At the rescue cat café

Anna Humphrey

Book - 2025

"A clowder of cats lives at the Rescue Cat Café, each distinct in look and personality and in need of a forever home. One sleeps in the sun, one winds around ankles, one is bold and adventurous ... but you won't see Mouse. He hides, watching the café with round green eyes. Day by day, visitors come to the café and, day by day, each cat goes home with a person who is just right for them. And every day, the café owner and her child are present. Like Mouse, the child is curious but shy. They watch the visitors come and go from behind their mum or safely tucked behind a book. They notice Mouse tucked away in his nook, hiding under a table, and playing with the feathers in a fancy lady's hat. And Mouse notices them, too. As th...e week passes, the child begins to come out of their shell, and Mouse's curiosity builds. On Sunday, when the child's yo-yo breaks and rolls across the floor, Mouse pounces--finally coming out of hiding to play. Before the shop owner and child close up that night, one final adoption takes place. If you peer into the window of the Rescue Cat Café, you won't see Mouse ... because he's gone home."--

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Review by Kirkus Book Review

Rescue cats find perfectly matched human companions at this special eatery. The Rescue Cat Café is a cozy and inviting place, with windows that display warm beverages to enjoy and a dozen formerly homeless cats to befriend and take home. Every day for a week, a girl in a green jacket with a cat-eared hood and her grown-up visit and settle into chairs, where the child reads to the cats and observes fellow cat lovers searching for feline friends. A family adopts two playful kitties named ChiChi and Bunnykin, an older man cuddles a senior cat named Honey, a male couple connects with cat pals Russell and Jerry, and many more. But no one seems to notice an aloof black cat named Mouse, hiding in a corner or a cubby on each page. Fear not: Mouse finds his perfect forever home, which is why, as the narrator states, "You won't see Mouse at the Rescue Cat Café." Humphrey's deceptively simple, well-crafted prose tells a heartwarming story that's enhanced through a vivid, detailed illustration style that fills in the development of each friendship. Rust's vivid palette of deep reds, greens, and blues is splashed with sunlight from the eatery's windows, making each page as inviting as the place itself. The young girl has light brown skin; other characters are diverse. Heart, hope, friendship, and cuddly cats--perfect for storytime!(Picture book. 3-7) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.