My Very Own Special Particular Private and Personal Cat

My Very Own Special Particular Private and Personal Cat by Sandol Stoddard Warburg, illustrated by Remy Charlip (Enchanted Lion Books) HB RRP $24.99 ISBN 9781592703852

Reviewed by Nikki M Heath

There’s a saying that while dogs have owners, cats have slaves. Anyone who has had the privilege of being a slave to a cat has learned the lesson of this book: that possession is a fragile concept, and that we have no right to assume our authority over others.

The protagonist begins the story very much not having learned that lesson, asserting ownership and attempting to order his cat around. After a firm rebuttal comes the realignment of the relationship on an equal footing.

There is a certain feel common to picture books from American creators of the 1960s and 1970s, and My Very Own Special Particular Private and Personal Cat (this edition being a 2023 reprint) is a fine example. The text is spare and staccato, the illustrations bold and graphic. It often takes a couple of reads to fully appreciate them, but then they burrow into your soul.

In this case, the design uses only four colours, including a bright orange for the titular character. The text is rhyming and, in its repetition and call-backs, reads almost like song lyrics. Although there is a clear lesson, it is delivered with grace, humour and charm.

This is a layered book which uses inventive playfulness in language which, in tandem with evocative illustrations, has the potential to appeal to a wide audience, from the very young to the very old. (This review has been written with my very own ginger cat on my lap, and although I wouldn’t dare speak on his behalf, I’ll take that as a stamp of approval.)

My Very Own Special Particular Private and Personal Cat

My Very Own Special Particular Private and Personal Cat by Sandol Soddard Warburb, designed and illustrated by Remy Charlip.

A lively, loving child is taught a thing or two about boundaries by his very own special, most particular cat in this picture book illustrated by the three-time NYT Best Illustrated recipient Remy Charlip. It was awarded a Moonbow Best Children’s Book of 2023.

This is a story about a boy and his very own, special, particular, private, and personal cat — a cat he orders around, puts on his lap, and even dresses up and tucks into bed! But the cat has other plans, and its very own special, particular, private, and personal inner life. After all, everyone knows that you can't ever really own a cat... The story's climax, warm and friendly, yet firm, is all about how to claim the space we each need for ourselves. Many children and adults have undoubtedly felt just as this cat does!

Designed and illustrated by the prolific and visionary Remy Charlip, this picture book is about boundaries and independence, identity and belonging, friendship and respect—all told through a playful and witty text from Sandol Stoddard Warburg.