August 6, 2024 by Lonely Planet
Copy provided by the publisher
The team of Evans and Heaton that brought us Atlas of Dogs (2022) returns with a similar treatment of the world of felines! This is important, since there are a lot of very ardent cat fans out there, many of whom read Hunter's Warriors books and have insatiable curiosity about all things cat related.
Since I am more of a dog person (although I have five grandcats!), I learned a lot from this book. It was particularly interesting that there is a full discussion about the major types of big cats (pantherinae) after a run down of domestic cats (felinae) from around the world. It also helps that there is a great picture of a cat with an explanation about critical parts, like the coat, paws, tail, tongue, and claws. Now I know why cats feel so boneless when you pick them up, and thanks to the pages on "super senses", am aware that cats have a second "nose" on the roof of their mouths!
Most of the book is dedicated to describing different types of cats, and I love that there are maps showing where the breeds originated. I was somehow surprised that most domestic types were developed in the last 150 years, and there were many, like the Selkirk Rex, that were bred in the 1980s! It somehow seems like it should take a LOT more time to develop cats with very distinctive characteristics! These maps, which cover the globe, have a lot of stray facts, like the mention that the earliest known remains of a domestic cat date back 9500 years and were discovered on Cyprus in the early 2000s!
In between the pages of breeds are all sorts of extra information. From the development of kittens to how to "speak" cat, there are a lot of practical topics that add more excitement to the pages. I'm still a little leery about cat shows, but enthralled by the pages of "cat culture" which includes dark magic, ship's cats, and even the worship of cats in different cultures!
Complete with thumbnails of record-breaking cats as well as a glossary and a lengthy index, Atlas of Cats is an excellent resource for all things feline related. The bright illustrations accompanying the information will draw in reluctant readers, and this would be a great book to take on a long car ride... as long as your young fan doesn't get car sick and you can stand to have the entire book read to you! It would also make a great gift, combined with a graphic novel like Burgos' Bodega Cats, Bradshaw and Elsom's A First Guide to Cats: Understanding Your Whiskered Friend, or maybe even a kitten! Just make sure, as Atlas of Cats suggests, that it's from a rescue or a reputable breeder!
I can't imagine a better gift than this book AND A KITTEN. Unless it's TWO kittens (they're much MUCH better in pairs--no one should ever have to deal with the energy and demands of a single kitten!). Thanks for this review--I'll be looking for this one of course.
ReplyDeleteI saw your Twitter post about this book, and it looks so fun! As a cat person, I definitely have to pick up a copy. Thanks for sharing this. Happy International Cat Day to all five of your grandcats! :D
ReplyDelete