Big cat with an even bigger personality will capture hearts. When Max was a kitten, he was the only one. But he was as much trouble as ten kittens. And that’s the way he would stay. On Maple Hill Farm, Max spent his days teasing the other animals, collecting squirrel’s tails, closely observing the baby chicks and playing his favourite game, making the bed. And when he was bored of all of that, he wanders off to places unknown guided by the light of the moon… Overflowing with affection, the secret life of cats is revealed in this utterly charming ‘tail’ as Karen Provensen Mitchell, Max’s owner, revisits happy childhood memories of growing up on Maple Hill Farm and the antics of one very mischievous moggie. Simple text tells of Max’s adventures and misadventures but it is the expressive illustrations that really bring his personality to life. Big, bold and with bright yellow eyes, Max and his very important tail struts through the pages with authority and bravado carrying a persona that flits between wouldn’t hurt a fly to slick hunter to playful feline - like most clever cats he knows just what he needs to be and when. Cat’s are mysterious. We never know exactly what they feel, why they behave the way they do or where they disappear to when they head beyond the family home. Max is presented as such and his quirks and behaviours will have fellow cat owners smiling knowingly as they relate and ponder the traits of their own pets.
Detailed back matter adds further interest through a beautifully written author’s note from Karen that comments on Max, family and life at the farm. The Provensen family photographs are delightful and a hand-drawn birthday card by Martin, Karen’s father, brilliantly captures yet more of Max’s wild ways. A generous homage to a life well lived and a must read for cat-lovers. Recommended for 3+. With huge thanks to NewSouth Books for the copy I received in exchange for an honest review.
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