Purrsnikitty

Kathy Brodsky
ill. Cameron Bennett

"I'm a very special cat. I say that everyday."

Purrsnikitty is a cat who was adopted from a shelter into a loving home. Purrsnikitty knows who runs the house - the cat, of course.

Purrsnikitty is a normal household cat. Everything Purrsnikitty does are things we see in our domestic cats every day.Whether it is scratching the sofa, climbing onto bookcases, or being jealous of the new puppy in the house, this book shows how it is like for a family with a pet.

This book was given "the acid test". A six-year-old read the book at bedtime. She liked the story and wanted to read it again the next night. She is a cat owner and was able to recognize Purrsnikitty's actions. I also read the book aloud to a four-year-old who followed the pictures. Purrsnikitty looks like one of her grandmother's cats, Misty, so she identified immediately with the book. She would look at pictures and point out Misty. She liked having the book read to her (of course she likes to have almost any book read to her) and interacted as we discussed the pictures.

Cameron Bennett's pictures of the cat are good and realistic. Most of the positions and actions are immediately recognizable from any living cat. The funniest are on the page where Purrsnikitty swallows a hairball and spits it back up. The pictures of the little girl and the family are old fashioned. The family could easily be one from the primary readers I had in first grade.

The words are given a special look as well, They are positioned in different places on the pages to go with the actions in the pictures. Some of the words important to Purrsnikitty, such as "scratch", are in a different font or a different color. It makes the words stand out and adds to the story.

Kathy Brodsky's Purrsnikitty has a few other under stories besides how the cat acts. It includes the responsibilities of pet ownership. There is the acceptance of another - Purrsnikitty is most unhappy when a puppy is brought to the house. The two eventually become good friends.

At the end of the book Kathy Brodsky has included a couple pages of questions and answers for the child to consider. They could be used in a story time group or in one on one conversations the the child. The questions are more than just about Purrsnikitty or having a pet. They cover other emotions mentioned, such as jealousy. Purrsnikitty was jealous of the new puppy - has the child been jealous of a brother or sister?

Purrsnikitty is a pleasing book that the target age group will appreciate. Pursnikitty isn't a cat with special powers, rather an ordinary house cat. House cats have their own special powers in the love, fun, and frustration they provide. Children can see their own pets in Purrsnikitty.

Provided by publicist for review