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.
Today I am reviewing “Pounce” by Seth Casteel.
Seth Casteel is an award winning animal photographer whose work rocketed to fame in 2012, with the publication of “Underwater Dogs,” featuring pooches jumping into swimming pools in pursuit of balls.
Now the obvious follow-up to that is a book on cats. But expecting them to jump into swimming pools to be photographed is not going to happen. The next best thing, and perfect for cats, is being photographed in mid-pounce. This book is the delightful result of that idea. It’s all kittens too, which amps up the cuteness even more.
The kitten on the cover appears to fly like Superman, toe beans extended forward. The cats inside don’t disappoint either. Large numbers of these adorable gremlins appear in a similar paw forward pose, faces intent on their targets.
Some have their mouths closed, like the ginger on the cover. Many have them open, ready to bite. In that pose, you can clearly see their glee in the pursuit. This pose is noted to be Casteel’s signature up-close, midaction style. I can see why he chooses this. You get the best view of the face.
Not that the other poses in the book lack anything. There are multiple shots of cats mid-sprint, or mid-leap with paws splayed reaching for the feather toy. These are adorable also and most of these are shown against a plain backdrop so nothing distracts from the kitten’s stance.
Most of the rest of the photos, though, show the background. There’s something special about that close up of the kitten in the grass, or the flowers, as it’s thoughtfully stalking toward the camera lens. Or leaping as the case may be.
The book features dozens of kittens and they’re all so cute, it’s hard to pick favorites, but I’ll try. I am partial to PopTart – a fluffy tuxedo kitten who is scaling the rough bark on a tree. He or she looks back over a fuzzy shoulder toward the camera. The expression is still and almost zen. Bamm-Bamm is a brown tabby in the Superman pose – pink toes separated and so close to the lens they blur. They eyes are wide and serious. Fuzzbucket, in contrast, is also in the Superman pose, but mouth wide open, tiny predator teeth framing the adorable pink tongue. Finally, Frankenstein is a black cat perched on a wood railing, mouth open in petulant protest – I am not sure what, but whatever it was, it annoyed the cat.
Seriously, they are dozens more. They show off the kitten at its best. Tiny tigers learning to stalk, hunt, and play. And most of all, pounce. This is a hardback book you’re going to enjoy going back to again and again if you love cat photography. If you’re a cat lover, you probably do.
