Cats and Carols by Lesley Anne Ivory (1995, Little, Brown and Company).
I recently discovered the wonderful art of Lesley Anne Ivory, a British artist who has illustrated over 40 children's books, all about cats. I love her warm, detailed paintings, often starring her own kitties or friend's cats.
This book has various Christmas carol lyrics with an illustration for each. It's a beautiful book for your collection. As you can see below, my own sweet Mia enjoyed it, too.
Find more Christmas children's book ideas on my Pinterest board here.
My Cat Likes to Sit in Boxes by Eve Sutton, illustrated by Lynley Dodd (Puffin Books, 1973).
Now that I have my own house, I can finally have a cat. I've always loved cats, but wasn't allowed to have one in my previous apartments, so I'm looking forward to getting one soon. The book I'm sharing today is about the unseen narrator's cat and how it likes to sit in boxes. They describe all sorts of clever, fanciful cats from different countries, and compare it to their cat, who simply likes to sit in boxes.
The Christmas Caribbean Cat by Monica Surrena (2017).
I am happy to have the opportunity to review an interactive e-book, which is something new to me. I downloaded the book app and was pleased to experience an animated, narrated, interactive story with festive Caribbean music. I especially loved the narrator, a man named Gerry O'Brien, who really brought warmth and good cheer to the poem which tells the story.
A cat lives up north but is tired of being cold all the time and decides to move to an island where it's always warm. Then Christmas comes and she misses the snow and feels lonely, not knowing anyone in her new home. So she bakes yummy Christmas cookies, and soon animals come to try them. They end up having a feast and the cat's happy because she now has new friends to help her feel at home.
One of the best things about this book is that the author/illustrator is donating 20% of the proceeds to hurricane relief in Culebra, Puerto Rico, where she lives. She is hoping to give the money to the preschool there. I really admire that she was able to create this e-book despite only getting power back a week ago.
You can find links here to buy the book, available on the Apple Store and Google Play.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this e-book from the author in exchange for an honest, unbiased review. All opinions are my own.
Captain Cat by Inga Moore (Candwick Press, 2013).
This is the story of Captain Cat, who is a trader, although not a very good one because all he wants is cats. He travels to an island and meets a queen who has never seen cats before. Turns out the island has a rat problem that the cats are the perfect solution. This is a nice summer read.
Minou by Mindy Bingham, illustrated by Itoko Maeno (Advocacy Press, 1987).
Growing up, we had a dog. Despite not having a cat of my own until I was a teenager, I have always been a cat lover. "Kitty" was one of my very first words. So I loved this book about a Siamese cat in Paris.
Minou is a loved, pampered kitty. But when her elderly owner becomes ill, she is left to fend for herself on the streets of Paris, something she doesn't know how to do. Luckily another cat teaches her how to survive and she becomes a mouser at Notre Dame Cathedral. Written by the then-Executive Director of the Girls Club of Santa Barbara, this book promotes independence and self-reliance to girls. Adults (and kids familiar with Paris) will also enjoy seeing the famous landmarks in the pictures. However, as a kid, I just knew I loved the story of the sweet Minou.
