Prowlpuss

Poor old Prowlpuss. A sweetheart at the core, yet driven by hormones, he can't help himself. He indulges himself in his passions with abandon: alley fights and prowling, yowling for the love of a distant desire. The world conspires to keep him where he is, in the beloved company of his old Nellie Smith. Prowlpuss is an icon in our home, a beloved imaginary part of the childhood of our two girls, ages 6 and 5. We have read this book in the evenings on the big bed for several years now, and can nearly recite it from cover to cover. For us, hearing the words "Prowlpuss is cunning and wily and sly, a king size cat with one ear and one eye," evokes images of our family snuggled up together. Highly recommended for its look at forlorn resignation in the face of unquenched desire, and its quiet acceptance of all the good things we already have. Children with big ol' boy cats at home will especially enjoy a visit to this tom's world.

I bought this book for the little girl I babysit for's third birthday. I was attracted by the rich colours of the cover illustration, the roll-off-your-tongue title and being a cat person, the subject. When I opened and read the T.S. Eliotesque rhymes, I knew I had to have it. I read it aloud in the car. My eight year-old brother loved it. My forty year-old mother loved it. Thirteen year-old me adored it and didn't want to give it up. Now, more than a year later, ordering a copy as a Christmas present for my two year-old cousin Emily, I'm also getting a copy for myself.