There once was a time when children thought that babies were brought by the stork or found in the parsley patch. In “The Little Cat Baby,” babies were obtained at the baby shop, which was run by a woman named Nurse Doodle. Whenever a man and a woman wanted a baby, they would head off to the shop to get one.
One day, a particular man and woman headed in to the shop. They looked at lots of babies of every size and shape. There was a cry-baby, a flower-pot-throwing baby, and even a baby robot in a box, ready to be assembled. But then a different baby caught their attention – a little cat baby.
Nurse Doodle wrapped up the cat baby and gathered together a basket, a bottle, and a book of cat stories, and off the man and woman went with their new child.
The man and the woman loved their cat baby. She learned how to drink milk from a saucer instead of a bottle, and soon she learned how to talk, her words comprised mainly, at first, of “meow,” “purr,” and “more milk.” They brushed her and fed her and bought her a beautiful collar. They even put a cat door in, just for her.
One night she was awakened by fireworks going off outside. The neighbors were having a wild party, and she went outside to watch, but she got disoriented and couldn’t find her way back home. She wandered in to Nurse Doodle’s by mistake, and that good woman returned her to her home. Her mother and father were so glad to see her back, safe and sound!
The man, the woman, and the little cat baby made the purrfect family. You know, it’s not every child that can win prizes in both the baby contest and the cat show!
This book is darling, more for the illustrations than anything. If you’re looking for a cute, unusual read for your child, this one’s for you.
(This book was published in 2004 by Dial Books and was illustrated by Fritz Wegner.)
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