Super Cats: True Stories of Felines that Made History

by Elizabeth MacLeod

A fiesta of feline facts for cat lovers everywhere! It’s amazing but true: there are approximately 600 million pet cats around the world! And why not? Not only are they playful, cuddly, and smart, they are also very helpful. Best known as skilled hunters, they can also predict storms and earthquakes, bring comfort to the sick, and have been known to detect diseases in humans. The love of cats goes back to the ancient Egyptians who worshipped them. Young readers will be fascinated to find out all the rituals attached to cat worship –and will be surprised to discover how cats played a role in the defeat of the Egyptians by the Persians. In her lively narrative style, author Elizabeth MacLeod recounts the origin of the superstition about black cats –and how owning any cat could have saved your life during the Plague. She explores the role of cats in Japanese and Chinese culture, and provides a useful guide to how cats communicate, both with other cats and humans. For the millions of young readers who adore cats, this book will keep them riveted with the many stories and facts about the world’s favorite pet.

Genres: Animals, Nonfiction, Cats, Juvenile

88 pages, Hardcover

Published March 13, 2018

About the author

Elizabeth MacLeod was born on October 21 in Toronto. As a child Liz liked to read Nancy Drew and Anne of Green Gables books, swim, sing, dance, and hang out with her friends. Encouraged by her parents, she began writing stories and poetry for her own enjoyment at the age of 10, her favorite subjects being mad scientists and tyrants who threatened to take over the world.

Today Liz is inspired by almost anything--her friends, reading, and the funny, beautiful world around her. Her first job in publishing was at OWL magazine, and Liz credits editor Sylvia Funston as one of her mentors. Liz also names Valerie Wyatt, a writer and editor, as an important influence on her work, as well as a good friend.

An avid reader, Liz enjoyed digging up amazing facts and researching historic royals and their countries and customs for Royal Murder (2008). She encourages anyone with a desire to write to "just do it." Even if no one ever reads it, the joy that comes from expressing yourself through words is reward enough. Liz adds that writing takes practice, and with each day you are bound to improve.

Liz lives in Toronto with her husband, Paul, and their two cats, Smedley and Cosmo.

She enjoys keeping active, spending time with friends, music, theater, and cheering on the Toronto Maple Leafs. Liz plans to continue writing about a broad spectrum of topics in both fiction and non-fiction, and would like to work on more picture books in the future.

Reviews

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm definitely a cat lover...so when I saw the absolutely cute cover of this book, I knew I had to read it! Super Cats: True Stories of Felines that Made History is informative, colorful, and super fun to read!

Chock full of full-color photographs, this book not only tells stories of famous cats, but also gives a lot of history about cats, famous cat owners, brave cats and cats with unusual talents. Each page is colorful and has photographs of just about every sort of cat there is!

This book would be perfect for cat lovers of all ages. Even children who are too little to care about the stories will enjoy the pictures. The stories are varied, ranging from the evolution of cats to felines who have become internet sensations.

The back of the book includes a long list of other books for further reading on topics covered in each chapter in Super Cats. There is also a full index.

This book has the best cover I have seen in a long time, and I thoroughly enjoyed all of the great information and awesome pictures!

**I voluntarily read an advanced readers copy of this book from Annick Press via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**

[Carla · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a delightful middle grades non-fiction book about cats that starts in early history and ends with today. It tells how cats have been viewed throughout time and how they became domesticated. I learned a lot about the history and one surprising fact was that cats were considered evil so were disposed of in the middle ages. As cats were gone, the rat population increased and that was when the plague was on the rise. Once cats were reintroduced, the plague became almost non-existent. Cats were worshiped by the Egyptians and there were actually cat gods and statues. Japan believes in the lucky cat and loves them. They have many statues of waving cats. The reader will learn about the roles they played during war as well as on merchant ships. Cats as pets, cat cafes, cats as support animals and cats who provide company to the dying and their families are all explained. We meet famous pet owners, learn about cat beliefs and superstitions and find out about some famous cats in history.

There are so many asides as well as separate vignettes. The illustrations are a combination of photographs and created pictures. I learned a lot about cats from this book and know that this would be a great read for anyone who loves cats or wants to learn more about them. This is a good non-fiction book for reluctant readers as well as those who do not want to read fiction stories. The stories are written so they can be read easily and flow nicely. This is a wonderful book for any local or school library. It is a great companion book to "Top Dogs: Canines That Made History" also by Elizabeth MacLeod. The publisher generously provided me with a copy of this book via Netgalley.

[Literary Redhead · Rating 5 out of 5]

SUPER CATS reveals everything you wanted to know about felines and more ... in an utterly charming package. A purrfect gift for members of your cat-erie and for yourself, yes? How can you resist a book that features Lil Bub AND Grumpy Cat, the why of cat worship, the ways your furry friend can make you healthier, and the many cat-tributions throughout the ages. Five paws ... I mean Stars!

Happy to receive an ARC from NetGalley and Annick Press. Opinions are mine.

#SuperCats #NetGalley

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hey, my mother bread siamese when she was a girl. There were always cats in our house. At one point we had five of them. So, having said all that, I thought I knew everything there was to k now about cats, and though I would be reading the same old stuff that all cat books have.

I was quite wrong.

This is a fantastic, middle-grade reference books, which tells the story of cats, through antidotes, for each stage in their history. And it isn't the stories you have heard before. One very sad story was of a cat that was accused of hunting the Stephen's Wren into extinction.

And thrown in are a lot of cat facts, or cat observations.

Another story is of cats that have helped at sea, such as Simon, the only cat to be awarded the Dickin Medal, which is given to animals who have helped out in wartime.

I think this would be a great addition to any school, public or home library.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.

[J.L. Slipak · Rating 5 out of 5]

DESCRIPTION:

A fiesta of feline facts for cat lovers everywhere! It’s amazing but true: there are approximately 600 million pet cats around the world! And why not? Not only are they playful, cuddly, and smart, they are also very helpful. Best known as skilled hunters, they can also predict storms and earthquakes, bring comfort to the sick, and have been known to detect diseases in humans. The love of cats goes back to the ancient Egyptians who worshipped them. Young readers will be fascinated to find out all the rituals attached to cat worship -and will be surprised to discover how cats played a role in the defeat of the Egyptians by the Persians. In her lively narrative style, author Elizabeth MacLeod recounts the origin of the superstition about black cats -and how owning any cat could have saved your life during the Plague. She explores the role of cats in Japanese and Chinese culture, and provides a useful guide to how cats communicate, both with other cats and humans. For the millions of young readers who adore cats, this book will keep them riveted with the many stories and facts about the world’s favorite pet.

Out March 13th, 2018

MY THOUGHTS:

I received this book in exchange for my honest review.

Loved the cover! Incredible historical facts involving cats show a well researched source of interesting information. I love the artwork that obviously complimented the individual stories and think any kid between the ages of 7 to 10 will enjoy reading up on this fascinating topic.

I love cats and it’s amazing to read the history of their ancestry. My fav story was about Simon (the cat) who was to receive the Dicken Medal. I also loved reading about Sam and it was hard to choose my fav.

I gave this book a wholehearted:

[Mindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fun little book for kids about all things cat. There are many stories that are cute and other books have been written about many of the cats in this book, but this summarizes things perfectly for kids so they can actually enjoy the stories. The book explains words that would be hard for kids to understand and it explains the history of domestic cats and why they came to be. There were a lot of little things that I learned from this even though I did know quite a bit about the animal to begin with. There were only a couple of things that bothered me, both of them mildly. The first is that some of the stories were actually fiction. I understand wanting to tell stories about particular cats but telling one about a singular cat in Egypt wasn't necessary abs just felt out of place to me as the majority of the book is fact-based. Second was there were no actual stories that involved kids. I think that alone would help the book appeal to children even more. Like I said, pretty minor, and overall it is a good book for kids who want to know more about domestic cats and hear some amazing stories about them.

I would like to thank the publisher, author, and Netgalley for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Connie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a delightful book that starts in early history on through today. It depicts how cats have been viewed throughout time. One of the biggest things is when people realized how useful cats were at reducing the rat population and the diseases they carried, they began to understand how wonderful these creatures are.

Cats were worshiped by the Egyptians and Japan loves them and makes statues to them. They were very helpful in World War I and II as they fought along with the soldiers killing rats and detecting poison gas. Cats have always been welcome aboard ships to reduce vermin and keep the sailors company. There are even cat cafes where people can go to pet cats for they are known to reduce blood pressure and provide comfort to people.

I am the proud Crazy Cat Mom to three kitties and they make my life so happy. While I feel like I know them, cats will always keep their owners guessing so don’t ever try to take advantage of them. Cats rule!

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Do you like cats? Even if you don't, you may change your mind about liking cats after reading this! There are facts that I did not know about cats. I did know that cats were worship in ancient Egypt but didn't know that it was illegal to kill cats. There was at that inspired its owner to understanding electricity. The owner was Nicola Telsa and his cat's name was Macak. Did you know that cats worked as spies in the 1960's? I didn't. This factual book is full of facts about cats throughout history. There are several photographs of cats included sidelines, a timeline and much more. The author's writing is great for kids to read as she makes it interesting and accessible. Don't miss this book regardless of your age. This is a fascinating book to read!

Disclaimer: I received an arc of this book free from the author/publisher from Netgalley. I was not obliged to write a favorable review, or even any review at all. The opinions expressed are strictly my own.

[Kathleen Garber · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the perfect book for a cat lover. Adult, teen or child if you want to know more about the history of cats, this book will tell you what you want to know. The book talks about a long time ago (Ancient Egypt) and recent (Grumpy Cat). It covers good luck cats, bad luck cats, cat Gods, Working Cats and more.

At the back of the book is a list of places to visit related to these cats, main sources of information on them and books for further reading on each.

You’ll even learn what cat a Meowth from Pokémon is based off of.

Each page has photographs, drawings and such to go along with the stories and explanations. The book is listed as for ages 8-11 which is definitely what it’s aimed at but tweens and teens could definitely enjoy it too.

* I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are so many books that tell stories of famous or historic animals for children. But this one may be my favorite ever. The graphic design (even a timeline at the end) combines with the narratives that include some of the most heroic, inventive and beloved cats in known history. As a cat behaviorist and cat aficionado myself, I was repeatedly impressed by the insight the author has to some of the most important cat stories and those times in history when humans and cats coexisted in interesting and impactful ways. This book is for every kid who loves cats and every grown up who needs to know more about the cats they love.

[Ren · Rating 3 out of 5]

We have here a collection of stories featuring cats from current day and history, a few being told from the cat's perspective. There is a decent variety - from cats kept as mousers/ratters to therapy cats to mythology and more. The stories are interspersed with facts about cats. This book is aimed at middle grade readers and I'm not sure it has enough really interesting points to keep a child's interest and it seemed a little tossed together, moving on without feeling like a story had been fully told.

Thank you to NetGalley and Annick Press for the opportunity to read and review this book. All comments are my own, unbiased opinion.

[Cat · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a cat lover and cat parent, I can't resist books about cats! this book was so worth the read! I have read some of the stories before, but had no idea Tesla owned one, Or that a cat actually wrote a short piano piece! Some anecdotes are likely to have been heard of before- Egyptians treated cats like gods, used cats as pest control (who hasn't?!), cats as bad luck or evil, etc... but over all nice collection of true tales! May maneki-neko look on the author fondly!
I received a Kindle copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for a fair review.

[Brooklyn || The Wild Library · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read & evaluated this book for the Vancouver Children's Literature Roundtable (VCLR) 2019 Information Book Award.
My only complaint about this book is the cover. The content inside is SO GOOD, but the cover immediately makes me think this is going to be a book about cats that just do tricks. Instead, the book actually discusses the role of cats throughout history (34 million years ago to present!). There was also a wide range of sources, an index, and suggestions for further reading. Sort of reminds me of a NatGeo Kids book.

[Bella · Rating 5 out of 5]

Comprehensive and artfully curated list of engaging topics. Wasn’t expecting to actually read this book. I checked it out anticipating some big fonts and lots of entertaining illustrations. It turns out it’s in the format I don’t take to: too many words for entertainment, non fiction book written in the style for an intermediate school level audience. I gave it a few pages (on the famous cats section) and went back to the beginning and read from start to finish.

[Jeannie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Readers of all ages will find a good read in this book that has a combination of cat lore, cat facts and true stories. The author lists references and a list of museums to visit. Cat lovers will be pleased to have a book to show the dog lovers.

[Theresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful stories, history and facts about cats and their habitats. I like the way the facts are presented in story form instead of just blurbs and lists. Lots of interesting photos.

Fave scene: The Persian army using cats to win and the Ambassador’s Siamese cats.

[Amy Pickett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Once I got my paws on Super Cats, I found it to be a purr-fect read for a sunny afternoon! It's a delightfully informative nonfiction title that will be a welcome addition to any "636.8" section!

[Nathalie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful book!

[Helen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I know a lot about cats, but this book taught me much more! It tells about a variety of roles cats play in culture: healer, worker, good luck, bad luck, and spies! Good information for kids and adults!

[Peyton · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good book, but a little too wordy. It was a fun read and had a lot of interesting information.

[jessi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting stories! It brought cats into history. Wish they taught me this in school!

[Janice Lombardo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cats are among the most studied domesticated animals today. Since ancient Euro-Asian times they have been studied and written about.

This beautiful illustrated book and index goes into great detail. Nice for both a "starter" cat person or a "veteran" cat person.


Cats have contributed to much of history, the medical field, and are well known for their superstition "properties" (even Winston Churchill had a Good Luck cat)!


Most importantly, they being love and happiness.


Many thanks to Annick Press and NetGalley for an informative and entertaining book!