Julie Andrews Edwards

After being separated from her brothers and sisters, a very small cat named Bo falls in with a sailor and becomes a ship's cat, having various adventures at sea.

Little Bo

Sarah Sammis

On one of our recent trips to the library, Sean picked out Little Bo by Julie Andrews Edwards for me to read to Harriet. Although she loves books about cats she took one look at the book's length and decided it wasn't for her. I don't blame her. It's a 96 page chapter book (that's the same length as the early Magic Tree House books). She's still at the stage where she wants her books to be done quickly.

I still thought Little Bo looked like a cute book with it's lovely illustrations by Henry Cole. He also did the illustrations for one of Sean's favorites, Fright Night Flight. So I sat in my car and read the book while I waited for the library to open.

Little Bo is the runt of a litter of kittens born to a pampered Persian cat and the black alley cat. Rather than having the love and attention of woman who owns the mother (ala Aristocats), she allows them to stay only long enough to be weaned. Then they must be sent off to the pet store to be sold.

Before that time begins, all the kittens receive names from their mother, with the exception of Bo who gets her name from her father. He names her Boadicea to honor her for the struggle she has already completed by being the runt and still managing to grow strong.

Mostly though the book is about Bo finding her forever home and fate brings her together with a sailor. Bo isn't a natural ship cat like Henry of Henry the Sailor Cat by Mary Calhoun (review coming). I liked that the sailor sticks with his commitment to Little Bo and she to him.

I think I'll reintroduce Harriet to the book in a year or two when she's mature enough to sit through a chapter book. I know she will one day love this book as she loves cats and loves to hear about how Caligula came to be our cat.

Little Bo

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