As a reminder, I am reviewing one book each day until Christmas, in no particular order.
Each choice is special in its own way. All would make great gifts for your cat addicted book lovers. Or your book addicted cat lovers.
Why cat books? Several reasons, really. I adore cats. Cats appear in most of my fiction. And I enjoy promoting cat books for the holidays, because I frequently give or get them as gifts myself. And finally, so many people have a cat, that cat themed gifts are an industry. You can’t go wrong.
“The Mission to Cataria” by Travis Bossard and Mick Szydlowski is next on my list.
Yes, it’s another nod to internet cats. It won’t be internet cats every day, I promise. But some of these are my favorite cat books and I think your Oskar and Klaus fan or cat loving child will enjoy them too.
Unlike Grumpy Cat’s book yesterday, that looked like a kids book but probably isn’t, today’s choice is most definitely a pick for the children you know. The nice thing about this choice is that if you buy from the author you can get a “pawtographed copy” or a braille version.
Why does it come in a braille version? Because one of the cats featured in the story is Oskar the Blind Cat, of internet fame. Oskar’s family has done a lot of work with the blind community because of Oskar’s blindness.
This is a picture book version of Oskar’s imagined adventures with his sidekick, Klaus, a tabby cat with a deformed ear, from a probable mite infection before he was adopted into his forever home. Oskar, the blind cat, rose to internet fame in 2011 with the adorable viral video of him attacking the air coming from a hair dryer. He passed away in 2018 suddenly from heart failure, but in between, he and Klaus attended numerous cat shows and were featured in these children’s books.
Yes, there are other Oskar and Klaus books, including coloring books, but Mission to Cataria is really special because it was read to children by an astronaut on the International Space Station during Story Time from Space.
In this story, Oskar and a reluctant Klaus train to be astrocats. With a robot for company they launch into space to explore an asteroid. Things get complicated in a hurry, and Oskar has to save his friend. The story is fun because it is written with a rhyming style and clever word choices. Adults will enjoy it too, because of the humor and the mentions of typical cat behaviors that are folded into the story – Klaus’s need for ten more hours of beauty rest for example. Finally, the artwork is rich and detailed. The cat faces are drawn true to the real life cats’ expressions and the adventures are depicted with tension and excitement.
This is a great story, because it shows kids that blindness doesn’t have to stop you from having adventures, learning, and helping your friends. It also shows that like Klaus, you can get outside your comfort zone and try new things. It will capture children’s imaginations.
I love this book and I do have a pawtographed copy. I have a special place in my heart for Oskar and Klaus. They rose to fame living in Nebraska and moved to the Seattle area, both places I have also lived. And I met them live at a cat show several years ago. I met Grumpy once too at a meet and greet at a bookstore, but it wasn’t the same because attendees were not allowed to pet her. With Oskar and Klaus, we got that opportunity. That did personalize it a lot more for me.
Definitely check out this book if you love Oskar and Klaus. If you’re not familiar with Oskar and Klaus, I recommend watching the videos and checking Klaus (and new blind cat sister Juno) out on Facebook. And if you purchase the book for yourself or a child you know, you’re supporting a small family business, so that’s another plus in my mind. Definitely consider The Mission to Cataria for the children in your life this holiday season.
