Through the Looking Glass Children's Book Reviews
Catopia: A Cat Compendium
Illustrator: Anne Mortimer
Novelty Book
For ages 8 to 12
HarperCollins, 2007 ISBN: 978-0061240041
All around the world there are millions of cats that have their owners eating out their paws – so to speak. As a species they have inspired artists, poets, authors and musicians, and their aloof natures, so different from the adoring behavior of dogs, has given rise to all kinds of superstitious tales. Are cats the familiars of witches? Do they give a person good or bad luck? Do they possess magical powers?
In this fascinating and quite beautiful compendium Anne Mortimer explores the world of cats from kitten hood on up. She looks at different breeds, the history of the cat, “Feline Folklore,” cat behavior, cats in literature, and famous cats.
Readers will learn all kinds of fascinating facts about cats. For example did you know that stroking a cat can reduce a human’s blood pressure, or that scientists still don’t know how cats purr? The ancient Egyptians used cats to catch birds and they were so protective of their pets that the sale of the cats was illegal.
Beautifully presented and full of Anne Mortimer’s lovely, and quite famous, cat portraits, this very special novelty book will keep cat lovers happy for hours. Packed with information of all kinds, the book also contains - among other things - mini books, a picture frame, book plates, a book to record information about ones own cat, and a magnet. Quotes from such people as Charles Dickens, Sir Walter Scott, Dr. Seuss, Abraham Lincoln, Doris Lessing and many others can be found throughout the book.
