CAT DIARIES
Secret Writings of the MEOW Society
by Betsy Byars & Betsy Duffey & Laurie Myers & illustrated by Erik Brooks
On the third full moon of the year, the MEOW (Memories Expressed in Our Writing) Society meets so cats from all over the world can get together to share their diaries and those of their ancestors. Fuzzy tells of her first Christmas tree and the perfect shiny red bauble that causes her a lot of trouble. Chico, the world’s smallest cat, tells his story of stopping a crime in Spanish (with subtitles). Go-Go, the star of a series of picture books, creates a scene at an author signing. Miu the Great Cat of ancient Egypt, learns there IS value in the slobbery Abu, the Royal Dog. And Library Cat learns about himself and his people’s history at storytime. Byars and her daughters Myers and Duffey follow Dog Diaries (2007) with a collection of feline short stories sure to please cats and the people who love them. Brooks’s black-and-white cagy, cute and cool kitties decorate nearly every page. A great choice for newly independent readers or sharing with groups and a terrific lead-in to Esther Averill’s stories about Jenny Linsky. (Animal fantasy. 6-10)