I Am Cat by Jackie Morris (Children's, Picture book, sort of Non-fiction, 8/10)

September 2012, Janetta Otter-Barry Books
28 pages, Paperback
Review copy

Themes: natural habitats, cats, wild cats, cat nature, stunning illustrations

Summary from Frances Lincoln
A cat sleeps, curled up in a warm place, and while it sleeps it dreams. . .
 

...of being a tiger, flame cat of the forest; a cheetah - fast as the wind on the African plains; a lion, lounging through the heat of the day, tangled in sunshine on the African savannah; a jaguar, perfectly camouflaged deep in the jungle. And the cat dreams of being a lynx, a puma, a snow leopard, a Scottish wild cat, an Asian fishing cat, and the rare Amur leopard. Finally Cat wakes, a domestic cat again, telling his dreams to the child who is stroking him. 

Nayuleska's thoughts

The first moment I saw this book I went. Rather appropriately as I write this review my own tabby cat, Belle, has plonked herself on my legs. The fact that it's nearly dinner time and that I'm using an electric over blanket may have something to do with my current popularity.

This book has a variety of cats, all in their natural habitat. The habitats are accurately depicted. The way the domestic cat is curled up is precisely how Belle does. I want to reach out, stroke under its chin and reach in to tickle its hidden tummy.

The tiger didn't do much for me. I wanted to stroke the top of the cheetah's head, plunge my hands into the Lynx's fur, go aww at the lion cubs, give the lion a hug, and pet the Scottish wildcat because it looks worried. 

The reason for this being an 8/10 read is that compared to some of the other cats, the snow leopard didn't look as realistic. The colouring is more beige than white. Snow leopards are my favourite wild cat so I was disappointed with how it looked like a different cat. Similarly the jaguar described as really black was a bit too pale for me. I havnt seen it before, and was initially thinking of an all black jaguar, but even so the dark jaguar doesn't match up with page's description.

You can see more of Jackie's work on her website.

Suggested read

For more cat antics try Matilda's Cat by Emily Gravett