Review: The Colloquial Cat
The Colloquial Cat by Philippa Sandall is short, easy to read book that covers fifty-five phrases involving our favorite felines. Most of them were familiar to me and the new-to-me ones were most likely due to the fact that Sandall is from Australia.
As staff to many, many cats over the years, this book immediately piqued my interest. Add in the fact that word and phrase origins are intriguing and I was sold. This falls into the category of what used to be known as "bathroom readers" - books with short entries that you could easily read while otherwise occupied on the loo.
Each entry starts with the phrase to be covered and a brief definition. One or two examples of the phrase from literature follow before a discussion section that goes into the possible origin of the phrase. Most entries end with a red boxed element named The Factual Cat which often refers to scientific research that relates to the phrase in question. For example, for "A cat always lands on his feet" entry, the author points out the physical feline traits that make this true as well as an account from a NYC veterinarian of the extreme heights cats have fallen and survived.
The Colloquial Cat is illustrated with vintage art from Théophile Steinlen (a Swiss Art Nouveau painter and printmaker) and Louis Wain (an English artist best known for his anthropomorphized kittens and cats). While I'm sure the fact that the artworks are now in the public domain was a factor in choosing them, they do add a layer of whimsy to the volume.
It's no wonder that The Colloquial Cat is scheduled to be published on November 3rd. It's the perfect holiday gift for your favorite feline staff member.
4 lattes out of 5
Disclaimer: This ARC was provided by The Experiment via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
