Feline Review of Raj the Bookstore Tiger

Many, many thanks to Vince and his owner, Pat Zietlow Miller for her charming review of  Raj the Bookstore Tiger on her blog.

Here is what the clever feline (aka Puma), Vince had to say:

"Some cats have all the luck.  They not only have a nice home and people who give them tuna on demand, they’re also mistaken for jungle cats. I’ve always fancied I resemble a puma. Unfortunately, no one else seems to see it.

This book is about a cat named Raj. And, get this. Everyone at the bookstore he hangs out at thinks he’s a tiger.

So, as you can imagine, he pretty much has the run of the place. He can bask in the front window. He can sit in whoever’s lap he wants at storytime. And, when he stalks through the store, people squeal, “Look at the tiger!”

Then, another cat arrives and spoils Raj’s fun. He’s white, so no one has ever thought he’s a tiger.

Plus, his name is Snowball. Any cat worth his kibble knows Snowball is at the top of the list of mortifying cat names right under “Fluffy” and “Snookums.”

Anyway, Snowball doesn’t think Raj is king of the jungle. He tells him he’s just a regular old kitty with delusions of grandeur. Then, he takes over all of Raj’s favorite bookstore spots.

This sends Raj into hiding. But, fortunately, while he’s under a chair, he hears a famous poem about a tiger. I’ve never met the William Blake guy who wrote it, but it’s obvious he knew something about the respect and reverence cats deserve.

After hearing the poem, Raj gets his cat-titude back and is the center of attention when a visiting author shows a video featuring tigers in the wild. Poor Snowball is scared of the video until Raj shows him a book with pictures of a rare white tiger.

Then, together, they stalk off to rule the bookstore.

After reading this book, I might have to pay more attention to the other books scattered around this place. Maybe I’ll find a photo of a puma that looks like me."