Drat that Cat!
Written and Illustrated by
Tony Ross
Published by Andersen Children's Books
For years, our family cat (also called Suzy) was a well loved member of the family. Probably a huge part of why I love cats more than dogs is because I spent most of my early life growing up with that gorgeous moggy (she lived to the grand old age of 20 and right up till the day she died, she would always "answer" if you called her name with a chirpy little 'meow').
The Suzy in Tony Ross's book isn't quite as loveable as our family moggy. In fact she displays some very typical cat like behaviour. Treating human beings as nothing more than animated tin openers. Shredding furniture and soft furnishings in the pursuit of perfectly sharpened claws - and (ugh) leaving little half digested presents around the house as treats for everyone.
Such antisocial behaviour ends up with Suzy feeling distinctly in the dog house, and her "humans" more than a bit ticked off. But one day Suzy looks decidedly peaky. Prime salmon instead of the usual cat food, plenty of fuss, milk and praise doesn't bring Suzy round but after a quick visit to the V.E.T Suzy slowly gets back to normal.
Told through Suzy herself, it's amusing as she confides in her doggy chum that being 'ill' was part of the plan all along! How sneaky!
Tony Ross always produces the most amusing and brilliantly illustrated books, and we loved Suzy's regal airs and graces, a grand feline dame very much like our own Suzy.
Charlotte's best bit: Suzy turning the sofa into shredded wheat!
Daddy's Favourite bit: A perfect summary of cat behaviour captured in children's book form.