A Very Smart Cat/ Una Gata Muy Inteligente.

A Very Smart Cat/Una Gata Muy Inteligente

Mario Picayo

Illustrated by Yolanda Fundora

Campanita Books

c/o Editorial Campana

19 W. 85th Street, Suite A, New York, NY 10024

9781934370001, $19.95 www.editorialcampana.com

"A Very Smart Cat/ Una Gata Muy Inteligente" is a whimsical bilingual tale of a most unusual cat and her adopted family. She is always on the table, and if she finds anything of interest to her there, she makes full and competent use of it! She eats food, drinks coffee, cuts out magazine articles, makes long distance phone calls (to multiple, foreign, exotic cats!), takes pictures with the camera, draws with the pen, changes channels with the remote, and orders Japanese takeout with the wallet! She plays the harmonica all night long, wears the hat and mittens, sleeps in the fruit bowl, and uses the house keys to lock her owner out! The owner begs the reader (or anyone) to please take my cat, but finally announces at the end that "She finally went outside!" Unfortunately she has the truck keys and plans to tour with friend cats through Catskill, NY. The owner posts a newspaper add for his missing cat, describing her as Very, Very Smart and if found, to please keep her and return the truck! "A Very Smart Cat" aims to amuse and entertain, but also to teach (that all cats are created equal) of human friendship with cats in particular. The charming, colorful illustrations show cozy scenes of a black and white cat in a northeastern farmhouse setting. "A Very Smart Cat" will sweep up the opposition with no visible trouble whatsoever. Thranslations by Jacueline Herranz Brooks make "Una Gata Muy Inteligente" a double asset.