Title: Cat Tales
Subtitle: Kitty Capers and More
Author: LaVera Edick
Publisher: Book Venture Publishing, LLC
ISBN: 978-1-64348-480-8
Genre: Illustrated Non-Fiction
Pages: 79
Reviewed by: Beth Adams

Read Book Review

LaVera Edick has written more than a book about her life with pets, as the score of paintings and photographs within these covers add a dimension of seeing a gallery of images; making her text become almost as if it were a curation of the backstory behind such wonderful art. Cat Tales: Kitty Capers and More is a chronicle of the dozens of cats which the author’s friend Ruth had brought into her family, as the cats also adopted Ruth into theirs.

With a humble and loving written voice, LaVera highlights the many cats which Ruth lived with along with each of their personified “almost human” personality characteristics, coupled with amazing paintings, brings to life memories to share with the reading audience.

Her cat family mostly started with Lady and her litter of four cats; named after the days of the week such as Monnie (Monday) and Tuessie (Tuesday), for example. Then there was Occi, an Ocicat breed which has a Ferrell way of being wild. Occi would pick up food with her right paw and eat from her paw – then clean her paw when finished. Baby Blue was known best for covering Ruth’s face with kisses from ear to ear. The antics of her cats, along with those of her neighbors’ cats, make for a foundation of tales of adorable cat behavior. She brings out the loving bond between pet owners and their “children” – as pets become companions and care-takers for people. They return more love than you give them, resulting in a healthier life with a wide variety of benefits – including longevity.

As the dedication of half of the book is all about cats, the “More” in her subtitle is where she opens up a barrage of stories about her family’s dogs, horses, and her pig named Leadbelly. Her white German Shephard, named Czar, was an amazing and beautiful animal. Czar would protect her home from anyone entering, and stood guard until she would say, “It’s ok Czar,” which only then allowed the visitor to be granted access. In her painting of Czar, LaVera has Czar licking the face of a young black girl. When asked why she had the girl portrayed as being black with a pure white dog, LaVera said, “Why not?” Even her pig Leadbelly was known to nip and push out some property invaders as one evening, protecting the barn in which she lived; she gave the intruders a surprise they’ll never forget. Leadbelly was rewarded with her favorite bologna and cheese sandwich, along with pears.

Cat Tales flows flawlessly with stories interleaved with paintings, woven with the names of pets, family members and memories. One cannot put down this book as it creates a synergy of enjoyment; sure to bring to mind the many pets of the reading audience, and how the similarities and differences of their loved four-legged friends have influenced their past.

For all cat lovers especially, these stories will surely entertain the many readers as Cat Tales is a tribute to LaVera’s friends and family – whether human, feline or canine. This is a marvelous work of literary and visual art.