That Stripy Cat.

Britta Santowski is a freelance writer in Victoria, B.C.

This is the story of how the stripy cat at the Hummingbird Animal Shelter finds her home. It begins with Mrs. Cosy making cinnamon porridge and riding (“lickety split”) to the Shelter on her rather cool looking scooter. People come and go all day, looking for the perfect animal to adopt. The stripy cat, rescued only the day before, is never the chosen one. Perceived by the visitors as too cantankerous, too persnickety, too wild, too timid, and too loud, the stripy cat is always left behind. At the end of the day, literally, Mrs. Cosy decides to adopt this cat herself, and two live and love happily ever after.

The story’s message is really endearing: rejection comes as a result of an imperfect solution. Once the perfect pairing is found, the stripy cat “comes home.”

It’s a lovely story that is fun to tell. The language is animated (“persnickety” is just fun to say when reading to a child!) and the pastel drawings nicely complement the unfolding story. Jarring is the reference to “Mrs. Cosy,” as the referencing of anybody by their surname seems archaic in this day and age (unless that person is over 80 years old, of course, and has lost their own name along the way). And I love that Mrs. Cosy rides a scooter. Recommended.