"I want to eat
that plant.
I want
to chomp
that book.
I watch to scratch the couch,
but I already tore all the
material off both arms.
I want to rip
that curtain.
But hey, that's just me."
In this third book in the Animal Problems series, a constantly disagreeable cat wants its audience to know just how difficult it is to lead a life on the inside. Because it is disgruntled, it is determined to let readers know why it feels as it does: the moving sunbeam, a lack of sleep, those who forget to feed it or feed it the wrong food, a flinching feline member of the household who stoops to being in the place it has chosen to be.
It lacks privacy, is annoyed by unknown noises, feels threatened by a vacuum, and despises its life led on the inside. The list goes on. As it sits by the window moaning about boredom, it is set straight in a full-on diatribe from a squirrel on the outside. Finally, its complaining leads to being fed the desired food. Will that change the attitude carried with it throughout an entire day? What do you think?
A book that offers such a distinct and whining voice is just the kind of book I long to read in classrooms. There is so much text to build on, and children's responses are always filled with giggles and a plea for it to be read again.
Jory John and Lane Smith are obviously owned by their cats. They know the ins and outs of feline behavior and it is evident in this take on living with a cat. The voice is engaging, the artwork provides the proof in the pudding with its inspired images of a cat controlling the narrative from start to finish. It's a lively, dramatic, and humorous tale that kids will want to hear more than one time.
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