Catku: What Is the Sound of One Cat Napping?

This charming collection (far too thin) captures the essence of the cat so perfectly. I love the story of the highly amusing Zen master and his cat almost as well as I love the poems. There are perfect little touches, as when the cat says, "That was Zen; this is Tao". The poems capture both the traditionally essence of the cat (aloof, somewhat destructive, disliking of dogs, prone to lie in the sun) with a few fresh images ("Aloud you wonder - How I can sleep all day long -- While you yak, I can't"). Is this precisely Haiku? No. You get the 5-7-5 but it ends there. References to nature are few and far between, most are seasonless, and almost every poem anthropomorphizes the cat. Is it funny? Absolutely. Every cat lover will enjoy this book.

Funny little book about our favorite friends, our kitties! Much of the Haiku is familiar, having gone around in several of those ubiquitous e-mails of things that make you laugh out loud, but it's nice to have them all compiled in one place, along with several new ones. And if you enjoy Haiku, it's also a must.

If you love cats you'll love this. I've added 2 of the catkus to my signature in my e-mails: Kittens, butterflies, And sunsets need no reasons. Add sardines to that. You seek fulfillment Through love, wealth, travel, career. Have you tried kittens? I actually read this book several times while waiting for doctor's appointments. Usually a light book like this would not interest me enough to distract me from my nervousness before an appointment. But this one had me giggling. The illustrations are lovely. This one's essential for cat lovers.

Books are paper thrones. Feline presence inspires, Interrupting work. - Meow >*<