This is "Book News and More" For Sure...Dog Reviews Book About A Cat!

Margaret Harvey, readers' services staff member at Bernardsville Public Library, is a dog lover through and through, but she and her dog Skip were moved by the recent nonfiction book, Dewey. Skip is a "mixed breed" shelter dog, so he can relate to the miraculous rescue of the little kitten, Dewey, who became the live-in mascot for a small library in Iowa. With assistance from Margaret, Skip has provided a dog's perspective on a book about a cat. Dewey: the small-town library cat who touched the world by Vicki Myron

Skip's review of the book follows below:

As a dog I rarely read books about cats, but I know about libraries because my mom works at one. When I saw the cat on the cover, I wanted to gnaw on it. I changed my mind and decided to peek at it since I figured there was no way a cat could really change the world. I have to say, I am not fond of cats. After reading Dewey, I have a new respect for the cat and his book.

You see, poor Dewey was abandoned in a cold book return at a library in a small town in Iowa during the 1980’s. He nearly froze to death, but was found by the nice librarians who worked there before that happened (Librarians are nice people.) After thawing him out, they decided to keep him. A cat in the library? Well evidently, this was not as unusual as you might think. There is actually historical evidence for cats in libraries which astounds me as I think dogs would be so much nicer. You can read about that in the book.

The author, who was the library’s director, tells lots of anecdotes that cat lovers will really enjoy. Dogs won’t appreciate them too much, but people who like libraries will find Dewey’s life story intriguing even if they don’t care much for cats. Libraries can be quite fun places to be, and this library in Iowa was no exception. While the author tells about Dewey’s life in the library, she also recounts how the cat and the library impacted the community during a bad economic period in the town. This makes it a timely book for you humans.

I liked this book because it shows how great animals (including cats) are and how good they are for people of all ages. Maybe after you read this book you will want to have a cat in your library. Or even better, a dog in the library.

~Skip Harvey
Margaret Harvey’s best dog