Book Review of Meow Is Not a Cat
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The Children’s Book Review

Written by Kelly Tills

Illustrated by Max Saladrigas

Ages 4+ | 44 Pages

Publisher: FDI Publishing LLC | ISBN-13: 9781736700488

What to Expect: Neurodiversity, Adventure, mad monkeys, and lots of bananas!

Meow is Not a Cat is a fun picture book about a child who is not like the others.

Meow, who is NOT a cat, is a child who wears a cat-shaped hat and has trouble interpreting directions. In this story, Meow tells us about a school trip to the zoo with Ms. Snickety.  While visiting the monkeys, Ms. Snickety gives the class directions on how to feed them. The entire class, except Meow, follows her instructions and they give all the bananas to the monkeys. But now, they are left with no bananas for the children. When Meow realizes this, they offer a new solution to the monkeys—sharing. However the monkeys don’t understand, and chaos ensues until Meow finds a solution that allows everyone to get a banana. 

Kelly Tills does a wonderful job of writing a story from the perspective of a neurodivergent child. Children who read or listen to this story will be able to identify with Meow whether they are neurodivergent or not. Another purposeful omission is Meow’s gender—this allows readers to see in Meow whatever they wish. In addition to Tills humorous narrative, the illustrations provided by Max Saladrigas are similar to those found in graphic novels. Within these colorful illustrations, readers can see the characters’ emotions and thoughts so readers that have not yet mastered the written word can connect with these characters.

Thanks to the clever illustrations and relatable characters, this book will be enjoyed by readers of all ages. Meow is Not a Cat is also a valuable reference for introducing the concept of neurodivergence both at home and in the classroom and can lend itself to some great conversations about neurodiversity.

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About the Author

Kelly Tills is the creator of her own uniquely shaped family. Kindness, neurodiversity, and potty humor are her jam. She writes silly stories for kids and believes even the smallest hat-tip, in the simplest of books, can teach our kids how to approach the world. Kelly’s children’s stories are perfect to read aloud to your little humans or to have your older kids read to you (hey, let them flex those new reading skills!). Either way, you’ll enjoy the giggles.

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