Meow: Stories from Around the World

Author: Jane Yolen

Illustrator: Hala Wittwer

Title: Meow: Stories from Around the World

Publication: July 26, 2005

Publisher: HarperCollins

Genre: Children's

Pages: 40

Audience: 4 and up

Rating: 4 out of 5

Source: Public Library

 Favorite Quote: "In a cat's eye all things belong to cats.- England"

Synopsis (from the cover):
There's a story behind each of these feline traits. For centuries, people everywhere, from Tibet to Oman to Scotland to the United States, have been fascinated with cats and their intriguing personalities. In this captivating collection, New York Times bestselling author Jane Yolen has gathered and adapted cat stories, sayings, and nursery rhymes from around the world. The glowing jewel-like illustrations of cats galore in their native homes have been lavishly painted by Hala Wittwer.

My thoughts:

This children's book provides a brief overview of cat stories from around the world. I thought I would have heard some of them before, but I never have. I knew some of the quotes and two of the nursery rhymes, Hey Diddle Diddle and The Kittens Who Lost Their Mittens, but the short stories were completely new. Of course, most of them made cats out to be sneaky and mean. Not all cats are mean, sneaky- yes. My favorite story was the last one, Why The Cat Falls on Her Feet. It is a story from the Chippewa and it shows how loving and protective cats can be. Sorry if I am a bit biased, but I am a cat lady after all. All the stories were interesting and the illustrations were beautiful. I would read the book just for the illustrations. As the synopsis said, the cats and animals are very jewel-like. The book is adorable and I would recommend it to any cat person and to any one who wants to share cat stories with young children.