Review - Cone Cat

Cone Cat
by Sarah Howden
illustrated by Carmen Mok
Date: 2020
Publisher: Owlkids Books
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 32
Format: e-book
Source: NetGalley

One day, Jeremy wakes up at the vet’s with a giant cone around his head. In a momentary existential crisis, he resigns himself to his new role as clumsy, smelly Cone Cat. That is, until the cone becomes instrumental in lapping up the last few bites of cereal on the breakfast table.

Surprisingly, Cone Cat can do a lot of things old Jeremy couldn’t. He can hunt spiders with ease, collect stuffing from the couch, and disguise himself as a bowl to steal a scoop of ice cream at a birthday party. When the cone is removed the next day, Jeremy starts to miss it. Will he ever get another chance to indulge in the tricks he pulled off as Cone Cat? It doesn’t take him too long to find out …

With lively illustrations and plenty of wit, this hilarious picture book about adapting to seemingly im-paw-ssible situations is sure to please kids and cat-lovers alike.

(synopsis from Goodreads)

Setting aside the somewhat implausible plot points (who just drops scoops of ice cream without watching where they're going?), this is an amusing story that will likely appeal to cat lovers.

Jeremy the cat wakes up at the vet with a cone around his head. It interferes with all his daily activities: hunting spiders, stealing food, scratching the furniture, and licking his butthole (parents might want to be aware that there are two pictures that feature the cat licking said butthole). But on the day of Ava's birthday party, he realizes that the cone might be good for some things after all, and he grows to love his new accessory.

The story is obviously about making the best of things. The message is fine. The illustrations are okay, too, even if they're not in a style that I really enjoy.

Overall, this is a decent picture book about a predicament that many pets will face at some point. It will probably appeal mostly to cat lovers, though.

Thank you to NetGalley and Owlkids Books for providing a digital ARC.

Premise: 3/5
Meter: n/a
Writing: 4/5
Illustrations: 3/5
Originality: 3/5

Enjoyment: 3/5

Overall: 3.16 out of 5