William's Ninth Life

first let me say this was a beautiful story. my daughter brought this book home from the school library when she was in the 1st grade. she had chosen it because she had just lost her beloved cat, at the same time we were dealing with my grandparents getting older and it was a hard time for all of us. we all enjoyed it, it was a touching story, but i sobbed all the way through it. i think i embarassed my kids. i even had to put it down at one point and take a break.

A poignant story of love and death. A great help for young and old who are struggling with the death of a loved one. Beautifully illustrated. Kind and sensitive William's Ninth Life is a wonderful story.

The story of an old cat and an old woman whose love for each other cements them together in a way that no other cat has ever chosen before. The story is beautiful and the illustrations are thick with emotion and life. Especially the scene where william imagines his beloved old woman burying him. So touching! Even young children understand and like it, if you give them the credit to take in a story about possible loss that isn't always watered down.

This is a truly beautiful book that celebrates the bond between a cat and the woman who loves him. A scrawny old cat loves a scrawny old woman; but the cat is coming to the end of his eighth life. What will he choose for his ninth life?

I first read this book sitting on the floor of a tower book store because I had heard the store clerks talking about it. Well...I fell in love with this cat and the way he cared so much about the woman he lived with. Needless to say I left the store with a copy of my own and a really warm and fuzzy feeling. Since then I have bought one for every cat lover that I know young and old. The illustrations are beautiful.