Book Details

The Cat Who Decided

Margaret Forrester; Illustrated by Sandra Klaassen

Price:	£5.99
Publication Date:	27 Sep 2007
Availability:	Available to buy

Why does nobody want the mixter-maxter kitten?

The little stripey cat is on a journey. He is sent from the farm to the city and passed from owner to owner. No one seems to love him for just being him.

Once he moves into the tall house in Edinburgh and finds his name — Mac — life gets more interesting. He makes friends with two musical ladies next door and discovers he likes Bach... and cat treats. He explores, and has many adventures.

Then, just when he starts to feel settled, unsettling things start to happen. Will he ever find someone to love him for always?

This is a funny, heart-warming story for young readers with lively illustrations.

Reviews

'A little message reminding me that it doesn't matter what somebody looks like or how they live their life that we're all essentially the same and I loved Mac'.
-- Cathy MacDonald on Sunday Morning with Cathy MacDonald, BBC Scotland

'Based on the real story of a family cat who came "free" with an Edinburgh house, this is an ideal read-aloud, told with gentle humour and genuine respect for a cat who was very special. Forrester entwines stories of several generations with humour and affection - Mac's neighbourhood is definitely one to visit.'
-- Lindsey Fraser, Sunday Herald

'Human characters, young and old, are finely observed, kind-hearted and well meaning in their different ways, while Mac is a sympathetic, complex character. This is a quiet story, elegantly told, compassionate about animals and realistic in its approach to death as a natural phenomenon.'
-- Books for Keeps, March 2008

'An enjoyable story of a cat trying to find a home where he is loved … Yes, the eventual ending is sad but it's all part of a child's growing up - neither animals nor humans last forever.'
-- Carousel - The Guide to Children's Books, Summer 2008

About the Author(s)

Margaret Forrester was born and brought up in Edinburgh. She worked in India and England before returning to Edinburgh where she was a Church of Scotland minister and chaplain to two primary schools. A book of her sermons, Touch and Go, was published in 2002. This is her first book for children.

Sandra Klaassen was born in 1959 in the Netherlands but has lived on the Isle of North Uist in the Outer Hebrides since 2003, from where she drew her inspiration for her picture book, Uan the Little Lamb. She has illustrated over twenty children's books, including Tom's Elephant, Around the Year, Fireflies, Magic fishes and Treasurediggers, and Mermaids, Pirates and Frothy Waves.