How to Talk to Your Cat

Find out what your cat is really saying -- and talk back!What is your cat telling you when he rubs against your leg? What does it mean when he holds his tail straight up? Discover the different kinds of meows and what they mean; find out how to read whiskers, tails, facial expressions -- and much more! Jean Craighead George, award-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. Children's Books 2000-NY Public Lib.

About the Author :
Jean Craighead George wrote over one hundred books for children and young adults. Her novel Julie of the Wolves won the Newbery Medal in 1973, and she received a 1960 Newbery Honor for My Side of the Mountain. Born into a family of famous naturalists, Jean spent her entire career writing books that celebrated the natural world. Paul Meisel has illustrated many books for children, including Why Are the Ice Caps Melting?, Energy Makes Things Happen, and What Happens to Our Trash? in the Let's-Read-and-Find-Out Science series. He lives in Newtown, Connecticut.

Review :
"The design is part of the fun: cut-out color photos of George show her mingling with cartoon cats and dogs....these books are full of intriguing information that kids can use to make friends of their pets."--"Booklist""Beginning with a sentence whose truth will be recognized by any cat owner, You are being honored if a cat is living with you, ' the author provides a kind of Berlitz-type quick guide to cat language. She begins with enough history and psychology to make the brief discussion of behaviors understandable. Postures, actions, the angle at which the whiskers are held, and all the various and varied sounds made by cats are explained, as are the many meanings expressed by the tail and the ears. Some of this information will help children understand that certain postures mean that they had better back off and leave the animal to its own pursuits. Other information may actually help readers commincate with their pet--or have fun trying. The writing style is breezy, conversational and amusing, and is helped along by the many color illustrations. The photographs of the author are cleverly combined with humorous cartoon drawings of cats that display a great deal of intelligence and comedic personality, so that they appear to be interacting in ways that arw often very funny."--"School Library Journal""Obviously a felinophile, George clearly enjoys this disquisition on cat communication, which touches on history and behavior as well as vocalization. She examines cat greetings ("Among cats, Hello' is rubbing heads") and the various flavors of "Meow" (in a double-spread glossy), the purr and the positions of whiskers and tails, the pretend mouse and the paper-bag cave, with attention toconcrete detail that will have youngsters poring over the book with one eye on their own kitties. While George streamlines things a bit (it's never mentioned, for instance, that pleasure is not the only motivation for a purr) and inclines toward romanticism that doesn't always go with her behavioral assessments, the book is effective at nudging readers from their anthropocentric worldviews to a cat's-eye approach to life (the notion of the cat's map of the house and neighborhood is particularly piquant). Meisel's illustrations are a light-handed line-and-watercolor, with tail-twitching cats pared down but expressive. In an intriguing move, the book pairs the watercolor cats with a photographed human (George herself, to be exact) for diagrams of human-cat interaction; the result is surprisingly successful, offering along with its visual pleasures the implication of two different ways of seeing as well as two different ways of being seen. With its mixture of animal behavior and cuddliness, this will set young cat lovers purring."--The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books"Written for the age at which many children are ready for pet adoption, these informative, good-natured guides to pet behavior emphasize the importance of learning the ways in which pets communicate emotions through their actions, facial expressions, and body positions. The characterizations of animal-human relationships are grounded in their historical origins: cats and humans enter into a relationship of equals, while dogs expect a leader-follower relationship. A respect for animals is constant throughout the books--it is the responsibility of children to learn to interpret their pet's signals. In the same vein,anthropomorphic tendencies are avoided. Indeed, the full range of emotions that animals feel and express are explored and skillfully described. Carefull attention to the information provided in these books will prevent the scratches and bites unwitting children might otherwise incur when misinterpreitng or ignoring animal mood signals." --"The Horn Book Magazine"