Switchcat

by Garry Disher, Andrew McLean (Illustrator)

Two cats and the girls who own them are mismatched. The narrator's cat, elegant Evangelina, prefers the company of Cecilia, the ballet-dancing girl next door. Cecilia's cat, the rough-and-tumble Whiz, would rather be with Evangelina's scruffy owner. A fresh and spirited tale about two loving and determined cats. "A sure-fire selection for anyone who's ever been owned by a cat." -- School Library Journal, starred review

Genres: Picture Books

32 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1994

About the author

Garry Disher was born in 1949 and grew up on his parents' farm in South Australia.

He gained post graduate degrees from Adelaide and Melbourne Universities. In 1978 he was awarded a creative writing fellowship to Stanford University, where he wrote his first short story collection. He travelled widely overseas, before returning to Australia, where he taught creative writing, finally becoming a full time writer in 1988. He has written more than 40 titles, including general and crime fiction, children's books, textbooks, and books about the craft of writing.

Reviews

[Little Miss and the Legomeister · Rating 2 out of 5]

The cats don't like their real owners because one is neat and clean and the other mismatched and messy. The sleek cat likes the neat girl and the scruffy cat likes the messy girl. I think it's silly. And whatever happened to opposites attract? I just didn't really like the premise.

The rhyming verse was irregular and awkward to read, and the illustrations adequate.

Although this wasn’t one of her top favorites, Little Miss did enjoy it.

[l · Rating 1 out of 5]

Fake cat fan. Only likes cats that match her personality. Doesn't mind someone stealing her cat so she can steal their cat.

[Linda Hansen]

I saw this title in a little lending library on my walk this morning. I simply had to read it. Sweet story about two cats and two little girls. Mismatched. One of the kitties travels a long distance to find the correct girl.