"Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats" by T.S. Eliot (published 1939)


Reminiscent in style of Ludwig Bemelmans' "Madeline" children's books and an obvious source of inspiration for the Broadway musical "CATS", "Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats" by T.S. Eliot is a complete riot. I don't know how *practical* the cats presented within these humorous poems really are, but most of them are wizened, playful, and shrewd observers of the world. Eliot's cats are mostly street cats, who are somehow both feral and domesticated at once. Their names (Rumpleteaser and Macavity, to name only two) and doings are very funny, and Edward Gorey's drawings of these cats are even funnier: cats mocking what it is to be human - and - fully clothed. Suffice it to say, "Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats" is a pleasure to read and would be really fun to read out loud too, even to children, if you don't mind the mention of alcohol and some scheming escapades of mischievous cats, including theft. More playful aspects include rhymes about what these practical cats like to eat and drink (Devonshire cream, for example) and how they would like to be addressed. Personally, I'm a bit more a fan of the Aristocats (Disney) and this book just made me want to to watch that animated film all the more, for I am missing the Duchess, Marie, Berlioz, and Toulouse. And the best feral street cat, Thomas O'Malley. But I digress.

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