The Christmas Cats Encounter Bats, by Constance Corcoran Wilson

Title: The Christmas Cats Encounter Bats

Author: Constance Corcoran Wilson

Publisher: Quad Cities Press

Date: September 13, 2014

Paperback: 24 pages








About the Book
The third book in the Christmas Cats adventure teaches us to honor life in all its forms. Love and accept all God's creatures. Some animals--(puppies and kitties come to mind)--are popular with nearly everyone. Others (spiders, lizards, bats, etc.) may not seem as worthy,  but all are small cogs in the universe. Bats serve a very useful purpose in God's grand scheme. All life should be valued. The bats of story three are just as deserving of respect and have as much right to life as any other creature on the planet.

My Take
This book happens to be just as cute as the other one I reviewed, The Christmas Cats Chase Christmas Rats. Just like the other book, this one has a lesson that one can learn. We all have issues with certain animals and some of us take drastic measures to make sure those types of animals are not to be seen in our dwellings. For instance, like the bats in this story. The cats must go on a journey to help figure out what is making a certain sound. They find out it is a bat. Of course they don't hurt the bat and explain that it can be helpful to have them around and so we should enjoy them.

I like the fact that the author doesn't drag the story out to make a point. I know the younger a child is, they don't tend to want to sit as long and hear a story. Another good thing is that it rhymes. This is also helpful for the younger ones. It can come across more or less like a song and so they tend to enjoy it more. The bright colours in the book will also attract a lot of readers. They make the pages stand out. Lastly, but not least, there is a colouring page at the end that has the reader or child interact with the story by colouring a page and adding to the "story". Once you are done, you can email them in and see it posted on the website.

Like I stated before. This book is cute and the lesson is just as good.

About the Author
Connie graduated from the University of Iowa with a degree in English and Journalism, but she began writing for her hometown (Independence, Iowa) newspaper at the age of 10 and was Editor-in-Chief of her high school newspaper. She continued her education, including a Ferner/Hearst Journalism Scholarship and a Freshman Merit Scholarship at Iowa, and then at Berkeley, WIU, NIU and the University of Chicago. Connie holds a Masters (+30) in English, Journalism and Education. Her career path led to teaching 7th and 8th grade language arts (Silvis, Illinois) and teaching writing at 6 IA/IL colleges or universities, including a class teaching film at Black Hawk Junior College. She then established the second Sylvan Learning Center in the state of Iowa and a Prometric Testing site, in conjunction with ETS of Princeton, NJ. She has taught writing and literature classes at all 6 IA/IL Quad City colleges.

Connie lives in East Moline, Illinois with husband Craig and in Chicago, Illinois, where her son, Scott and daughter-in-law Jessica and their newborn twins Elise and Ava reside. Her daughter, Stacey, a graduate of Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee, has been living and working in Australia since February of 2012.

This complimentary book was given to me by the author for my honest review.

The Christmas Cats Chase Christmas Rats, by Constance Corcoran Wilson

Title: The Christmas Cats Chase Christmas Rats

Author: Constance Corcoran Wilson

Publisher: Quad City Press

Date: October 22, 2013

Paperback: 32 pages







About the Book
The second book in the Christmas Cats adventure, the lesson to be learned is: In life, always keep an open mind. Don't accept stereotypes as true or let the unfounded opinions of others prevent you from finding out the truth for yourself. We all need to act without prejudice and learn to accept each other as individuals.

The Christmas Cats learn that rats, too, should be judged as individuals. Another message: all of us should try to help others.

My Take
When my daughter first saw this book, she wanted to read it. I will admit, the cover art really drew us in. It has bright colors and rats in a tub looking like they are having fun. Obviously, this was going to be a good book. Inside the book the artwork is just the same. It is very colorful and whimsical. The artist has "cartoon" life mixed with some everyday life. I like this because it helps kids identify with the story better. Not only do they see it as a cartoon, but they seem some reality in it.

The writing style Mrs. Wilson decided to take, is rhyming. This I think helps kids enjoy the story because they get a rhythm going with the story and it is easy to read the book. The words are printed in a larger format than you would see most stories and they alternate between red and green. Of course it would, it's a Christmas book!

Like I stated before, my daughter liked this book. I also liked it too. I think it is one that should be included on children bookshelves. Especially around Christmas time.

About the Author
Connie graduated from the University of Iowa with a degree in English and Journalism, but she began writing for her hometown (Independence, Iowa) newspaper at the age of 10 and was Editor-in-Chief of her high school newspaper. She continued her education, including a Ferner/Hearst Journalism Scholarship and a Freshman Merit Scholarship at Iowa, and then at Berkeley, WIU, NIU and the University of Chicago. Connie holds a Masters (+30) in English, Journalism and Education. Her career path led to teaching 7th and 8th grade language arts (Silvis, Illinois) and teaching writing at 6 IA/IL colleges or universities, including a class teaching film at Black Hawk Junior College. She then established the second Sylvan Learning Center in the state of Iowa and a Prometric Testing site, in conjunction with ETS of Princeton, NJ. She has taught writing and literature classes at all 6 IA/IL Quad City colleges.

Connie lives in East Moline, Illinois with husband Craig and in Chicago, Illinois, where her son, Scott and daughter-in-law Jessica and their newborn twins Elise and Ava reside. Her daughter, Stacey, a graduate of Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee, has been living and working in Australia since February of 2012.

Paws in the Piazza, by Jerilyn Mcntyre

Title: Paws in the Piazza: Harley's Venetian Adventure

Author: Jerilyn McIntyre

Illustrator: Ken Shuey

Publisher: Bristlecone Books

Date: December 11, 2013 (1st ed.)

Paperback: 96 pages

Ages: 10 - 14 years old



About the Book
“Back home, I was content to be just an ordinary house cat. I didn’t get out much. But it’s different here in Venice.” How different? Harley quickly finds out after his family arrives in Italy. He takes up with a group of local cats who roam wild in the alleys and neighborhoods of Venice, and meets the mysterious Angela, a beautiful white Angora who steals his heart. Then he becomes embroiled in a fierce and ongoing war between his friends and a rival band of cats, and discovers the magical order that underlies life in the enchanting and historic city that is his new home.

My Take
I thought this was a cute book. It made it seems like the cat was experiencing life like we would. It takes you on the journey of a cat that goes on a trip with his owners. We learn about how life in another country is for a cat. This cat gets to experience the ups and downs of meeting new cats. Some are good and some are bad. He gets in fights and for his safety joins a group. He also finds another cat that he falls for.

The story is not a hard read. Most children can get through it pretty fast. My daughter is 11 and she didn't have a problem reading it at all. There aren't that many pages, so they won't get too discouraged about it lasting forever. I did feel as though the story was more of something an adult would enjoy over children, but who is to say they won't like it also. After all it is a story about a cat. Also, the illustrator has a couple of hand drawn pictures to give you an idea of what the place looks like and the different cats in the town. What I would have loved to see, would have been a picture or two when the cats were underground having their meeting. That would have been cool.

All in all, it is a book that I am sure young readers would really enjoy.

This complementary book was given to me by the author for my honest review.