I loathe children’s books. And when I was approached to review the 72-page laminated hardcover, Moo Kitty Finds a Home (Squidgy Press, 2011), I actually groaned and rolled my eyes in the publisher’s face. “Just read it,” she begged. Okay. It’s a kid’s book; it’ll take five minutes, then I can hate it and throw it away.

Wrong! I didn’t hate it, and I certainly didn’t throw it away.

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Rating: Six paws out of five

By Valerie Le Veltre; Illustrations by Liz Leonard

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By page five, Moo Kitty had captured my attention. I couldn’t put the book down until I finished it. I had to find out what happened to the cat in the story.

Moo Kitty Finds a Home is the all-too-often true story of a cat who has Holstein-type black and white markings, thus the name Moo Kitty. This much loved senior cat suddenly finds himself homeless after the passing of his elderly owner. Hungry and terrified, he is visited by three angel kitties who urge him to have faith. The next day a kind man feeds the confused stray and takes him to an animal shelter. As often happens to the Moo Kitties of the world, adoptive families pass him over in favor of the adorable little kittens. I won’t spoil it for you, except to confess that I cried when I read this book.

Moo Kitty is written for kids four years and up. It explains the realities of the homeless older cat in a gentle way. But it isn’t heavy-handed. It won’t overwhelm or inflict guilt on small kids, but it will likely plant that seed to nurture the cat rescuer of tomorrow. I have no doubt that after reading Moo Kitty Finds a Home at bedtime, many a mom and dad are going to take a second, third and fourth look at the adoptable senior cats and dogs before choosing a the new pet.

The illustrations by Liz Leonard are delightful. The story is followed by a few pages that outline the benefits of adopting a senior cat and tips for bringing a mature kitty into your home.

Humane education programs should consider adopting this book as part of their curriculum. You can buy it from amazon.com. Don’t forget to go to your favorite animal charity’s AdoptAShelter.com shopping page to before buying it so they can befit from your purchase.

Bottom line, I’m I am giving Moo Kitty Finds a Home six paws out of five.

 

WHERE TO BUY:

Available from Amazon.com through AdoptAShelter.com
$16.95 for the laminated hardcover