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Thursday, February 14, 2008

Book Review: It’s Like This Cat



This book is a stark contrast to coming-of-age stories like Shiloh that feature a lonely boy and a dependent, loyal dog who become fast companions. That’s because this book is about a boy and his cat. Both are fiercely independent and curious. That curiosity leads both into some scary yet exciting adventures. Author Emily Neville really captures the innocence and exhilaration of catch-as-catch-can life for the main character as well as those who cross his path. Her caricature of both cat and boy behavior is humorous and true-to-life. In addition, her romantic portrayal of New York City through the eyes of youth is magical. At the same time, one feels all the familiarity and intimacy of a small town as she weaves the chapters through landmarks like Gramercy Park and Coney Island and then back to “the neighborhood.” The matter-of-fact portrayal and acceptance of family dysfunction is refreshing in a book more than 40 years old.

2 comments:

Adrianne said...

I remember reading this book when I was a girl and loving it. The unique title always stuck in my head so I re-read it again last month and was pleased to discover that it's as charming as I remembered. It definitely deserves to be a classic.

Module 4: It’s Like This, Cat | bojkovsbooks said...

[...] Brown, S. (2008, February 14). Book review: It’s like this cat [Review of the book It's like this, cat, by E. Neville].  Early childhood education resources [Web log post].  Retrieved from http://www.eced-resources.com/2008/02/14/book-review-its-like-this-cat/ [...]