Don't Miss Out On Finnigan the Circus Cat!

Today I'm reviewing and giving away a fun little chapter book geared toward 7-10 year olds. Finnigan the Circus Cat is about a tiny foundling kitten who finds a home in a barn that also houses a former small town circus museum. There he meets a pair of "circus mice" cousins who become his closest companions.

The author (and illustrator), Mary T. Wagner, says she was inspired to write this book because of her own family's experience with a rescue kitty named Finnigan.  

Much of the story is closely modeled after that cat and his antics; and the fact that the author's younger daughter is a contemporary circus aerialist certainly didn't hurt the inspiration for this story either!  (You can read more about the "real Finnigan" here.)

This adorable tale (pun intended) is full of action and humor.  It reminded me a little of Beverly Cleary's The Mouse and the Motorcycle, where the comings and goings of a human family just serve as a backdrop for the real excitement that's going on between the animals.  

Lots of good old fashioned fun!  (Go here for some of my other favorite cat and mouse books.)

And, honestly, what child doesn't love a circus story?

Maximillian and Leroy are two circus mice cousins who think they've got it made at the old Farnsworth Circus Museum...no dogs, a safe path to a full pantry in the empty house, and a barn full of dry hay and old circus wagons to hang out in.

But when a new generation of Farnsworths move in, things start to shake up a bit. And when eight-year-old Lucy Farnsworth brings home a tiny rescue kitten and hides him in the barn because her dad is allergic to cats, Max and Leroy need to think fast if they're going to be able to stick around.

With the help of Boomer - the strangely silent family dog - Max and Leroy take the new kitten under their care and show him the ropes - figuratively and eventually literally...in the end it's Finnigan to the rescue!

You can find this book on Amazon (paperback or Kindle edition), here.  It's the first of a coming series, and I can't wait to read the others.

Today I'm giving away a paperback copy, signed by the author!  To enter for a chance to win, please leave a comment on this post.  Be sure to include your first name and last initial.

• Giveaway ends at midnight, Friday, September 16, 2016.  
• Winner announced Saturday, September 17, 2016.
• The winner will have a week to contact me with a mailing address, so I can send the book off to you!

Book Cats

“The name that no human research can discover-- 

But THE CAT HIMSELF KNOWS, and will never confess. 

When you notice a cat in profound meditation, 

The reason, I tell you, is always the same: 

His mind is engaged in a rapt contemplation 

Of the thought, of the thought, of the thought of his name: 

His ineffable effable 

Effanineffable 

Deep and inscrutable singular Name.” 

 ― T.S. Eliot, Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats

Some Popular Book Cats...

Go here for my past post about T.S. Eliot's Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats.  (Edward Gorey's illustrations are amazing!)

You can read my review of The Cat at Night by Dahlov Ipcar here.

Who wouldn't be smitten with The Tale of Tom Kitten by Beatrix Potter?

Or the story of Millions of Cats, by Wanda Gag?

Paul Galdone's telling and illustrations of the Three Little Kittens nursery rhyme is adorable.

My grandson's choice would be Pete the Cat - all the stories are rollicking good fun - from Eric Litwin - with illustrations by James Dean.

And don't forget this guy...

Last, but certainly not least, I can't leave out Lewis Carroll's Cheshire Cat...

Update, November 3, 2015:  Hat tip to my blogger friend, artist and author Valerie Greeley (you'll find her over at Acornmoon) for a wonderful addition to this list, The Molehouse Cat.  I had never heard of this lovely cat story, but found an amazing Youtube video of the book that I've embedded below.  Enjoy!!!!!