Mummy Cat

This is a beautifully rendered work that tells a multi-layered story. I loved the bits of Egyptology in the graphics, but especially the depiction of the ba carrying away a piece of the queen's soul when she died. The words tell you about the love between the queen and her cat, the pictures and hieroglyphs tell you about the evil of the queen's sister.This book will stand out because of the imagery in the words and the drawings. The touching, gentle, phrases belie the horror in the graphics. I was shocked at one point because I thought the evil princess had killed her pet baboon, imagining some kind of sacrifice to further her nefarious plans, but a closer look revealed that the critter in his natural pose, hanging from the tree by gripping the branch above, not swinging from a rope.And I was surprised that the story of the unhappy sister and her baboon dominated my thoughts after I finished reading. The baboon does not receive affection and attention from his mistress like the cat does from the queen. But in the end, when her plan appears to be backfiring, the baboon is distressed and tries to make a warning. Oh for the love of animals!By the end I was weeping for the cats, dogs, horses and people I will never greet again.I don't have children, so I don't know if it is a good kids book, but I do believe that is would make a good present for adults who love cats, who are interested in cats or Egyptology, or who is grieving for the loss of a loved one of the two- or four-legged variety.

I happened to mention the Mummy cat exhibit at the Smithsonian to my daughter over lunch one day, and she was instantly intrigued.She went from question to question to question and it's really not an easy conversation to have with a 7 year old, let me tell you!Life and death. The afterlife. God's. Spirituality. Ooph! Did I step in it!Anyways, I can't say this amazing story gave her all the information she was after. It's in there. At the end. After the story there is a section that explains mummification, but I skipped a bunch of it for now, and the rest? Well it probably went right over her head.But, the story is touching. It even got to a world weary 40-something. And as it's written as a poem, there's a beautiful flow to it.It's now one of her favorite stories. And until a week ago I didn't even know it existed...

While this is written as a children's book and a wonderful one at that; I think that even as an adult, one can find something very very special about this book. For me, it has a very personal attachment for both the subject and content. Thank you for this for it has also helped with grieving process of a very dear companion.For a child, this book will be a wonder, while a bit sad at times, it has a very warm glow about how love can be forever.

Love the pictures in this book as well as the story. Nice to see cultural references to something that's not 'typical' Euro-centric myth or fairy tales. This is an original story with a lot of facts about ancient Egyptian culture and includes a key for the hieroglyphics found through the book.

I can't really explain it, but this book makes me cry every single time I read it. Like, copiously. It's so sad and sweet and lonely, it just makes your heart ache with its poignancy. My daughter brought it home from the school library one day and asked me to read it to her, and to my surprise, tears were running down my face by the end. The poetry is so simple, spare, effective, evocative. And the art is energetic and gorgeous, and the hieroglyph puzzle is great fun. Buy this for your children! Buy this for yourself!

Sweet, unusual, rhyming story. It raised several questions from my 5 year old granddaughter - like what's a mummy? But she understood well about a loyal kitty who missed his mistress. There's a bit of a game suggested in the back, so we took the bait and looked for the hieroglyphic messages. I think for that to work, the child needs to be able to read a bit, so she can understand that hieroglyphics are like letters and/or words. We found that we saw new things in many of the illustrations each time we looked.

A mummy cat wakes up every 100 years looking for its owner - they died together tragically. A melancholy and poetic story, with illustrations that tell the secondary story of the two's tragic fate. The book also includes hieroglyph "clues" which you and your child can refer to the glossary at the back to "translate", adding an extra layer of fun to this tale with a touching ending. My wife borrowed this from the library and my little 5-year-old fell in love with the cat and the book. She understands the concept, and we both agree its actually a very sad story, despite the “happy” ending. Really touching and another example of some of the incredibly human and fine writing that is found in children’s literature.

Cute story/poem! It's not graphic at all but (spoiler alert) it does talk about the princess and the cat dying. My niece is really into mummies at 4 years old, so it was great for her! Use discretion, though, because more sensitive kids might not like that part much. Love how the art uses actual hieroglyphics, and the murals expand on the story!

A touching and moving illustrated story for people who love ancient Egypt and cats. It is aimed at children, but explores some dark themes (envy, murder, loneliness) that may distress young minds (or perhaps not!). It introduces ancient Egypt in a gentle and approachable way and may well be cited in later years years as the book that hooked them on Egyptology. I loved it, but i'm 73 and a lifelong lover of ancient Egypt and cats! I actually bought it for my great nephews -I haven't had any feedback yet.

This is the most wonderful cat book I have ever seen, both for its magical text and pictures. It is a mesmerizing introduction to ancient Egypt and the cult of the Cat. Such a lovely and moving story to share with children. In this cat loving household it is treasured and adored. Many thanks to the author and illustrator for such an enchanted book.

It is sad