I’ve been playing catch up all week from being gone last weekend (that’s why I couldn’t do PPBF). If you didn’t know, my hubby received his Doctorate in Ministry from Newburgh Theological Seminary in Indiana. We drove down to Evansville and attended the ceremonies. His mom was also able to attend with us. Here’s a picture of Tom and I after the event.
Tom did not announce his calling into ministry until late, he was 37. [I guess that’s customary in our family…I didn’t pursue this career until Sept of 2011 (at age 57).] He has continually studied. He got his bachelors in religious education, then a master’s in Divinity and then another master’s in religious education. His studies have never stopped. And he’s already planning, researching and praying about what comes next.
I think that’s why I love Perfect Picture Book Friday so much. It’s like studying and research, with beautiful pictures and THERE’S NO TEST!!! And I have all of you as fellow friends and students. And here’s my research for this week…
Title: Dewey (There’s A Cat In The Library)
Author: Vicki Myron and Bret Witter
Illustrator: Steve James
Publisher: Little Brown & Co. , 2009
Genre: Fiction
Audience Age: 2-8
Themes/Topics: Cats, Library, Kindness
Opening Sentences: Every night, people left books in the return box of the library in the small town of Spencer, Iowa. Funny books, big books, truck books, pig books – they left them all. But one night, on the coldest night of the year, someone left a strange surprise…A tiny kitten.
Synopsis: A tiny shivering kitten left in the book drop box becomes a library cat. He warms not only stacks of books, but the hearts of all the visitors. But how does he adjust to the children who like to chase him, pull his tail and squeeze too tight?
Why I like it: Having read the original “Dewey,” a true story written for adults, I was thrilled to find this adaptation for children. The story of an abandoned kitten who becomes the town’s library cat is wonderful at any age and better with gorgeous illustrations. Cat lovers will appreciate his antics especially when he has to get a shy little girl to warm up to him. Dewey also has to adapt to a few problems, like being pulled and poked and carried upside down, which he manages to figures out on his own. The illustrations, by Steve James, are beautifully done in Corel Painter X. They have the appearance of soft pastels so it looks like you can pet Dewey’s soft fluffy fur.
Activities/Resources: Dewey has his own website, and you can find some related activities for kids based on Dewey. And if you’d like another Dewey book check out my Christmas review of Dewey’s Christmas At the Library.
Also discuss the problem of people abandoning animals. Talk about the importance of being responsible with pets and caring for them. Also talk about animal rescues and adopting animals like the library adopted Dewey.
Availability: Major Book Sellers
(Susanna Leonard Hill is the originator of PPBF and you can find all the other PPB recommendations and links on her blog.)
Enjoy the book and blessings on your day!
Laura (Grandmamiller)
Big congratulations to your husband! So exciting! I love your picture book choice. The sooner kids learn about being kind to animals, the better – as far as I’m concerned!
THANKS from my hubby and Amen to kindness toward all living creatures.
Congratulations to your husband, that is wonderful. All that studying makes my head hurt. I love research too but hate exams. Your book sounds delightful. I hope the cat was left there while they were open, poor thing 😉
Thanks, Catherine. I don’t ever want to take another test either! As far as Dewey – no he was dropped in the box at night on one of the coldest nights of the year.
Awh!
Congrats to you both, as the support system deserves attention too!
Thank you, Julie!! You know how it goes!
I remember seeing this book at the library. So sweet. And a big congratulations to you both.
Thank you, Joanne.
This goes to the top of my list for my granddaughter. She’s in that stage of reading stories about animals, and favors cats. What a wonderful story!
So glad you can share it with your granddaughter, Patricia.
Laura…your personal sharing was like a double Perfect Picture Book Friday gift…thank you so much and congratulations to your husband…and to you as well…when one partner has a calling, the other is an important part of realizing it.:)
This looks like a sweet book…thank you for sharing it. 🙂
Vivian, thank you. We are working now on putting Tom’s ministry project into a book format to help other churches. And Dewey is almost as much a people book as the story of a cat.
AWWWWwwww…. Cute! I think I saw an audio book of the adult novel in our library. It looks interesting. Does the adult novel have any inappropriate things in it (I can handle SOME curse words (not over-the-top use though))?
Erik, I read “Dewey” about 3 years ago and I’ve loaned out my copy. To give you an immediate response, to my best recollection there is none (or very little) curse words. Some situations are adult in nature. Ms. Myron (the author) has to deal with breast cancer and surgery. She also speaks of her alcoholic husband, and having to be a single mom and going back to school to keep her job. But the heart of the story is people and how Dewey seems to lift everyone’s spirits and bring hope and joy. I know we could both ask at our local library,
But – to give you the best opinion, I dropped an email to Ms. Myron. I asked her to send you an email and let you know personally. I hope she will be able to respond – keep an eye in your inbox.
Best regards,
Laura Miller (Grandmamiller)
Thanks! I got it!
Erik – do you mean you got my comments or from Ms. Myron? Just curious. Laura (grandmamiller)
Both! 😀
YAY!!! Color me tickled flamingo pink!