How to Talk to Your Cat » (REPRINT)

Jean Craighead George is the author of over eighty books for children and young adults. Her novel Julie of the Wolves won the Newbery Medal in 1973, and her novel My Side of the Mountain was a Newbery Honor Book in 1960. She has continued to write acclaimed picture books and novels that celebrate the natural world. She lives in Chappaqua, New York, and has had over 173 pets in the time she has lived there, among them geese and ducks.

Jean Craighead George, Newbery Medal-winning author of over 80 books about nature and animals, demonstrates in words and photos how to communicate with that ever-mysterious, ever-lovable animal — the cat.

Publishers Weekly

These approachable and informative paper-over-board volumes belong on the shelf of anyone who lives (or is contemplating living) with a dog or cat. George (Julie of the Wolves) displays her affection for and expertise on these animals--as well as her breezy humor--as she focuses on ways in which dogs and cats communicate their needs and moods to their owners. Best of all, she offers tips on making it a two-way conversation. The dog-centered volume, for instance, covers how a canine uses its tail as a "flag of feelings" and communicates through a spectrum of barking sounds. George's chatty, easygoing style incorporates numerous wry asides: "Although it is fun, it is not very rewarding to bark at your dog. He doesn't understand your bad accent and may twist his head and look at you in confusion." Yet she explains how to express, through voice and posture, various messages, such as "Good night" and "I am boss." For cat lovers, she explains, "Cat talk is a complicated, self-centered language" spoken through movements of tail, ears, whiskers and the pupils of the eyes. They are fiercely independent, says George: "They own you. You cannot own a cat." In both volumes the artwork features Truesdell's (And the Green Grass Grew All Around) signature amiable cartoon animal characters interacting with silhouetted photos of the author, an ideal visual complement to the personal, jovial tone of the narrative. Ages 6-9. (Feb.) Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.