Customer Reviews

The Cat Mummy

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

My older children, ages 6 and 4 (at the time of this review), hung on my every word when I read this book to them. Both my son and daughter found the story funny and morbidly fascinating. My four year old daughter liked hearing about all the pets the characters had and empathised with Verity when her kitty died. My son longed to hear chapter after chapter, taking in the difficulty Verity's family has accepting her mother's death and how Verity deals with the loss of her very old cat. He also appreciated the minor plotlines of a bullying classmate who taunts Verity with threats to unleash a pet constricter snake on her. Both kids were grossed out by the cat's 'worrisome smell' but never scared by the way death was presented in this book. Thanks to this book, I believe they were made to feel comfortable enough to approach a parent with their concerns about death or having fibbed. However, due to the special subject matter this isn't a book we read over and over.

Verity thought her cat was boring because Mabel slept all day and had no interest in toys and playing. Mabel used to be her mom's cat, so she was really old. She wished that Mabel was as fun as her friends' pets. After Mabel died, she understood how important her pet was and how much she had liked her. She wished that Mabel was still alive. I thought that this book taught me that even though you think something is boring when you have it, after you lose it, you'll understand how important it is. If you have ever lost somebody really close to you, or your pet, I think this book make you tear up, but it will also cheer you up. Even if you haven't lost anybody, you'll understand how important your family and pets are. So to whoever is ready to read this book, make sure you put a tissue box beside you!

Verity lives with her Gran and Granda and Dad. She also lives with an elderly cat called Mabel. This is a sad story, about the loss of a loved pet. Verity keeps the secret about Mabel the cat's death from her grandparents and father. She decides to mummify her, after learning about mummification in school. I really liked this story, and the illustrations by Nick Sharratt are brilliant and emotional as usual. :)