pictures. One day she stumbles upon a magical building where people walk in empty-handed and come out with an armload of books. She has to find a way inside!
Adult male parakeets have a blue cere (the area above the beak containing the nostrils), while an adult female parakeet’s cere is brown.
Lauri Fortino's Frog On A (B)Log 