Puss In Books (Dewey: A Small Town, a Library and the World's Most Beloved Cat - Vicki Myron)

Member Name: wigglylittleworm

Product:	Dewey: A Small Town, a Library and the World's Most Beloved Cat - Vicki Myron
Date:	21/07/09 (72 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: A hearwarming tale about a special cat

Disadvantages: gets a bit over-sentimental at times

One winter morning Librarian Vicky Myron heard a noise coming from the book return box. Upon investigating, the library staff find a tiny kitten, so weak and cold that he could barely lift his head or find the strength to meow. Vicky fell in love with the pathetic bundle of orange fur the first moment their eyes locked and they adopted the cat who they named Dewey Readmore Books and he became the official library cat.

Cat Lovers will know all about how cats behave and in this respect Dewey was no different. He was fickle, fussy, obsessed with squeezing into tiny corners, scared of the vet and loving to his owners. The difference between Dewey and most of our feline friends is that he was owned by the whole town of Spencer in Iowa and not just one person. My kitty seems to know when I am in need of a hug and some cheering up and Dewey was no different paying special attention to the disabled, a smelly homeless man and others who he sensed needed his love. An animal has the knack of breaking down boundaries in the way that people cannot and Dewey was responsible for a non verbal girl called Crystal making her first sound as well the equally important job of making others smile. Cat lovers will smile at Dewey's antics recognising his behaviour as belonging to a typical moggy and nod in understanding at how cats can both make us smile and frustrate us with their antics in equal measure.

A book all about a cat can only be so interesting, no matter how special the animal is there is only a limited amount you can say about them. The book also focuses on the people and community of Spencer, Iowa. Spencer is a small farming community which was suffering from an economic slump in the years when Dewey was the official library cat. The Head librarian and author Vicky was also dealing with her own hardships and Dewey helped to build a bond between her and her teenage daughter, the one thing that seemed to unite them at times was their love for Dewey. I found the stories about Spencer were really interesting and not only covered the history of the area but the history of public libraries in general. We normally only hear about the big cities in America and it was nice to read about normal Americans as opposed to wacky Californians for a change.

Dewey's fame was not limited to the small town of Spencer, he soon became a worldwide star appearing in magazines and newspapers worldwide and even a Japanese documentary proving the universal appeal of animals.

I was given the book "Dewey" as a gift from a friend who knows I love cats. Normally I would steer clear of cat books and I read it out of a sense of obligation rather than a desire to find out more about Dewey himself. I found that I really enjoyed the book overall although it does get a bit too mushy and over-sentimental at times. It's not a book that is limited to cat lovers though, anyone who appreciates the bond between an animal and the people who love it will enjoy reading about Dewey.

Summary: The story of a library cat