"dear stray,
I followed you outside today.
You chased butterflies and sat in mud
and let the wind twirl your fur.
Now you're calm.
I sat close to you with the wind in my hair,
and for a while I felt calmer, too."
The story opens at a cat rescue on a day of adoption. The young girl whose letters to the stray cat make up the text of the book is carefully considering a feisty tiger-like kitten with extra claws and a fierce countenance. Her mom is not convinced that she has made a good choice, given the many docile felines available. The girl is convinced the two need each other.
As the letter continues, the child shares her innermost feelings about the choice she has made. Having a tiger's heart has obviously created some problems for the child; she is working on trying to change. The two get into the same kind of trouble together. An adventure in mud leads to a bath and a new sense of trust for the kitten.
Sharing her struggles through letters allows readers a chance to empathize. Too often her quick and prickly reactions lead to trouble. Perhaps the reader has felt the same way. When the kitten goes missing, her brother suggests that she sit still and wait for it to come back to her. Being still is something neither cat nor girl know much about. She does her best, sitting on the porch listening, waiting and hoping. It takes time; patience pays off.
Beautifully told, in text and illustration!
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