“At Home Outside” is a lovely new children’s book focused on community cats, by Valerie Ingram and Alistair Schroff of Lakes Animal Friendship Society in Southbank, B.C. The sweet rhyming story is beautifully illustrated by New York artist Amanda Moeckel. The book joins the society’s amazing “Kindness Collection” that even includes an original song, “Love, Love, Love the Cats!” In one frame of "At Home Outside," orange tabby Frankie peers out from the cab of a yellow excavator, while a grey cat dozes on its roof, and a calico paws toward a butterfly from one of the machine’s ridged tracks. A grey tabby strolls through the large yard toward a woodpile, where a white cat peeks out and a tuxedo cat sits half hidden in the tall grass. In the distance, a relaxed cat performs a “downward dog” with a lifted tail. Colourful patchwork quilts air on a clothesline beside a tiny home with blue siding and white trim, while two children play at a basketball hoop. The cozy scene accompanies the words: “Ferals watching from afar feel at home outside. Sometimes they are scared or shy and like a place to hide.” The book deftly introduces the process of trap-neuter-return (TNR), from trapping cats (“Don’t worry, she’ll be fine”), to finding new homes for friendly cats and kittens, returning lost cats, and providing ongoing care to feral cats in their outdoor homes. Love is also in the air, as the speaker says, “I am always there for her, and feel her love for me.” Illustrating these words are “frisky Frankie, and her feline family” playing, and then the tabby sitting at a distance from the caring girl who has become her devoted friend. It’s a perfect sequel to the authors’ first book, “Nobody’s Cat: How One Little Black Kitty Came In From the Cold,” based on the beginnings of the project that helped community cats in Burns Lake, B.C. This village is 228 km (142 miles) northwest of Prince George, with a population of under 2,000. Over 400 cats were helped in two years; the number has since risen to over 500. The book’s message of compassion has been translated into French, Spanish, German and Portuguese; they are now working on Hungarian, Slovak and Polish. A Discussion and Activity Guide for teachers is available for both books, as well as those discussed earlier, “Out of the Cold” and “How I Love and Care for My Happy Cat / My Happy Dog.” Along with teachers’ tips and resources, the guides include illustrations with games, like “CATcentration,” a cute card name involving matching pairs of cats cut out from the page. But that’s not all. “The Kindness Collection” encompasses an array of animal care resources for children provided by Lakes Animal Friendship Society. I mentioned some in “Be Kind and Stay Safe.” The collection has grown! Ringing endorsements of these resources were shared in the society’s fall 2021 newsletter, “Critter Care News.” Dr. Jeff Young of Planned Pethood International and star of Animal Planet’s show, "Dr. Jeff: Rocky Mountain Vet," wrote, “We love to use materials from the Kindness Collection! It is valuable in building the safe, kind and enlightened communities this world needs and deserves.” Chief Corrina Leween of Cheslatta Carrier Nation wrote, “We are proud of our role in the projects described in these books and materials. Keep up the great work helping our animals, our children, our families and community stay safe and healthy!” I will focus on just a few new items. “How I Love and Care For My Happy Community Cat” is a 12-page colouring and activity booklet that also tells a TNR story. The subtitle of one page, “My brave community cat needs to visit the vet,” shows a child with a kind woman veterinarian from the Burns Lake Veterinary Clinic (which deserves to be featured, as they helped from the outset). The examination room sports a cute poster saying “Trap Neuter Return Works!” Learning always joins with fun: a beautiful page invites the reader to “Colour the Community Cats! Can you find all 30 cats? That’s how many kittens can be born from one unspayed cat in one year!” And who can resist a community cat word search? The booklet may be purchased or downloaded for free from the society’s website. “Teach My Person How to Love Me” is a 16-page booklet illustrated entirely by children from kindergarten to grade 7 at the Babine Elementary Secondary School in Granisle, B.C. (100 km or 60 miles north of Burns Lake). The words of a song of the same name identify key needs of pets: food and water, a warm and cozy bed, a place to run and play, seeing the vet, and for their person “to watch and listen every day, and know if I’m okay.” The rewards are powerful: “I’ll be a faithful, furry friend forever … We can be a family, caring for each other. I’ll be waiting at the door, no one could love them more.” An audio recording on the society’s website allows everyone to sing along. “Critter Care Singalong Songs” is an 8-page booklet with lyrics of all seven songs by LAFS, cutely presented with illustrations for children to fill in and colour. Nola Johnston of Gabriola Island, B.C., is the capable illustrator of all activity pages in LAFS publications. A real treat for cat lovers is the song promoting kindness for community cats. Sung to the tune of “Row, Row, Row Your Boat,” the lyrics are repeated below by permission. Be sure to listen to the luscious performance by Lowry Olafson with acoustic guitar. Audio files of all seven songs are available on the society’s website, and the songbook may also be purchased or freely downloaded. Love, Love, Love the Cats Love, love, love the cats All the cats you find Even if they’re not your own You can still be kind Love, love, love the cats Indoors and outside Some will come up close to you Some will try to hide Chorus: Love the cats, all the cats, love the cats Love, love, love the cats Here’s what you can do Leave some food for them to find A bowl of water too Love, love, love the cats Be sure you don’t forget Find an adult on your team to take them to the vet Chorus Love, love, love the cats Every night and day A cozy bed to lay their head Will keep the cold away Chorus Love, love, love the cats All the cats you find Even if they’re not your own You can still be kind (Repeat the last 2 lines twice) Lyrics by Valerie Ingram, Alistair Schroff and Lowry Olafson. Animal lovers of all ages can appreciate the amazing work of Lakes Animal Friendship Society. Thank you! Irene Plett Children adorably illustrated this animal-care song by LAFS (4 ¼" x 5 ½”)
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