Showing posts with label Ketzel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ketzel. Show all posts

Monday, November 23, 2015

Book Review/Give-Away: CATS ON THE JOB By Lisa Rogak

50 Fabulous Felines who Purr, Mouse, and Even
Sing for Their Supper


Hi every furry! It's Cody and today I decided to steal this book from Mom, help Mom with this review, because I needed to get this book away from her before she gets any ideas love this book!

Well, MOM is the one who LOVES this book, I don't understand why Mom agreed to review it. After all, I am a kitty with a job. I BLOG, isn't that a job? What does Mom need with a book that features 50 other kitties that have jobs? Isn't MY job good enough? From how Mom was smiling when she read this book, apparently, I need to send out my resume and find new work!

FROM LISA ROGAK:
"It's impossible to force a cat to do anything; an old saying is that you have to make the cat think it's his own idea, whereas a dog is typically so eager to please that he'll do your bidding regardless of the task. Simply put, cats are more discriminating about where they choose to spend their energies." 


FROM THE PUBLISHER
"Around the world, there are cats earning their keep. Some are mousers, like Princess, a black cat who works at Mill Ridge Farm’s stables. Some are circus performers, like Tuna and her furry friends in The Amazing Acro-Cats. And some are even politicians, like Mayor Stubbs, an orange tabby who holds office in Talkeetna, Alaska."

"In Lisa Rogak’s Cats on the Job, we meet these and other whiskered workers who keep their human colleagues company from 9 to 5-with the occasional break for a nap or a belly rub-and make every day at the office better."

While Mom and I were familiar with a number of kitties featured in this book, (we get around ya know!), there were a number of cats we were not familiar with that had an impact on us, and it is some of those kitties that we want to share with you today!

Crossing Guard Cat Sable
Photo: Monti Franckowiak


Crossing Guard Cat- a black cat named Sable was a crossing guard cat and took his duties protecting children coming to and fro from school quite seriously! "Safety patrol students regarded Sable as part of the team, and unlike some of his two-legged coworkers, he always showed up on time for his job."

Diabetic Alert Cat
Photo: Lauren Campbell/Caters News Agency


Diabetic Alert Cat-Pippa who was able to detect when Mia's blood sugar dropped to dangerous levels and alerted Mia's parents.(More than once!!)

Writer's Muse Cat
Photo: Eleanor Garvey


Writer's Muse Cat-"Writers and cats have long been associated with each other, serving as companion and inspiration. Writers both famous and obscure have worked with cats on their shoulders and laps." (Just like my blogging pals!)

Computer Ketzel
Photo: Sivan Cotel


Composer Cat-Ketzel which Mom featured on the blog a few days ago.


Roommate 2
Photo: Tokyo Cat Guardian


MY FAVORITE STORY OF ALL:

Roommate Cat-"Japanese culture highly reveres cats, but many landlords prohibit renters from keeping a cat on the premises, which means that many cats languish in shelters and are left without a job to do. Tokyo Cat Guardian is a Japanese rescue group that's addressing both problems by contracting a number of its feline residents out to live as roommates in apartments throughout the city. In other words, rent an apartment and automatically get a cat as a roommate! The plan accomplishes two objectives:It helps landlords to rent their apartments faster, and tenants don't have to buy anything special for their new feline roommate, since everything is already included." Mom and I particularly LOVE this idea!

"Existing apartments are renovated to make them more habitable for the feline roommate, adding elevated catwalks and built-in cat trees and towers."

"If the human roommate decides to leave the apartment at the end of the lease, she or he has the option of leaving the feline roommate behind in the apartment or adopting and bringing him along to a new residence, in which case, another cat from Tokyo Cat Guardian moves in to take on the job of roommate."

How brilliant is THAT?


If you loved the above examples of kitties that are featured in Cats on the Job you will LOVE this book as Mom and I did! Simply put, Cats on the Job,  is PURRFECT! From the photographs, to the compilation of cats with jobs that are entertaining, informative and in many cases, touching, this is a book you will want to keep out on the coffee table to read whenever you want a smile! It's also a stupendous book to purchase for your cat loving friends!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Lisa Rogak is author of The Dogs of War, Dogs of Courage, One Big Happy Family, and the New York Times bestselling Angry Optimist:The Life and Times of Jon Stewart, and is editor of the New York Times bestselling Barack Obama in His Own Words. She lives in Lebanon, New Hampshire.

TO PURCHASE:



  • 7.52 x 9.07 inches, 208 pages
  • Includes 115 color photographs throughout


  • ISBN:9781250072375
    Ebook ISBN: 9781466883994

    AVAILABLE ON:


    ENTER TO WIN!!!! Lisa has generously offered a give-away to my readers who are 18 and over and who reside in the U.S. TWO lucky people (or kitties!) will each win a copy! (An approx. $17 value) Winning is easy! Just enter on the Rafflecopter below! GOOD LUCK!! a Rafflecopter giveaway






    In full disclosure: I was not compensated for this review/give-away (not even with kibble!) Mom was sent a copy of Cats on the Job (which I stole), in exchange for my ALWAYS honest review!






    Friday, November 20, 2015

    Children's Book:KETZEL the CAT who COMPOSED by Lesle'a Newman, "Based on the true story of a very talented cat"

    "We are surrounded by miracles if you can only perceive them"

    "Moshe was a composer.
    Every morning he composed himself
    by sitting very still.
    He listened outside himself
    and listened inside himself,
    just as his teacher had taught him
    when he was a little boy.
    When he was done listening,
    Moshe turned all the wonderful sounds he heard
    into beautiful music"


    Moshe Cotel is a composer who lives in a noisy building on a noisy street in a noisy city. One day as he strolls down the street he finds a little kitten. (Which he names "Ketzel"  which is "Kitten in Yiddish.")  He takes her home, telling her they will “make beautiful music together.” Truer words were never spoken. One day, Ketzel strolls down Moshe’s piano keyboard, Moshe writes down what he hears, enters the composition into a contest, and the rest is history! Based on a true story, Ketzel will delight both cat lovers and music lovers alike!

    Why Lesle'a Newman wrote this book
    I first learned of Ketzel’s story in a note that my Rabbi wrote for our synagogue’s monthly newsletter. Curious, I researched Ketzel’s story and found out many interesting things about her: she had six toes on each foot, and lived to be nineteen years old. She attended a performance of her composition and even received a royalty check! I am a cat-lover and a music-lover and as soon as I learned Ketzel’s story, I knew I would write a children’s book about her.

    The REAL "Ketzel"
    FROM CAT CHAT WITH CAREN AND CODY: It is an enormous pleasure to present this beautiful and endearing story to you today. From the moment I gazed at the cover, I knew that this book was going to be special.

    KETZEL the CAT who COMPOSED by Lesle'a Newman  is a wonderful tribute to a most amazing and remarkable friendship. 

    The illustrations by Amy June Bates are gorgeous, and for me evoked a European "old world" feeling, They are the perfect companion to this delightful book that exudes charm from every page.

    Not only will children learn about the touching, sweet, TRUE and  incredible relationship between a composer and his cat, but they will learn that sometimes the things that seem the most impossible to accomplish, are easier to accomplish than we think, if we just "compose" ourselves, listen, and be open to all that is inside and outside of  us.

    It teaches children that sometimes the most beautiful things, (in this case, music), can be created by the most unlikely of sources!

    Be sure to add this one to your holiday gift list!

    Picture book format/hardcover. 40 pages


    age range:
    5 yrs - 8 yrs
    grade range:
    Kindergarten - Grade 3

    PURCHASE ON:

    Lesle'a and Princess Sheba Darling

    ABOUT THE AUTHOR:LESLE'A NEWMAN is the author of more than sixty books   for readers of all ages, including The Best Cat in the World, illustrated by Ronald Himler, and Hachiko Waits, illustrated by Machiyo Kodaira, as well as several other books about cats and dogs. She is a member of a number of professional organizations, including the Cat Writer's Association and the Dog Writer's Association. Her awards are too numerous to list! She lives in Holyoke, Massachusetts.

    ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATOR:AMY JUNE BATES has illustrated more than forty books for children, including Waiting for the Magic by Patricia MacLachlan and The Dog Who Belonged to No One by Amy Hest. Her work has been honored by the Society of Illustrators. Amy June Bates lives in Carlisle, Pennsylvania.



    In full disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of KETZEL the CAT who COMPOSED by Lesle'a Newman, in exchange for my always honest review.