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Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Cat Secrets, written and illustrated by Jef Czekaj. Balzer & Bray, Harper. 2011. $18.99 ages 3 and up


"Whisper. Whisper.
Whisper. Whisper. Whisper.
It has come to my attention
that someone other than a
cat may be reading this book.
Shame on you."

Whoa! I am not even sure you should be reading this blog post if you are NOT a cat! The book itself is only meant to be read by cats, after all. Oh boy, what fun to share this in an early years classroom or with your little ones at home.

They will be loudly laughing as you attempt to share a book that often admonishes any non-feline reader to stop and leave the enjoyment to cats. Can't you just hear them? I am going to take it on my reading guest visits over the next three weeks. And I know it will be a favorite.

If you aren't a cat, stop reading right now. NO, you need to continue on to get the full impact of the many suggestions made if you want to prove you are who you say you are. Can you meow? Well, meowing is pretty easy and very LOUD! Do you think you can purr? That's harder! How about stretching? Are you lean and limber? Finally, the nap! Can you nap anywhere? Do you love lying in the sun? Well, you might be a cat.
It is their undoing...soon each protector of the tale being told is sound asleep and there nothing left but to close this most enjoyable book.

Full of fun and very interactive, you won't be sorry if you put this on your 'must purchase' list.  One reading and your listeners will be hooked, and it will be requested often. Then, let them try their hand at creating their own 'secret' book. That will keep them invested in the writing.

Take some time to check out Jef's blog and see the trailer he created for this newest offering.

1 comment:

  1. I can imagine how much fun this would be to read to a class -- how much the kids would enjoy interacting with the book (stretching, purring...). And it's also quite nice that it ends on a calm note, as the kids who have acted out their cat-like behavior throughout the book will thus end the reading in a quiet, "napping" state, not a hyper one!

    Thanks for the review! I'll have to pass the word on to other teachers. I just stumbled across your site and have bookmarked it so that I remember to check back often.

    Betsy Parkes
    www.the-best-childrens-books.org

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