If Cats Could Talk by Lisa Rita

This review first appeared on Reader Views. Read the Reader Views Kids version here.

If Cats Could Talk by Lisa Rita follows the story of Whiskers, his person Amber, his friends Felicks and Frisky, and his not-so-friends the neighbor dog and the black cat Bronson. Whiskers goes through her day with Amber and learns from Felicks that Bronson is being a bully. So, Whiskers and Felicks devise a plan to teach Bronson a lesson. Their scheming leads to some funny and unexpected results in the neighborhood, with Amber having no clue about what her sneaky cat is up to.

Rita packs in a delightful amount of cat-related and other puns. These make the reading experience more interactive and enjoyable for readers of any age. The full-page illustrations also add to this experience by allowing readers to really take each image in.  There were a few pages that contained a lot more text than most. Spreading this out over more pages with extra illustrations would help smooth the overall flow of the book.

Understanding that a large portion of the book takes place at night, the colors are very subdued. However, more illumination would add some extra dazzle to this enjoyable story.

My favorite moment comes when Whiskers and Felicks are discussing the dog across the street. I found the illustration of the dog immensely charming, evocative, and accurate. Even as a dog person, I was amused to read what a pair of cats’ opinions on a barking dog would be. I found myself smiling particularly wide while reading this part of the story.

Some of the greatest charm of If Cats Could Talk comes from the relationship between Whiskers and Amber. Allowing these two characters to communicate in words and actions with each other brings out a warm and loving bond between the two. This bond endears Whiskers—who is the main character of If Cats Could Talk—to readers and allows the reader to better engage with her.

If Cats Could Talk by Lisa Rita is a fun picture book that is sure to engage readers with its endearing bonds, cute puns, and large illustrations.

If Cats Could Talk by Lisa Rita, Austin Macauley