The fifteen stories in this book are a happy mix of educational, entertaining, and sweet. They will likely engage most middle-aged kids learning the craft of storytelling and reading, and for aspiring adult writers, they showcase the art of how to tell a good story in its most basic form. The narratives all have morals, things such as actions having consequences, how to work with other people in a harmonious way, and how love and friendships are ultimately the most important things in life. The humanistic cats in the stories are varied and each gets into different types of scraps. Some of them achieve worldwide attention and fame and end up going back to and appreciating their humble roots. Amid all these adventures, “Short Stories About Cats in Easy English” makes you feel affection for cats in general. I found the conflicts in the short stories to be more complex than I thought they would be, and in many cases there is more than just one problem per story for these felines to sift through. Again, this presents to young readers the art of conflict in stories and how to grind through real-world issues and even dangers they may one day face. At the end of each story are questions for kids to answer and discuss. The penciled pictures throughout are as adorable as the stories. From cats on Mars to a cat who wants to be a dog, author Jenny Goldmann has written a magnificent book that I would definitely recommend to teachers and parents.

Bird Review Inc. | VINE VOICE

15 Short Stories About Cats By Jenny Goldmann has some fun stories. Imagine a cat who likes to swim! Well, Lily does. How about a kitty who squawks like a chicken? Poor Nelly has that problem. This book is not just a bunch of short stories about cats. There’s fairy tales, adventures, rag to riches encounters and even good old ghost stories. Each chapter has a roughly drawn but charming black and white illustration and a list of questions at the end that makes the stories interactive and memorable. My favorite is Lulu, the cat who flew. What fun! Kids and adults will enjoy these stories. I do have one question…when humans finally colonize Mars, will they really bring along their cats?

Sybrina Durant