Uncle Andy's cats

Warhola previously wrote about his uncle, Andy Warhol, in Uncle Andy's (2003). Now he picks up Warhol's story once more, this time depicting his relationship with his cats. The first feline was a blue kitten named Hester, who was soon joined by Sam. In time the inevitable happened a litter of kittens and then it happened again. Before long the house was overrun with cats, and since they all looked like their father, all were named Sam. Warhola gets the maximum amount of fun from 25 cats in a tall, skinny house, and with him as the young narrator (sometimes sleeping over among cats and cases of Campbell's soup), the story has a personal patina that works well. Most of it seems to be true. Warhol did write a book called 25 Cats Name sic Sam and One Blue Pussy; according to this version, when it became a hit, the famous cats were all adopted, leaving only Hester and the first Sam. For extra fun, readers are invited to count the cats as they romp through the stylish, invigorating pictures.--Cooper, Ilene Copyright 2009 Booklist

K-Gr 2-In Uncle Andy's (Putnam, 2003), Warhola mentions that his famous uncle lived with his mother and owned 25 cats named Sam. That throwaway detail has been developed into its own book. Cats tells the story of how Andy Warhol and Bubba start with a single feline named Hester, acquire a companion for her named Sam, and end up with 25 kittens that look like their dad. Overrun by cats in a house already filled top to bottom with Warhol's art, the artist and his mother create two books about the Sams, which lead to happy relocations for the kittens. Warhola has masterfully combined a childlike delight at the almost alien world that his celebrated relative lives in, while impressing on the audience the idea that even famous artists have to deal with worldly matters. The natural playfulness of the 25 Sams adds zest to an already eclectic household and provides Warhola ample opportunity for cheerfully chaotic illustrations of cats and Pop Art trying to coexist. Pictures such as a stampede of Sams running between Warhol's legs or the exhausted artist asleep in bed with only his trademark white hair visible among a sea of kitties are delightful. Young readers will be glad for this opportunity to revisit the tall, skinny house in New York.-Kara Schaff Dean, Walpole Public Library, MA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.