Fearless felines 30 true tales of courageous cats

Review by Booklist Review

There's something conceptually wonderful about a collective biography of cats, as it reminds us that they have always been a part of our mundane human lives. An opening double-spread perfectly captures this feeling with a time line of cat-related landmark moments, ranging from 7500 BCE to 2006 CE. From there, we get light, single-page biographies of more modern felines mostly from the twentieth century set opposite their illustrated portraits. Hamilton's playful text is perfectly accessible, expertly blending the cute with the courageous, and in between profiles she inserts informational sections that, among them all, account for a wealth of knowledge on subjects such as common cat superstitions, feline anatomy, lists of movie-star cats, and ways to help cats in need. As for the individual subjects, their stories are surprisingly enticing. The tales of Félicette, out-of-this-world astro cat; Snowball, the cat who solved a murder; Towser, the world's deadliest distillery cat (credited with 28,899 mouse kills); and Oscar, the cuddly grim reaper, will change the way readers view their furry friends.--Ronny Khuri Copyright 2019 Booklist

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.

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Review by School Library Journal Review

Gr 3--5--Hamilton tells the stories of 30 cats from around the world that have inspired literary works, comforted loved ones in their last hours, served important politicians, and more. Packed with heartwarming stories and fun facts, this book will please animal lovers. A different artist illustrates each cat's account; for instance, the profile of Tama, Japan's furriest stationmaster, features beautiful watercolors that emulate Japanese artwork. Between each story, readers will find information on cats, including "how to tell if a cat loves you" and tidbits about felines in religion, mythology, war, and show business, accessibly presented in list format. VERDICT An excellent addition to elementary school libraries and children's nonfiction collections where animals, especially cats, are popular.--Molly Dettmann, Norman North High School, OK

(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

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Review by Kirkus Book Review

So much is said about heroic dogs, but what about fearless felines?Hamilton collects the life stories of 30 cats of note. Each is profiled in a single-page bio that highlights its special contribution to history and a full-page, full-color illustration by one of 17 artists. Arranged alphabetically, the accomplished kitties are from all corners of the map and all walks of cat life. There's Flicette, the first catsronaut, from France; Dewey, the library cat from Iowa that inspired a bestselling book; Scarlett the New York momma cat who saved her kittens from a fire; and Oscar, the first bionic cat, with two prosthetic legs. Cats can even be war heroes, as Pitoutchi, who saved his human in the trenches of World War I, and Pyro, a World War II flying ace, both demonstrate. Interleaved among the biographies are two-page spreads of additional feline facts and kitty triviathe likes of "Silly Cat Superstitions," "Mighty Mousers," and "Feline Muses" to the famoustied in some way to the bios that precede them. At the outset is a very brief timeline of feline-human interaction from 7500 B.C.E. to 2018; and at the close is a timeline of the profiled pusses, a glossary, furr-ther reading, websites, and author and illustrator bios.A cornucopia for cat connoisseurs. (Nonfiction. 7-14) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

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