It’s All About Me-ow: A Young Cat’s Guide to the Good Life (review)

Buddy, a people-savvy orange tabby, counsels a trio of kittens on how to make the most of their feline assets to win friends and influence people in this tongue-in-cheek guidebook. Buddy begins by sympathizing with the wide-eyed kittens (“Yes, humans are big and loud and kind of scary. But look at them! They’re staring at you and making goo-goo noises. . . . Now’s the time to take control!”). Next, he leads them through a cat-alogue of felinity’s finer traits, gives them a brief rundown of the (mostly Western) history of domestic cats, and describes ways in which cats can communicate with and endear themselves to humans (much purring is involved). A final spread features a family snapshot of a grinningly posted extended cat family, including both exotic felines and domestic breeds. Although the approach to the nonfiction content is rather scattershot and occasionally perpetuates questionable information (cats don’t in fact always land on their feet), the affable older-and-wiser cat is an amusing narrator, and cat lovers will happily recognize both the delights and occasional drawbacks (such as cat vomit on the rug) of cat ownership. The watercolor, colored pencil, and ink illustrations are animated in a slightly cartoonish way, and the cats are capably and endearingly rendered; the big-eyed kittens in particular are sure to elicit some “Awws” from those susceptible to such feline charms. Buddy is frequently depicted as being the center of all things, in perfect keeping with the book’s feline superiority. Other cat books may be more informative, but sassy Buddy will sashay his way into many a kid’s heart.