My Cats Nick and Nora

Anyone who has children and cats should easily relate to the tribulations of Nick and Nora, two much put-upon felines who somehow are able endure regular humiliation at the hands of two well-intentioned little girls who, fortunately, are oblivious to the frayed nerves of their furry playmates. My daughter loves the great pictures of the cats and their expressions of exasperation and disgust. It is not at all unusual to see the same expressions on our own persecuted kitties, sometimes only minutes later, as a result of Helen's carryings on. This book never fails to bring a smile to my face.

A book this wonderful should never go out of print -- but yes, it's out of print so buy one quick! My toddler daughter loves this book and so do I. Both text and illustrations are excellent, humorous, and lovingly done. Isabelle Harper and Barry Moser wrote/illustrated another book we love -- "Our New Puppy" (cat lovers will enjoy the cat "subplot" in this book). It's also out of print now -- grab a copy while you can. (We have the other Harper/Moser book in this little series, "My Dog Rosie", but we don't like it quite as much. The little girl in that book is younger and that might appeal to some toddler "readers", though.)

This is the cute story of two little girls, Emmie and Isabelle, and their adventures with their reluctant playmates, the cats Nick and Nora. The children's activities include playing school with the cats and dressing the cats in doll's clothes. After deciding that today is the cats' "birthday", Isabelle and Emmie give them a party -- including some big dogs as the guests! It isn't until the children take the cats out for a walk in a doll carriage that a neighbor's nasty cat, Fluffy, decides to chase Nick and Nora. The cats take off! But Emmie and Isabelle know how to get them to come back.This book is hilarious. The little girls' innocent unawareness and the cats' long-suffering attitudes makes this book funnier at every reading. My daughter loved this story when I first bought for her years ago, and even though she's now in middle school, I still have this book. It's a keeper.

I'm ordering this book after checking it out of the library 4 times. It is my daughter's favorite book, and it's so beautiful I don't mind reading it over and over (at least not as much as other books). It's a very simple narrative, but I have seen my daughter play with our cats in the same ways Isabelle and Emmie play with Nick and Nora--I think that must be some of the appeal. The illustrations are simply beautiful--they capture the mood of both girls and cats, and the use of light is sublime.