Crazy About Cats

by Owen Davey

Overview

Did you know that the fishing cat has partially webbed paws for catching fish? Or that pumas can leap over 15 feet into trees? There are roughly 38 species of cats today, each one superbly adapted to their environment - whether that be in the rainforest or the desert!

This captivating and stunningly illustrated guide will teach you everything you need to know about our feline friends.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781838749859
Publisher:	Flying Eye Books Ltd.
Publication date:	09/05/2017
Series:	About Animals
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	222,638
Product dimensions:	9.31(w) x 11.69(h) x 0.37(d)
Age Range:	7 - 10 Years

About the Author

Owen Davey is a freelance illustrator, living and working out of Leicester, UK. He graduated with a First Class Degree in Illustration from Falmouth University and his work has since been published in every continent except Antarctica, including picture books in UK, America, Australia, Germany, France, Portugal, China & Korea. He has also worked for some impressive clients including the New York Times, Microsoft and Orange.

Editorial Reviews

"There’s a lot going on here, and all of it good."
—Kirkus Reviews, STARRED REVIEW

"A compendium of fascinating facts, bold images and unabashed puns, […] this superb non-fiction treat boasts a perfect balance of information, humour and graphic-style illustration."
—The Guardian

"This is a book for a huge range of ages.  Stylistic and graphic prints entice readers as they yearn to learn more about this vast range of felines we find sometimes right in our own houses!  Davey covers cat mythology, conservation efforts, and has a handy list of every cat featured in the book."
—The Tiny Activist

“These books are a perfect choice for any kids interests about Nature, Wild Animals, Insects, etc.! They are fun and interactive, a great combination of basic descriptions as wells as facts about them from all around the world! The information is presented in a very fresh and innovative way. The wording and illustrations are a good balance to support learning.”
 —Tales of Kids 

From the Publisher

08/01/2017
Gr 2–5—Following Smart About Sharks and Mad About Monkeys, Davey now lends his signature style to the world of cats, large and small. Davey's illustrations and design are phenomenal. Stylized images, done in a color palette of oranges and greens on heavy matte paper, evoke a chic, retro vibe. The artwork is so engaging that the text almost seems secondary, but in fact, a surprising amount of information is stuffed into 40 pages. Davey begins with introductory data such as what cats eat (anything with meat, even turtles and snakes) and basic feline anatomy (this section includes a clever diagram of retracted cat claws). Information gets more detailed and species-specific further on in the book. One memorable spread features a scale diagram of a human next to eight different cats (tigers are huge!). An index provides species nomenclature and world region. The only information that is slightly confusing is a chart of cat lineage. Readers looking for an accurate evolutionary tree may come to the conclusion that pumas are descended from modern tigers because of the layout. Overall, this book is a strong introduction to the cat family that can also serve as a great jumping-off point for further investigation about lesser-known types such as the caracal and jaguarundi. VERDICT A visual feast for all ages, this book melds amazing graphic design with fantastic facts to form a must-have for animal lovers and nonfiction collections.—Alyssa Annico, Youngstown State University, OH

School Library Journal

★ 2017-06-27
An informational picture book explores the mammal family of felids—cats. Author/illustrator Davey uses the same basic template as in Mad About Monkeys (2015) to explore the world of wild cats. The book begins with an overview (what cats are, their evolutionary lineages, and their habitats) then gets into specifics as it details the physiological attributes that make them such superb hunters (and shares the interesting fact that cats must eat meat to have their nutritional needs met). The "Featured Creatures" segments examine a few specific cats in more detail, which gives readers a break from generalities. A vast amount of facts—hunting adaptations, territory, reasons for fur coloration, kittens/cubs, and even cat mythology—are presented in a lively, organized, and entertaining manner. The wonderfully illustrated "To Scale" double-page spread, intended to show the comparative size of selected cats to a human, may need to be explained to nonmetric readers, since the scale across the top of the page could be interpreted by those unfamiliar with metric as showing that a meter is 6 inches long (all the measurements in this British import are metric). Davey's entertaining headings ("Eat, Prey, Hunt"; "Pride and Predators"; "Kitten Caboodle") are a delight. Finally, Davey ends with a statement that many cats are rare or endangered and offers readers accessible ways to help. There's lots going on here, and all of it good. (index) (Informational picture book. 5-10)

Kirkus Reviews