Why do cats meow? Curious questions about your favorite pet

Nick Crumpton

Book - 2020

In this new addition to the Curious Questions About Your Favourite Pets series, children will learn everything they've always wanted to know about their cats. This book answers questions like, "How long have people kept cats?," "Why do cats like scratching chairs?," "What does 'meow' mean?," and "Do cats have nine lives?" Combining mythological stories--such as how the superstitions surrounding black cats originated and the prominent role cats played in ancient Egyptian worship--with zoological information, Why Do Cats Meow? is a fun, unique reading experience. Children will learn how best to care for their own pet and come to understand why humans and cats have such a special relations...hip.

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Location Call Number   Status
Children's Room j636.8/Crumpton Due Oct 13, 2024
Subjects
Genres
Instructional and educational works
Picture books
Trivia and miscellanea
Published
New York, New York : Thames and Hudson 2020.
Language
English
Main Author
Nick Crumpton (author)
Other Authors
Lily Snowden-Fine (illustrator)
Item Description
Includes index.
Physical Description
48 pages : color illustrations ; 31 cm
ISBN
9780500652381
  • Lions in your living room: How long have people kept pet cats?
  • The good, the bad and the snuggly: How many different cats are there?
  • Making their mark: Do cats have territories?
  • Caterwauling kitties: Why do cats meow?
  • Feeling the way: What do a cat's whiskers do?
  • Following your nose: Why do cats have wet noses?
  • Wary of the water: Why don't cats like water?
  • An appetite for destruction: Why do cats like scratching things?
  • Unbreakable: Do cats have nine lives?
  • Moody moggies: Is my cat ignoring me?
  • Celestial creatures: Why were cats worshipped?
  • Cats in high places: Could cats rule the world?
  • Hunting instinct: Why do cats bring us dead animals?
  • Family matters: Where do cats like to have kittens?
  • Clean freak: Why do cats lick their own bottoms?
  • Content as can be: How can you keep your cat healthy?
  • Cat words: Index
  • Witches and omens: Do cats bring bad luck?
  • What a cat sees: Can cats see in the dark?
  • Petting your pet: Do cats like being stroked?
Review by School Library Journal Review

K-Gr 4--Why do cats meow? Why do they scratch everything? Why are their noses wet? This informational picture book answers a multitude of questions about cats. Snippets of information are scattered throughout the double-page spreads, which show cats interacting with their human caretakers. The text explains everything from the science of purring to cats' roles in history and religion. Snowden-Fine's artwork is rendered in muted tones, depicting various breeds of cats in everyday domestic situations. The humans are illustrated with a variety of skin tones. VERDICT This cute, factual book would make a great addition to an elementary school or a cat enthusiast's library collection.--Elizabeth Speer, Weatherford Coll., TX

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

The cat-centered companion to Why Do Dogs Sniff Bottoms? (2020). Cats have been living with humans for at least 3,500 years according to Crumpton, "cat expert" and zoologist. Crumpton posits that cats were not tamed by humans but rather "domesticated themselves" to be near humans (who often have yummy meals). Each of the 19 double-page spreads deals with a different aspect of cat life or lore, and each begins with a question. In answer to "Why do cats meow?" Crumpton explains that the sound can mean several different things. However, across the spread, readers learn that: Cats make 100 different sounds; only kittens meow at other cats while adult cats meow only to humans; Siamese are the chattiest; and Maine coon cats chitter at birds. Are cats good or bad luck? Were cats ever worshipped? On several points, they are compared to dogs (cats see red and green, unlike canines; dogs have more scent receptors, but cats can differentiate more smells). With appealingly naïve styling, Snowden-Fine's double-page spreads offer gentle humor as cats of vastly different species, colors, and sizes interpret the text. Humans depicted are racially diverse. The tone overall is light, but the information is sound, bolstered by a closing glossary of cat vocabulary. (This book was reviewed digitally with 11.9-by-18.2-inch double-page spreads viewed at 42.9% of actual size.) A good addition to the cat canon. (index) (Informational picture book. 5-10) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.