Joanne Mattern

Review also posted on my blog: https://bennilovesbooks.wordpress.com/2018/02/16/arc-review-the-cat-encyclopedia...

I received an eARC from the publisher via NetGalley.

I was the kind of kid who would read cat encyclopedias from cover-to-cover multiple times because of my love of cats, so the fact that this book caught my eye is not at all surprising. Unfortunately, this book didn't live up to my expectations for a number of reasons, and I didn't finish it with the best impression.

I largely show more didn't like the book because of ethical reasons. This book described a handful of cat breeds in detail, and then after each one told the reader that the best place to get these particular cats was through breeders and pet stores, and it had an "elitist" air around it when it came to mentioning animal shelters. This book had a large bend towards cat show culture, and while there's nothing wrong with describing breeds of cats based on show requirements, it was rather uncomfortable reading someone tell a targeted 9 to 12-year-old audience that they should be buying cats instead of adopting them because purebred cats are superior and are "less likely to have health problems" when the likelihood of a 9 to 12-year-old actually being able to show their pet cats in a show is extremely low. With the overpopulation of shelters as it is, we shouldn't be teaching kids that shelter animals are inferior to purebred ones when that flat-out isn't true.

Additionally, the book had an incorrect definition of de-clawing, stating that it "either remove[s] part of the claw or keep[s] a cat from retracting the claw" when the actual act of declawing removes part of the cat's fingers. While the book says that organizations "disapprove" of de-clawing it doesn't actually take a firm stance against it, and the misleading definition of de-clawing can lead people into believing that de-clawing isn't as harmful as it is. Note that this is the text from the ARC and not the final copy and this is something that I hope gets fixed in the final text, but it's a large concern of mine.

The pictures are really beautiful and did make me smile -- the book is FILLED with large, colorful pictures of adorable cats, and they by themselves are delightful.

The pictures in this book are worth looking at for cat lovers, but the writing wasn't very engaging and left me concerned about the motivations behind writing the text. It's not the worst book I've ever read, but I would advise approaching it with caution.

Final rating: 2.5 of 5 stars show less

Lebron James had a not so great childhood because his mom didn't have enough money to take care of him. She then sent him to live with his football coach. James's favorite sports were football and basketball, but by highschool he was playing only basketball. In highschool he was the top player and his team won two statechampionships in a row. Then in 2003 the Cleveland Cavaliers drafted him out of highschool. By the end of the season he was named the best Rookie of the year. He led the show more Cavaliers to their first ever NBA finals and then became the youngest player to ever score 10,000 points. 2008-2009 was another great season and he led them to the playoffs again.

I really enjoyed this book and was really interested in reading it because I also want to become a great athlete some day. It amazed me that someone with that type of backround can make it to be so big! It also interested me to read about how he always had ups and downs in his game but kept going, and then ended up being so good. show less

I hold non-fictional works published by DK in high regard; they combine well- written, accurate text with excellent illustrations. Books of the DK Biography series uphold the publisher's standards, as indicated by this short (128 page) book. Like others in the Biography series, it is published in small format (5" x 7.5"). Its target audience appears to be at the middle- school level; accordingly, words and concepts that might be unfamiliar to readers of that age often are defined, in small show more textboxes.

As a biography of Diana Spencer, this work is quite serviceable. The text is accurate (with no noticeable errors) and presents a fair, if sympathetic account of Diana's life, including the difficulties in Diana's marriage to Charles and the aftermath of their divorce. Photographs appear on every page or two, and serve to hold the interest of the reader. Further, while the work is aimed at younger audiences, it does not condescend; adults would find the book informative and enjoyable as well. For those who might like to learn more about the life and legacy of the late Ms. Spencer without tackling a full scale biography, this book is an ideal choice. show less

Have you ever wondered who started the first zoo or why zoos were started in the first place? How are zoos different today?

The title and description do not match the contents of this book. It suggests that the reader will take a trip to the zoo, but they actually taka a trip back in time to the first zoos. The reference aids make it a good book for research if someone is doing research on zoos in general. This title is suggested for optional purchase for grades 3-5.