Review Detail

You know a book is good when you have to share it. Fuddles by Fran Vischer is a fun picture book about a fat and pampered cat who decided his life needed adventure. As soon as I finished reading Fuddles, I turned to my husband and immediately read it aloud to him. We were outside in our yard eating lunch when I read it, but I didn’t care who heard me. Fuddles is that good. For one thing, it’s about a spoiled cat; my husband and I have one of those. For another thing, I love the playful style:

But Mom had other ideas. “You’re not allowed to go outside,” she said. Mom said no?!
Fuddles could not believe his ears. He had never been told no in his life. Why couldn’t he go outside now?

Then there is the artwork. I don’t feel necessarily feel qualified to evaluate the illustrations, but those in Fuddles are so clearly perfect that I don't have any qualms about saying that they are colorful and fun with lots of personality. The facial expressions and the postures that our hero assumes show how he feels about his decision to seek adventure, mom’s reaction to that decision, and to the adventures themselves. Speaking of Fuddles’ adventures, I love those too. For example, when Fuddles decides to show some squirrels just who will have the last laugh, he pushes and pulls and strains and struggles. Then he realizes that couches are easier to climb than trees. Fran Vischer’s own cat inspired this hilarious tale, which means hopefully we can expect many more tales about the lovable Fuddles.