Feline-flavoured Book: I am Doodle Cat

 I am Doodle Cat

  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.

 Trevor Agnew

 I am Doodle Cat  Kat Patrick, ill. Lauren Marriott (2014) Beat Books [Beatnik Publishing, Auckland], 32pp, hb, NZ$25

ISBN 978 0 9922648 2 6

 

Note: This review was first published on 24 Jan 2015 in Your Weekend magazine.

 

 

I am Doodle Cat: book review

I am Doodle Cat:

Book review by Trevor Agnew 

I Am Doodle Cat (2014) Kat Patrick, Lauren Marriott, Beatnik, 32 pages, hardback

ISBN 978 0 9922648 2 6

 “I am Doodle Cat. I love ice cream.” is the unexpected boast of the feline hero of this picture book. With one short sentence per page, Doodle Cat also lays claim claims to loving trees lentils, stars  and dancing.  Some of the items on the list of things he loves can be unexpected. “I love fractals.” This declaration is accompanied by a diagram that will set young minds enquiring. Other items will set young readers snickering. “I love farts.”

Doodle Cat may be cute but is never sentimental. The double-page spread which supports his claim, “I love maths,” shows the corpses of three birds and four lizards, along with two hair balls and “3.5 worming tablets I pretended to swallow.”

Lauren Marriot’s lively and imaginative illustrations show Doodle Cat in all his moods and enable young readers to appreciate the implications of some of his list. For example “I love difference” is accompanied by a double page picture of an amazing array of thirty cats of all sizes, shapes and colours.

The final question is passed to the reader: “Who do you love?”

Kat Patrick has decorated the endpapers with the explanations for some of Doodle’s choices, so that we learn what is important about oceans, farts, differences and – yes – even fractals.

Trevor Agnew 

 

Recent edition info:

I Am Doodle Cat (2014) Kat Patrick, Lauren Marriott, Beatnik, 32 pages, hardback ISBN 978 0 9922648 2 6