Library Cats

I have just finished a lovely book called Dewey: the small-town library cat who touched the world. Written by Vicki Myron, head librarian of Spencer Public Library in Iowa, USA, the blurb reads "How much impact can an animal have?" The answer is reasonably obvious to the animal lovers amongst us - animals can have a huge influence and touch many lives. This book tells how Dewey Readmore Books won the hearts of library patrons, the town and ultimately had fans around the world.

Dewey's story covers the fall and rise of a mid-western town in America's breadbin as well as giving an insight into library and small town life. However it is ultimately a story about a cat and the nineteen years of his life where we can smile at his wisdom, giggle at his antics and games, shrug when we read of his antipathy towards the vet and shed a tear when he gives up the fight (which I did as I rumbled home from Wellington on the Overlander, somewhere around the King Country and trying not to make it too obvious to the other passengers that there was a blubbering librarian on board).

Pet New Zealand Magazine (held in several of the Rodney Libraries) interviewed Vicki Myron, the author of the book in their Dec 08-Feb09 edition. And stay tuned as their are rumours of Dewey making it onto the big screen with Meryl Streep cast as Vicki.