Junji Ito’s Cat Diary: Yon and Mu by Junji Ito

Title: Junji Ito’s Cat Diary: Yon and Mu
Author: Junji Ito
Publisher: Kodansha Comics
ISBN: 978-1632361974
Genre: Graphic Novel, Manga
Pages: 120
Source: Personal Copy
Rating: 5 Stars

Another cat book this month, another cat graphic novel and that too a manga which I adored to bits. I was browsing Amazon and chanced on this graphic novel and was elated on discovering it. After all, it is a real story and it is a real story about two cats, Yon and Mu and how they came to be Junji Ito’s cats – the one who did not like cats to begin with.

I have always considered myself to be a dog person and not a cat person at all. Till cats entered my life and now life is no longer the same. I could so relate to the book as I went along and even though I knew it was a Manga and it would end soon, I just didn’t want it to end.

The book is about Ito’s experiences with not one but two cats and how his life is never the same. Cats are not like Dogs and they never will be. They do what they must and when they must. They will never listen to you, no matter how hard you try and all you want to do then do is love them. There is also a portion that will shock you and move you to tears (don’t worry, this is not a spoiler).

Ito’s experiences with his cats are something else – he makes them seem larger than life of course given he is the horror hero of manga and translates that superlatively in this book as well. Cats can be full of horror if you don’t know them – Ito uses that angle to the book. The funny vignettes about his wife and the cats are heartwarming and beyond any mode of social media – Thank God for that! You need this book in your life if you love cats! That’s all there is to it.

Millions of Cats by Wanda Gág

Title: Millions of Cats
Author: Wanda Gág
Publisher: Penguin USA
ISBN: 978-0142407080
Genre: Picture Book
Pages: 32
Source: Personal Copy
Rating: 5 Stars

A lot of cat books are being read this month. This one is the second one and there is also a third one waiting to be reviewed. “Millions of Cats” by Wanda Gág is an adorable and yet kinda scary book on cats. This is again a book I read for my reading project of 40 Cat Books. I love this project. One of my favourite reading projects. So what is this book about?

It is actually a picture book (no wonder it took me less than fifteen minutes to finish reading it) of an old man and his wife who are lonely and decide to get a cat and how the old man goes in search of one and what happens thereafter, when he actually meets a million cats and doesn’t know which one to choose.

The book is a Newbery Honor winner and completely had me from the word go. It is a delightful read and the illustrations are simple and yet so enchanting. “Millions of Cats” is a read meant for both – kids and adults. I absolutely adored this book and would recommend all parents to gift it to their young ones and see the smile on their face.

All I Need to Know I Learned from My Cat (And then Some) by Suzy Becker

Title: All I Need to Know I Learned from My Cat (And then Some)
Author: Suzy Becker
Publisher: Workman Publishing Company
ISBN: 978-0761147664
Genre: Comic Strips
Pages: 144
Source: Personal Copy
Rating: 5 Stars

Reading Suzy Becker’s book on what cats can teach you made me miss my cats a lot while I was in Singapore. This is where I picked the book from and I couldn’t wait to get back home to meet my cats. When I did, I learned something else from them: You leave us and we will ignore you for an hour or so. You will plead and beg and plead some more but we shall not show affection or love. Sigh. But it is true: Cats do teach life lessons which perhaps other humans cannot.

The book is aptly titled; “All I Need to Know I Learned from My Cat (And Then Some)” is a book of cartoons – with some lesson or tidbit wisdom from cats. There are so many truths in these pages – people who have cats and those who don’t also will relate to this book.

The illustrations are so plain and cute that they will melt your heart and you would want more. This book is a delight, it is brilliant and it is silly and makes you realize the things that you need to be in touch with and what is absolutely okay to let go of.

“All I Need to Know I Learned from My Cat (And then some) is a meditative book on living and life. Most importantly, it will make you see your cats differently. A lot of Cat Zen and Wisdom in these pages. A must read.