Thursday, June 10, 2010

June Giveaway: The Famous Nini: A Mostly True Story of How a Plain White Cat Became a Star

One author's unique thoughts on the story of how a plain white tom cat became a national celebrity!

Nethery, Mary.
The Famous Nini: A Mostly True Story of How a Plain White Cat Became a Star.
June 7, 2010.
Clarion Books.
Review copy provided courtesy of publisher.


Based on a true story about a plain white tom cat who lived in Venice during the 1890's, The Famous Nini: A Mostly True Story of How a Plain White Cat Became a Star, allows children to see how possible it is to take a story that's been known for years and to look at it in a deeper light, asking the whys, as author Mary Nethery did.
No one knows why Nini became a star. So I asked myself the question "What does a cat have to offer that no other creature possesses?" The answer? A purr, one of the most primal and soothing sounds in the universe, a gift that only a cat can give. That's what led to this story. All of the notable visitors were real people who came to see Nini, but the events in the story didn't unfold in the same way that I have presented them.
While I was no where near familiar with Nini or his story, I do have to admit I was very intrigued when I first started reading... I didn't think this was the type of book I'd be able to finish (I know... it's a children's book. How hard can it possibly be to read the pages, but sometimes, I do struggle...)! However, I was very pleasantly surprised, and even more pleased when I saw the author's note at the end of the story that cleared up any questions I did have about the story. Children will fall in love with Nini as the main character and will love all of the ways in which a cat can provide a service of some sort to humans!

This is definitely a book worth sharing, which leads to my June giveaway!!!

HOW TO ENTER THE GIVEAWAY:
  • In a comment on this post, share with me (and my readers) about a pet (or some other object) that acts as a soother to your child. Who/what is the pet/object? How did this pet/object come to act as a soother to your child when he/she is upset or needing comfort?
  • Be sure to leave an email address along with your comment.
  • Deadline to enter is Saturday, June 26th at 11:59PM EST.
  • For an extra entry(or two): blog about this giveaway on your own blog AND/OR leave a tweet on your Twitter page and then leave a link to the post/tweet.
  • Contest is open to U.S. Residents only, sorry for any inconveniences!


If you're interested in finding out more information about any of the books reviewed or if you'd like to purchase the books, click the cover image for a link to Amazon.com. I am an Amazon Affiliate, so any purchases you make after clicking these images will result in my receiving a small percentage of the sale price!

12 comments:

style='clear: both;' Laurie said...

That sounds like a great book! My 12yo son (then 11yo) was never able to sleep through the night- he was always restless and eventually crawled in to be with dad and me each night. About a year ago we adopted a dog that had been used in a research lab. It was love at first sight between the two of them. :) Since his faithful friend, Jack, has started sleeping in his room, my son sleeps like a log!

style='clear: both;' Unknown said...

We don't have any pets yet, but my 9-month old daughter always reaches for a certain blanket when she's upset. The funny thing is that we were given about a dozen different blankets when she was born, some from favorite relatives, some beautifully handmade. But the one she wants is just a generic blanket from Target from an acquaintance of my husband who's never even met our daughter! For some reason, my daughter finds this blanket extra-special!
mearley1979 (at) gmail (dot) com

style='clear: both;' Laurie said...

I realized that I forgot to leave an email! mom7_06(at)yahoo(dot)com. I also did post on my blog. :) http://tribeof11.blogspot.com/2010/06/picture-book-giveaway.html

style='clear: both;' Susan H said...

We have one cat in particular (out of 4) who loves my dd - and dd loves her equally. Being the only girl in a family of boys means she sometimes needs extra TLC and "Shy" is more than happy to provide it. She is good at soothing hurt feelings and general 'girl drama days' ;)

Susan
sharrison517@yahoo.com

style='clear: both;' Unknown said...

I'm on the same boat here we don't have any pets. My daughter takes a blanket or a hand towel wraps it around her head covering only her eyes to fall asleep.

Katie, what is the age group for The Famous Nini: A Mostly True Story of How a Plain White Cat Became a Star book?

nancyosffice at gmail dot com

style='clear: both;' Mozi Esme said...

We posted about this giveaway at Winning Readings: http://winningreadings.blogspot.com/2010/06/famous-nini.html

And my daughter has never had a soother/security item! She's fascinated by the idea - Baby Bop's yellow blankey, the Knuffle Bunny, etc. - but will adopt an object for a few hours and then move on to another one. Which makes my life easier!

janemaritz at yahoo dot com

style='clear: both;' stephanie said...

Interesting! We really don't have any soothies in our house. Hard to believe with 5 kids, but there are no particular things that any of my kids have been attached to except my oldest - her thumb - because it was attached to her!

style='clear: both;' Linda Kish said...

When my son was little and troubled with his ADHD and OCD he would calm down and focus if he could pet the cats.

lkish77123 at gmail dot com

style='clear: both;'
Anonymous said...

When my daughter was only a few months old I gave her a cute stuffed animal (a duck) that I would put in her crib with her every night. Little did I know she would be still hanging on to that duck today. She will not go to bed at night without it and it's the thing she wants when she gets upset. It's been through some rough times and is dirty, losing its feathers and almost falling apart. She is now seven years old but she still loves to have it with her.

peacelily_2006(at)yahoo(dot)com

style='clear: both;' apple blossom said...

my girls are both teens now, but my oldest had a pet it was her bed pillow. She would drag that thing every where in the house. She always rub it with the back of her hand. The minute we got home she'd hunt up the pillow and rub it. My youngest it was a blue teddy bear. This thing has gone every where with her it is patch upon patch. the outside is so thin you can see the stuffing. At 15 she still has it on her bed and keeps a doll dress on it (I think to keep the stuffing in)

ABreading4fun [at] gmail [dot] com

style='clear: both;' wmmahaney said...

My son has 3 small stuffed puppy dogs that he must go to sleep with at night, as well as a well loved blanket.
wmmahaney(at)att(dot)net

style='clear: both;' Unknown said...

My youngest son loves a vintage Winnie the Pooh that was a gift to my older son. My older son let the younger "borrow" it, but it quickly became a soother and we've given up on trying to give it back.

Wendy
ebeandebe at gmail dot com