My Very Own Special Particular Private and Personal Cat has a feeling of not being a contemporary story, but also has a contemporary theme. I believe this book was originally from the 1960s, but the idea of self-confidence, self-understanding and self-autonomy comes into play as we see in several of today’s stories.
Sandol Stoddard Warburg (author) and Remy Charlip (illustrator) created a story about boundaries that a young boy learns from his cat. The cat of the story is a
simple creature but has a mind of its own. You cannot order the cat to sit on your lap, or to do this or that (as most people know about cats), but our young narrator (at first, the cat takes over later) is learning these things. The story is very basic but has a strong message. Told in rhyming text, this softens the story of independence and friendship.
And the signature style of Charlip comes through in the illustrations. The simplistic nature that has no serious detail and just color (and basic colors at that) is alive on the page. It tells you everything you need to know about the action. And while there is not the typical action, that cat knows how to move!
I was able to read this book via Edelweiss reader copy. It is to be released early Mach 2023. I plan on reading it again, as I think this is not a book to be read online, but to hold in your hand. Due to the ages that it is aimed for (at least five and up) that age group would benefit best from a physical copy.