What do you think?
Rate this book
Show and Tail
All the "awwws" of animal adoption stories are combined with sugary sweetness in this new, fun-filled chapter book series about a cat café! Kira Parker lives above The Purrfect Cup, the cat café that her family owns and runs. And soon, the café will get new kittens! Bubbles’ belly has been growing bigger and bigger, and on Kira’s first day of school, Bubbles’ finally becomes a mama cat. But she has six kittens, which is…too many! But not to worry, because Kira has a GREAT IDEA. She’s going to find each kitten a perfect family by matching them with her classmates! But matchmaking isn’t quite as easy as it sounds, and her classmates aren’t convinced. Will Kira be able to find each kitten the purrfect home?
128 pages, Paperback
Published July 19, 2022
4 people are currently reading
16 people want to read
About the author
Reese Eschmann
11 books27 followersReese Eschmann holds a Master’s degree in Social Work from the University of Illinois-Chicago and worked in schools for six years. When she’s not writing or taking naps, Reese enjoys rock climbing, baking, and making movies with her family. She lives outside of Chicago with her husband and their hound dog. Etta Invincible is her debut novel.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
July 24, 2022
First sentence: Bubbles’s belly is huge! She waddles around the kiddie pool Mama filled with blankets for her. The pool is in the corner of our living room, right below the window that gets the best morning light.
“Kira, how many kittens do you think Bubbles is going to have?” asks my little brother, Ryan. We’re kneeling by the side of the kiddie pool. “I bet she’ll have at least eighteen.”
Premise/plot: Show and Tell is the second book in the super-adorable early chapter book series, Home for Meow. Kira, our protagonist, is super-super-super excited--along with her brother, Ryan--that one of their foster cats is PREGNANT. Kira thinks the cat will have six kittens because that's the number of stripes on her back. Ryan, however, who is dreaming of a cat army, is convinced that she'll have eighteen kittens. Though the kittens haven't been born yet, Kira is already trying to find homes for the new kittens. And she's trying to find out how many of her classmates do not have pets...yet.
My thoughts: This second book is again super adorable and sweet. Watching Mr. A and Dr. DJ of Kitten Academy (on YouTube) has spoiled me a bit. Their channel exists primarily to foster pregnant mom cats and find homes for the moms and kittens. Each birth of each momcat is archived. I wish the author would have watched a couple of births. I think 99.99% of readers will not think twice of any of the details--or lack thereof. But the mom cat going into labor is treated like a HUMAN going into labor. Still. Even though I found a couple of things a bit on the unrealistic side, I liked it overall. The writing works well for me. I've shared my favorite quote below.
Quote:
Math makes less sense than a cat army going to the moon. I try to reword the math problem in terms I know.
Leo has 33 pieces of candy cats left over from Halloween. If he gives 14 pieces cats to Mark and 11 pieces cats to Anna, how many pieces cats does he have left?
I sigh. Changing candy to cats doesn’t make solving the problem any easier. My brain feels like egg whites that have been whipped for too long.
“Kira, how many kittens do you think Bubbles is going to have?” asks my little brother, Ryan. We’re kneeling by the side of the kiddie pool. “I bet she’ll have at least eighteen.”
Premise/plot: Show and Tell is the second book in the super-adorable early chapter book series, Home for Meow. Kira, our protagonist, is super-super-super excited--along with her brother, Ryan--that one of their foster cats is PREGNANT. Kira thinks the cat will have six kittens because that's the number of stripes on her back. Ryan, however, who is dreaming of a cat army, is convinced that she'll have eighteen kittens. Though the kittens haven't been born yet, Kira is already trying to find homes for the new kittens. And she's trying to find out how many of her classmates do not have pets...yet.
My thoughts: This second book is again super adorable and sweet. Watching Mr. A and Dr. DJ of Kitten Academy (on YouTube) has spoiled me a bit. Their channel exists primarily to foster pregnant mom cats and find homes for the moms and kittens. Each birth of each momcat is archived. I wish the author would have watched a couple of births. I think 99.99% of readers will not think twice of any of the details--or lack thereof. But the mom cat going into labor is treated like a HUMAN going into labor. Still. Even though I found a couple of things a bit on the unrealistic side, I liked it overall. The writing works well for me. I've shared my favorite quote below.
Quote:
Math makes less sense than a cat army going to the moon. I try to reword the math problem in terms I know.
Leo has 33 pieces of candy cats left over from Halloween. If he gives 14 pieces cats to Mark and 11 pieces cats to Anna, how many pieces cats does he have left?
I sigh. Changing candy to cats doesn’t make solving the problem any easier. My brain feels like egg whites that have been whipped for too long.
Want to read
February 4, 2022Note: I accessed a digital review copy of this book through Edelweiss.
November 8, 2022
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
Bubbles is about to burst! One of the cats that The Purrfect Cup is fostering is heavily pregnant, and Kira can't wait to see the kittens! She's so distracted when Bubbles seems to be in labor on the first day of school that she accidentally wears her cat pajamas to school! She meets Sara, a new girl who has just moved to town, and the two become friends. Sara is adopted, but still in contact with her birth mother. This give Kira a great idea when Bubbles has six kittens! She will find six of her classmates who want to adopt a cat. Her brother has another way to deal with the eventual loss of the kittens-- he names them all after his least favorite foods so he won't miss Meatloaf, Brocolli, and Peas all that much.
Strengths: It was good to see the interplay between school and home life. So many books concentrate on one rather than the other. Ideally, we would all live in communities where people could live above their stores and classmates would drop in with parents for a cookie. I really can see Richardson's Twig and Turtle living in their tiny home just down the street. Kira is very kind hearted and concerned about the kittens. It's good to see children with interests that extend beyond themselves and their cell phones. The illustrations are delightful, and how can you go wrong when there are SIX kittens?
Weaknesses: A third grader reading any edition of The Iliad? Doubtful. I understand what this is supposed to say about Sara's character, but even my own children waited until 6th grade! I'm also thinking that very few schools let students bring pets for show and tell!
What I Really Think: Another fun book with an engaging main character, I do sort of wish that there had been a very brief, age appropriate message on why it is important to make sure that animals are neutered so they don't have litters that end up in shelters. There are a lot more books about children and dogs, so it's good to see a series aimed at fans of felines!
Bubbles is about to burst! One of the cats that The Purrfect Cup is fostering is heavily pregnant, and Kira can't wait to see the kittens! She's so distracted when Bubbles seems to be in labor on the first day of school that she accidentally wears her cat pajamas to school! She meets Sara, a new girl who has just moved to town, and the two become friends. Sara is adopted, but still in contact with her birth mother. This give Kira a great idea when Bubbles has six kittens! She will find six of her classmates who want to adopt a cat. Her brother has another way to deal with the eventual loss of the kittens-- he names them all after his least favorite foods so he won't miss Meatloaf, Brocolli, and Peas all that much.
Strengths: It was good to see the interplay between school and home life. So many books concentrate on one rather than the other. Ideally, we would all live in communities where people could live above their stores and classmates would drop in with parents for a cookie. I really can see Richardson's Twig and Turtle living in their tiny home just down the street. Kira is very kind hearted and concerned about the kittens. It's good to see children with interests that extend beyond themselves and their cell phones. The illustrations are delightful, and how can you go wrong when there are SIX kittens?
Weaknesses: A third grader reading any edition of The Iliad? Doubtful. I understand what this is supposed to say about Sara's character, but even my own children waited until 6th grade! I'm also thinking that very few schools let students bring pets for show and tell!
What I Really Think: Another fun book with an engaging main character, I do sort of wish that there had been a very brief, age appropriate message on why it is important to make sure that animals are neutered so they don't have litters that end up in shelters. There are a lot more books about children and dogs, so it's good to see a series aimed at fans of felines!
June 15, 2022
3.5 stars, rounded up
What middle grade reader doesn't want to read about cute kittens, much less six of them? Kira wants to make sure all six kittens are adopted from her mom's cat cafe. Luckily, there's also a special project at school focused on pets/animals. Soon, Kira has found homes for the kittens, as well as made a few new friends - and a valuable lesson about keeping the friend she already has.
I enjoyed this book for the most part, but I had to suspend my disbelief several times. I don't think schools allow pets in for show and tell anymore, especially because so many kids are allergic! The book even mentions that one of the girl's mother is allergic to cats. There is also a lot of talk about bathing cats, which was also a bit strange. You definitely have to bathe dogs, but I can count on one hand how many times I've had to bathe a cat - and I've had cats my entire life!
Thank you to Edelweiss and the publisher for an ARC.
What middle grade reader doesn't want to read about cute kittens, much less six of them? Kira wants to make sure all six kittens are adopted from her mom's cat cafe. Luckily, there's also a special project at school focused on pets/animals. Soon, Kira has found homes for the kittens, as well as made a few new friends - and a valuable lesson about keeping the friend she already has.
I enjoyed this book for the most part, but I had to suspend my disbelief several times. I don't think schools allow pets in for show and tell anymore, especially because so many kids are allergic! The book even mentions that one of the girl's mother is allergic to cats. There is also a lot of talk about bathing cats, which was also a bit strange. You definitely have to bathe dogs, but I can count on one hand how many times I've had to bathe a cat - and I've had cats my entire life!
Thank you to Edelweiss and the publisher for an ARC.
December 7, 2022
Such a sweet story! The author is very intentional to highlight many different types of people, professions, lifestyles, and cultures in this adorable tail. 🤗
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews