Kat Patrick, ill. Lauren Marriott, Beatnik
Books, 32pages, hardback, NZ$29
“I am Doodle Cat. I only know what I love,”
is the arresting opening of this feline-flavoured book. Doodle’s list of things
he loves is sometimes predictable – “I
love friends” – occasionally unexpected – “I love maths” – and sometimes highly amusing to young readers of a certain
age – “I love farts.”
The
sheer unpredictability of Doodle’s choices makes this a book that will
encourage readers to do some thinking. His claim to love the ocean, for
example, may lead to scepticism. The maths-loving claim is justified by his carefully
counted treasure trove, which includes three dead birds and four dead lizards.
Doodle is no sentimentalist.
Doodle,
who is artfully portrayed in Lauren Marriott’s skilful illustrations, saves his
final question for the reader, “Who do
you love?” Nor does the book end there. Kat Patrick has used the end-papers
to explain the reasons for some of Doodle’s choices. Thus we are told what is
important about trees, fractals, stars and – yes - even farts.
ISBN
978 0 9922648 2 6
Note: This review was first published on
24 Jan 2015 in Your Weekend magazine.
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