Too Loud Lily by Sofie Laguna

Rating: Delightful
Age Range: 3 - 5 years
Hardcover: 32 pages
Publisher: Scholastic Press (March 1, 2004)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0439579139
ISBN-13: 978-0439579131

Too Loud Lily is a story about Lily the Hippo who is just too loud and constantly gets into trouble for it, until one day a new teacher at school gets Lily into the school play and Lily can be herself.

We got given this book for Christmas and I thought on our first read through that this book was written for my Little Miss who likes to be loud and adventurous. My son also enjoys the book and we have no read this many times in our house.

Too Loud Lily really is a delightful read with a good message about staying true to yourself and finding your niche. Lily struggles in every day life being constantly told she is too loud. When she decides to join the school play she is able to be loud and she brings the house down with her performance, finally finding a place she can be herself.

The illustrations showed Lily's sadness at the start of the book when she gets in trouble for reading to loud, laughing too loud, watching TV too loud, and waking the baby. Then when her new flamboyant teacher arrives you see Lily's transformation as the teacher asks her to be louder. This is music to Lily's ears as she gets to finally unleash her suppressed loudness.

The reader see the progression of Lily from a young girl being forced into a box against her nature to a young girl who realises her abilities are not a negative but a positive in the right settings.

A final note that Kerry Argent has done a wonderful job illustrating this book.

This is a lovely little book perfect for helping children to learn to accept themselves for who they are.

Other stuff:
This book has been nominated for awards such as:

• Children’s Book Council of Australia Award for Book of the Year for Early Readers Honour Book 2003 
•  Oppenheim Best Book Award USA for 2005 
• Shortlisted for the Queensland Premier’s Literary Awards 2003 
• Shortlisted for the Children’s Choice Picture Book of the Year 2003

Here is a video of the book Too Loud Lily being read so you can get an idea of the book https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XeXpSqsITMs

Please Mr Panda by Steve Antony

Rating 2.5 out of 5
Age Range: 3 - 5 years
Grade Level: Preschool - Kindergarten
Hardcover: 32 pages
Publisher: Scholastic Press; 1 edition (December 30, 2014)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0545788927
ISBN-13: 978-0545788922

In case you haven't guessed I have a thing for panda's. So when I saw this book I was very keen to give it a go.

This book was cute but for me didn't really hit the nail on the head for the message it is advertised to promote of politeness. The Panda was a bit of a jerk asking his friends if they wanted a donut then saying they can't have any when they don't say please. Mr Panda never explains it's because they didn't say please, just saying "no you can't have it I changed my mind". I just felt as Mr Panda initially approached the friend and asked if they wanted a donut then, while a little rude the friends saying for example "yes a yellow one" was not totally out of bounds.  Personally I would have preferred Mr Panda to have explained this as he walked off "no you can't have one because you didn't say please" or something similar. Just saying "nope change my mind you cant have one" to me is just as rude as not saying please. Maybe I am being too harsh?

At the end of the story a kind little lemur says please and gets the reward. 

I think the author is pointing out that most toddlers are very quick to point out faults in others while perhaps doing the wrong thing themselves. However I felt this book could have easily made a more powerful moral statement by the panda simply saying "no you can't have a donut because you didn't say please".

The art work is cute and simple, and possibly the biggest saving grace of the book. It is not a bad if you don't look to closely. As a parent you could easily say "oh that animal didn't say please so they didn't get a donut".

I really wanted to like this book but for me it fell short even though it had lovely art work and a cute story line. If you get the book with out being fussed about the moral to the story part it probably will be more enjoyable.

Out in the bush by Yvonne Morrison

Rating 4 out of 5
Title: Out in the Bush
Author: Yvonne Morrison
Publisher: Koala Book Company

ISBN: 0864618093

EAN: 9780864618092

Age Range: 2-4 years

"Out in the bush" is a cute remake of the song "Over in the meadow" (if you don't know the tune google Wiggles Over in the Meadow). 

This book is educational on a lot of levels. Firstly it discusses Australian native animals with each page using a different critter. 

There is counting woven into the story and every page displays a number prominently, and then reinforcing it with the animals totalling that number on the page. My son loved counting the animals after i had read the text. 

Lastly the text rhymes and is a little silly so kids can really enjoy it (and if you know the song then you can sing it, even badly). As I knew the Wiggles version of this song (which is an old rhyming song) I couldn't help but read it as a song with the voice of Sam (former yellow wiggle) in my head.

I adore the art work which is bright and colourful and would not be out of place hanging on a wall.

For some reason I have not heard of Yvonne Morrison prior to my son bringing this book home from his school library. I have seen her books on the bookshelves in book stores though so was surprised to learn I knew the names of quite a few of her books. But I have to say this New Zealand/Aussie author has won a place in our personal book library as we just loved this book. I am going to get my hands on her "Out in the ocean" book next as master 4 will go bananas over it.

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone as it is a fun engaging read.

Animal Magnetism Series by Jill Shalvis

Animal Magnetism
In the first book we meet Brady and Lilah and this is their story.

This book was so much fun with the lovable doofus Lilah and the brooding Brady. Lilah in particular was a character that was easy to warm to. She brought much of the humour to the book.

Out of the series these two were probably my favourite characters.

Animal Attraction
Book two follows Dell and Jade.

I have to admit out of the three books this one was my least favourite. Maybe it was the characters or the story line, I am not sure which. I just couldnt connect enough with the characters to care if they ended up together or not.

Rescue My Heart
In book three we follow Adam and Holly.

This book redeemed the series as I quite enjoyed Adam's and Holly's interactions. A similar humour seen in book 1, returned to this book as the brothers picked on Adam.

Series Overall

The series over all was in one word enjoyable. From start to finish I was able to just enjoy the books for what they were light, funny, escapist books. It was also  nice seeing the evolution of the relationships in different books and the start of others.

If you are a fan of romance or looking for something light to read (that doesn't leave you rolling your eye's and saying "really? Come on") then this series is for you.

Room on the Broom by Julia Donaldson

Recently we had the opportunity to watch the live play adaptation of this book. I have also been meaning to write a review of the book (which we own) for awhile now. So I thought I would do a joint review of the book, the movie and the play. Hope you enjoy.

The Book

Rating 3.5 out of 5
Age Range: 4 - 8 years
Author: Julia Donaldosn
Illustrator: Axel Sheffler
Paperback: 32 pages
Publisher: Puffin; Reprint edition (August 25, 2003)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0142501123
ISBN-13: 978-0142501122

The witch and her cat are happily flying through the sky on a broomstick when the wind picks up and blows away the witch's hat, then her bow, and then her wand! Luckily, three helpful animals find the missing items, and all they want in return is a ride on the broom. But is there room on the broom for so many friends? And when disaster strikes, will they be able to save the witch from a hungry dragon?

I have a confession ,when we first got and read this book it bored both myself and my son. To be fair he was about two at the time, I suspect a little young for the age group (even though by two he loved books), but it just didn't grab us. I find my enjoyment of reading a book directly correlates to his enjoyment, if he isn't digging it then I probably wont. However after seeing the play I decided to revisit the book and I did enjoy it a lot more than previously.

There is lots of rhyming and lyrical passages which Donaldson does very well in the majority of her books; and the flow and rhythm of the book makes it easy to read aloud. I liked that unlike Tiddler: the story telling fish that there was a definite start, middle and end. The story flowed and made sense.

It seems the combination of Julia Donaldson and Axel Sheffler is one that is here to stay. As far as I can tell Mr Sheffler has illustrated all of Julia Donaldsons books (don't quote me on that but they have done a lot of books together). His slightly quirky style fits in with story and brings it alive. The images are a little darker in the colours that are used, the dark stormy skies, and the crows looming in most of the scenes.

It is nice to see a female lead in a Donaldson book. So far I have encountered mostly male characters in the lead roles in her books. It was  interesting to note (apparently on the authors request) that the witch was young and not a haggard old crone. As the illustrations are quite dark I think the decision to have the witch younger helps make it easier for kids to relate to.

I am glad we decided to revisit this book after seeing the play. When I brought the book over my son said "I saw this!" and he knew what was happening and pointed out when things happened such as saying "oh no the bow fell off"before I even read the passage. I can now see why this book has been as popular as The Gruffalo. I didn't find this book nearly as charming as The Gruffalo (review coming soon).

All in all a nice book to read that's most kids should enjoy.

The Play

Rating 5 out of 5
I was not sure what to expect from the play. I am not a big "arts" person and at the time I still didn't really like the book. But book adaptations are generally different and I assumed there would be differences to fill the hour the play ran for (otherwise it would have been a very short play). Mostly we decided to go because plays for children coming to my home town is quite rare.

The play had taken London by storm and was brought out this year to Australia. Currently (as of July 2013) touring Australia. It had a mixture of puppetry and live actors playing the main characters and telling the story. The play “storyline” did differ from the book in that from the outset the witch was looking for the dragon, not accidentally running into the witch eating dragon. Also they had written songs which were sung at pivotal points. The original story was woven into the extra songs and story dialogue.

The play has been adapted for Australian audiences which was an eye to detail I enjoyed. Right at the start when a swishing kind of noise could be heard an actor said "could it be a platypus?". The "aussie-fied" version was most noticeable during the Parrot's segment. They talked about the birds flying north to Bali and used phrases such as "strewth". I liked this touch.

This was not solely a “children’s play” with plenty of subtle adult humour to keep parents laughing just as hard as the little ones. Little ones may find the appearance of the dragon a little scary but to be honest I was disappointed the dragon character was a guy in a suit (where you could see the face) and not a puppet. I think it would have been an awesome puppet.

The set was simple with the focus being on the actors and the puppets. The puppets were detailed and colourful. The costumes of the Witch and cat actors was again simple but effective.

Australian cast: Stephen Anderson, Josie Cerise, Crystal Hegedis and Damien Warren-Smith

If you have the opportunity I would highly recommend seeing the play.

The Movie

Rating 3 out of 5
For Christmas 2012 BBC One released a Room on the Broom stop animation movie. With some big named actors voicing this movie such as Simon Pegg (Narrator), Gillian Anderson (the witch), and Timothy Spall (the dragon), Martin Clunes (as the dog) to name a few; it is a very well produced little movie.

The movie follows the book very closely. However unlike in the book the dragon "stalks" the witch and her friends throughout the movie. That is about the only noticeable difference to the book I could see.

One thing I realised while watching the movie is it is a darkish story. Especially when compared to the play. I wonder if this is why I didn't enjoy the book version? But otherwise a good little film that kids will enjoy. My son enjoyed watching it from beginning to end.

Willbee the Bumblebee by Craig Smith

Rating 4 out of 5
Publisher: Scholastic New Zealand
ISBN:1869439430
EAN: 9781869439439
Age Range: 5-9 years

Fan's of Wonkey Donkey will love this story. This is the story of Willbee the bumblebee

Kids get to learn about insects in the garden and the bee's role in it. At first I thought "uh oh here we go a chance for the author to lecture children on environmental issues" but it doesn't feel like that at all.

The book was illustrated by Katz Cowley again. Craig Smith and Katz Cowley have collaborated on a few books now and I have to say her illustrations just make Craig Smith's story leap from the page. It is a great pairing.

We have the ipad app version of this book and my son loves it. The app isn't super animated it really is just the illustrations and the author reading (or singing) the book. You can record your own voice and have that read to your child.

I must confess I do not like the song. It annoys me. I prefer reading the book and in the case of the ipad having the narrator read it.

Book Brief

• Rhyming
• Educational (insects, environment)

There's A Hole In My Bucket by Jenny Cooper

Rating: 4 out of 5
Age Range: 5-9 years
Publisher:Scholastic New Zealand
ISBN:1775430464
EAN:9781775430469
Dimensions:25.0 x 24.0 centimeters

The classic song "There's a hole in my bucket" is brought to life in this fun children's picture book. There is a sing-a-long CD with it performed by The Topp Twins.

We have so much fun reading this book aloud as you can sing it, or just read it, but either way you can have so much fun reading the story. When reading Liza's section we like to put on a cranky and irritated voice and when reading Henry's section it is always patient and calm (no idea why you could probably do it the other way round?). By the end of the story my son is chirping "the bucket, the bucket!"

I just love the illustrations they are so fun and vibrant. Having the goat as Henry and a duck as Liza somehow fits perfectly. The cartoon but realistic style is just perfect and the illustrator (Cooper) captures Liza's frustration and Henry's stoic calm.

This book is a firm favourite in our house. It is cute, it is funny and the reader and person being read to can have so much fun with it. Even though the suggested age range is 5-9 my 2 and a half year old loves it.

Children's Book Brief

• Rhyming
• Lyrical
• Sing A Long
• Animals
• Funny
• Repetition

The Wonky Donkey by Craig Smith

Rating: 5 out of 5
Reading level: Ages 3 and up
Paperback: 24 pages
Publisher: Scholastic Paperbacks (May 1, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0545261244
ISBN-13: 978-0545261241
Illustrator: Kaz Cowley
To purchase the iphone/ipad app go to the itunes store. At the time of this post the app cost $5.49 AU

The Wonky Donkey is a humorous tale about a donkey walking along the road. What is funny about a donkey walking along the road? I hear you say well the donkey is not a normal donkey, for starters he is a wonky donkey. From there the story slowly builds a hilarious description of the donkey who is rather different. For this post I am combining the review of the book (which I have purchased for nephews) and the ipad app (which my son has).

This can be read as a normal story or sung along to with the CD that comes with the book. It is a cumulative story with each page adding to the description before it. So each page reveals a new feature and the story repeats previous features plus the new one. By the end of the book you have a long but funny list of descriptive words of this funny donkey.

There are lots of funny noises like the donkey's hee-haw and funny words (well funny to a toddler or child) like stinky. As a reader you can go to town on these descriptive words and noises and have some fun by really emphasising the words and playing on it. For instance at the line "stinky donkey" I will say the sentence like the donkey is right there stinking up the place and then hold my fingers to my nose to block the smell. Then during the hee-haws say it like a donkey (or your interpretation of a donkey hee-haw) and do it really loudly.

But the illustrations make this book. They are fun and bright. Mostly they capture the cheeky nature of the donkey and the story. Katz Cowley has done an amazing job. You know when sometimes the illustrations and the story just go together? you couldn't imagine the story with any other kind of illustrations? This is one of those stories/books.

The iphone/ipad application is basic in terms of the animation, it is literally just the book illustrations with a small amount of animation (like the tale wagging or a bee flying). This for me is fine my son has apps that go wizz and bang and do stuff (see my review for Cozmos Day Off for that kind of app/ebook). You can record your own voice, the sing along version, or use the prerecorded voices (there is the author and the narrator). I personally love the narrator's voice he just really captures the story in a vivid way for a child.

As each word is read aloud by the narrator, the word highlights and becomes bigger, so your child can follow along. Also if you tap the individual word but you need to be out of the Read to me mode to do that. It is easy enough to switch between the read to me mode and no narration by just pressing the green play or stop button in the corner. There is also a basic colouring in feature but to be honest we have never used it.

I highly recommend this story, I have not met a child yet who does not like this story. It is VERY popular with kids. When I was working in a book store this book could not stay on the shelves, the minute we got a batch of books in they would fly out the door the next day. I am not exaggerating. You will not be disappointed reading this book and your kiddies will not be disappointed with you reading it.

Extras
Here is a cute video of the song "The Wonky Donkey". This is the book but in song format.

All Set For The Big Wet by Mandy Foot

Rating: 5 out of 5
Suggested Reading Age: 5/UP
ISBN: 9780734411969
Category: Picture Storybooks
Format: Hardback
Publication Date: 2011-10-25
Publisher: Lothian Books
Illustrator: Foot, Mandy
Pages: 24
Dimensions (mm): 283x216x8mm

All Set For The Big Wet is a delightful story about a group of animals that are hurrying to a boat to get ready for the wet (season).

The book is set to the song " the ants go marching" which makes it fun and easy to read.  As a result of the tune it makes it easy to get into a rhythm when reading and if you punctuate the story with the actions (for instance when the book says "with a loud yahoo!" well you do a loud yahoo) it just makes the story very interesting to a toddler or young child. As a result, this one of my favourites to read aloud and my son's favourite to listen to me reading.

While reading the book your child is learning counting to ten, as each page deals with a specific number. They also learn about Australian animals.

The illustration was done by the author and vibrant and colourful. The cartoonish appearance is appealing to kids with the animals having big eyes and big smiles. Each page has a little animal hidden which can be just as much fun to find for a toddler as reading the book.

If you have a young toddler (and even an older child) I would recommend this book whole heartedly.

Extras
Go to the All Set For The Big Wet for activities such as colouring in templates and sheet music.

Quaky Cat by Diana Noonan

Rating 4 out of 5
Publication: December 2010
ISBN: 978-1-77543-029-2
Age: 3-7 years


"On a cold Christchurch morning, while the city was sleeping, before the birds roused him with twitters and cheeping, curled up on the end of his friend Emma's bed, Tiger woke with a start ...and a feeling of dread. 


He twitched his long whiskers and sniffed at the air. Danger was close, but what was it - and where? Then a voice in his head, one he'd not heard before, shouted 'Run for your life Tiger! Make for the door!'


Tiger fled from the house with a leap and a bound as, louder than thunder, from deep underground, came a roar and a shudder and terrible shaking! Around him, the city was rolling and quaking." Pages 1-3.


In September 2010 a 7.4 magnitude earthquake rocked the Cantabury region in New Zealand. Not even six months later in February 2011 the same region, and in particular Christchurch (which suffered wide spread devastation) was struck again by a magnitude 6.3 earthquake. This book however was written in response to the 2010 earthquake, and was relased shortly before the second devastating earthquake. My parents travelled to New Zealand in July this year and picked up this book for my little monkey. I am glad they did as 50% of proceeds from the sale of the book went to local charity and it gave my son a beautiful book that dealt with an unfortunately sad time in New Zealand's history.

Quaky Cat is  about Tiger,  a little cat whose world is turned upside down when during an earthquake he bolts from the house and becomes lost.  The book is his story about trying to find his way home to his beloved Emma, through the devastated city.

The story deals with emotions that children would more then likely feel after an earthquake has hit their town. Tiger's feelings of fear, isolation and sadness are explored as he makes his way back to his house. While you would think this would make for a depressing book it is not at all. In fact the book is written  is filled with hope and love as the quote below demonstrates:

"Home is the giving and helping and sharing.

When a city is crumbling, then home is the caring." 

With a lyrical, rhyming narrative, the book is easy to read to children. It also makes it the story simple for them to follow. It is a beautiful, haunting, and happy story that makes you feel good about the world at the end of the story.

The illustrations are colourful but in a way (for me) creepy. Perhaps creepy is not the right word, erie perhaps is better? Only Tiger and his owner Emma have any real detail, everything else is in silhouette. This suits the tone of the book and highlights Tiger on his journey. The use of colours are interesting as well and subtle. When Tiger is scared and alone darker colours such as blues and greens are used but when Tiger is happy and safe warmer colours like yellow and orange are used.

If you are interested in purchasing this book you will be pleased to know funds from worldwide sales of Quaky Cat are going to the Christchurch Mayoral Earthquake Appeal administered by the New Zealand Red Cross. (The author and illustrator royalties will continue to be donated to their chosen Christchurch charities).

I highly recommend this book for anyone with children who have gone through an earthquake but at the same time any child can understand the messages this lovely book has to offer.

Extras
I am not sure where you can purchase it outside of New Zealand or Australia. But if you wish to purchase this book Fishpond ship internationally and around Australia.

Some Dads by Nick Bland

Rating 4 out of 5
Reading level: Ages 2-6
Hardcover: 24 pages
Publisher: Scholastic Press (01/08/2011)
Language: English
ISBN-13: 9781741697933

Some dads worry. Some dads hurry. Some get lost and some are sporty. Others like strolling and some are even naughty! 

All dads are different, and this simple narrative by Nick Bland celebrates this fact. The book has one simple message, no matter what your dad loves you.

As with Bland's previous books, this story is told with a simple rhyming rhythm. There is an easy flow to the words and it makes for a fantastic read out loud book that everyone will enjoy. Bland has a wonderful way of presenting an important message in a fun and beautiful manner.

The illustrations are beautiful and humorous, showing an animal father completing one of the actions described. I loved the frog dad with a sweat band playing a computer game. Each picture has exquisite detail and really makes this book.

This will be a win for your child and a favourite for dads (and anyone else) to read.

From Narrative Causality Happy Fathers Day.

Whales' Tails and Turtle Trails by Tammy Yee

Rating: 5 out of 5
Board book: 16 pages
Publisher: Island Heritage Publishing (July 1, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1597009288
ISBN-13: 978-1597009287
Under 5

Opening Sentence: "Turtle dreams of turtle trails and riding high on whale's tails."

When on holidays in Hawaii recently I wanted to get my son a picture book with a story about Hawaii. This was a lot harder then I thought. So I settled for a Hawaiian author and a story that had Hawaii iconic things in it (like lei's and hibiscus flowers).

This is the tale of Turtle, who goes on a dreamy adventure through his habitat with his friends Seal and Whale. Along the way he encounters many things and creatures that inhabit his world.

This book is so much more then just a Hawaiian book, and I am delighted we picked it up. The story is a simple which makes it very easy to follow for young readers. It follows the rhyming and lyrical pattern which means it flows easily while reading it. Also woven into the story there is also counting, shapes, and colours.

Tammy Yee has illustrated the book itself and the pictures are wonderful. They are bright and colourful. The animals are in cartoon form with big eyes and wide smiles. What is really great is nearly every image has pictures with in the image. For instance on the pages with four big fish on it, the fish scales are pieces of fruit (for instance the orange fish has scales of oranges). So there is so much more to this then just a story and pretty picture.

This is one of my sons favorite books and I would definitely recommend it to any one with young children.

From Baghdad With Love by Jay Kopelman

Rating 4 out of 5

From Baghdad with Love is the tale of Lava, a stray puppy found in Camp Fallujah and a Marine. While sweeping a building for insurgents the US Marine group the Lava Dogs find a bundle of energetic fur that melts their hearts on the spot. And so begins Lava’s story of being raised in secret in Fallujah and his eventual bid for freedom as Jay Kopelman fights desperately to keep Lava a secret and get him out of the country.

Kopelman's story about Lava. Snippets of the story are told from other people’s point of view more to illistrate the events and people working in other countries to help Lava. The story flows easily and is not difficult to grasp the terms being used. One thing I appreciated was that Jay Kopelman did not make the book about the rights or wrongs of war. You did not feel lectured or harassed. While he does express some of his personal views on some situations they are fleeting.

I felt Kopelman glossed over some of the nastier aspects of his stories which is understandable. The tales he did tell were not bedtime fairy tale type stories. However the war stories were not the main point of the book but merely highlighted events that were occurring during Kopelmans and Lava’s time in Iraq. It was interesting reading about what was happening during this period and about the people affected by them.

All these things though high light Lava’s story, which of course is the main theme of the book. I loved reading the effect he has on the Marines and the people around him in Iraq. One in story in particular was that of “Sam” and Iraqi who worked at a compound for news reporters in the red zone of Baghdad. When he first met Lava he wanted nothing to do with the dog, apparently Iraqi people do not like dogs and see them as being disgusting. But by the time Lava left the compound Sam was his biggest supporter and risked his on life for Lava.

While I will not say this was a light hearted book there were some light hearted moments and even funny ones. Some of the funniest moments for me were during Lava’s puppy days with the Marines in Camp Fallujah. I can only just imagine the scene of these big tough Marines and this cute bundle of fur bringing joy into each others lives at a time where there was little joy to be found.

"In reality, when he isn't asleep, he's anything but innocent. I personally saw the little monster destroy several maps, two pairs of boots, one cell phone, photographs of someone's kids, five pillows, and some grunts only pair of socks."

The content of this book is a little older then that of Dewey the Library Cat. I would not recommend this for anyone under fifteen years of age simply because some of the war stories told are quite disturbing even if they are glossed over. A must for animal lovers.

Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched The World by Vicki Myron

Rating 4 out of 5 stars

This is a very sweet book that any animal lover is going to adore straight away. Dewey's story begins on a cold winter's morning when he is found half frozen in the Spencer Public Library book return slot. He instantly wins the library director Vicki Myron and her staff over with his beautiful calm personality. He then spends the next 19 years being the Spencer Public Library cat and unintentional mascot and went on to international fame (though I must confess I had never heard of him). It is nice to see a "cat" memoir on the scene to compete with the explosion of dog ones around.

The story focused a little to much on Vicki Myron in some places and Dewey was not mentioned at all. Dewey's tale is told separately to Vicki's and the library. Dont get me wrong her story and the towns is interesting however I would have liked more Dewey stories or how exactly he was intertwined with her. For instance she told the story of her mastectomy and how Dewey helped her through that rough period, and I thought that was just a beautiful moment.

If you like animals and especially cats you will enjoy the book. I recommend you read it with a box of tissues though as you will be crying by the end (well I was).