The Cat Who Lost His Purr - Hardcover

Michele Coxon is an acclaimed illustrator whose books are published all over the world. She lives in Wales.

Kindergarten-Grade 2-- Bootle, a classic tabby cat, wakes up one morning to an empty house and finds that his purr is gone. He spends the rest of the day looking for the elusive noise in a number of interesting, but ultimately unproductive places, such as the toilet, the cupboard, the clock, and the washing machine. His purr at last surfaces with the reappearance of his family. A cat needs his ``. . . openers of cans . . . pourers of cream . . . strokers of fur . . .'' to be really content. Coxon's watercolor illustrations are lavish and detailed, making skillful use of white highlights and small brush strokes. Bootle certainly looks strokable, but the paintings are strongly reminiscent of calendar or greeting-card art, and the artist is much less at home with human faces (the boy looks a bit squashed) than she is with animals and plants (or even the interior of a refrigerator). The text occasionally relies on some too cute wordplay. Young listeners will probably not notice, however, and may enjoy this simple story of a perplexing day that ends well. --Ann Welton, Thomas Academy, Kent, WA
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