Boss Cat

Sarah Speedie (text) and Tom Jellett (illustrator), Boss Cat, HarperCollins Children’s Books, June 2024, 28 pp., RRP $24.99 (hbk), ISBN  9781406764046

Love the voice of the grumpy cat. Love the illustrations by the multi-gifted illustrator Tom Jellett. The displacement of boss cat by a new puppy into the family, are obvious through the many antics of boss cat including ‘I cried, and stalked off in distress’, showing that the puppy attacked by boss cat with a ‘HISSSSSSS’, displaying boss cat’s sharp claws and the angry ‘MEEEEOOOOW!’ The final act of treachery is tampering with the hose. The outcome is boss cat is saturated with water.

The text and illustrations keep the reader waiting for the next boss cat antic. It is fun. However, it is also a little disappointing as there is no empathy for boss cat or a learning opportunity or the family realising that boss cat feels excluded. Boss cat appears mean in the end and puppy and family appear unaware of the rejection.

Cat lovers beware. However, overall, it is a jolly romp.

Suitable for children from 3.

Reviewed by Susanne Gervay

 

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