My Very Own Special Particular Private and Personal Cat

What a grand way to get a message across to children. Warning bells begin to ring with the text on the first page. “This is my cat my very own cat….MINE.”  Then begins the story of what happened between the boy and his cat. What the boy wants and what the cat wants are very different things, and it takes a while and a few scrapes before the cat makes his feelings known.

Gradually the boy begins to realise that the cat is not his toy to command. He wants the cat on his lap, he wants the cat to play dress up’s, he wants the cat to ride in his wagon. Most of all he wants the cat to do as he says.

Boy tries to explain to cat that “You belong to me. You’re mine you see?”  Cat has vastly different ideas and says, “I am the my of mine.” Cat explains what his life is for and that it is his own. Gradually the boy understands that the cat has the right to be a cat and therefore he has the right to be a boy.

The author says that this story talks about our personal space needs and respecting each other’s boundaries. Her message comes across so clearly that everyone should read this. What a fantastic vehicle for discussions in classrooms. So many people take for granted that behaviour at home is common to all, but boundaries do need to be set.

The combination of text and illustrations work perfectly. The skilful line drawings explain exactly how the cat feels and this allows the author to use a simple but powerful text. This is a book to treasure. Just marvellous.