Mewow: Adventures in Catastrophe (The Bowtie) by Chloe the Cat
What's It About?
Cuddles works up the courage to go after the girl and ask her to be his Meowentine. The dance is coming up fast and he knows his chance is now or never but he's scared. Meanwhile, his sister Claire stumbles into an investigation all her own when she discovers something fishy about her human.Reading Mewow: Adventures in Catastrophe (The Bowtie) by Chloe the Cat reminds me of an old New Yorker cartoon of two dogs studying a computer screen with one of them about to type in a message. The other dog says to his colleague, “Remember, on the Internet nobody knows that you’re a dog.”
This cartoon came to mind because Mewow: Adventures in Catastrophe is, well, written by a cat (ok, not really), and is a story about cats doing human-like things, including scouring Mom’s computer in hope of unlocking a mystery.
But Mewow is much more than that. It deals with a plethora of human emotions and situations and is full of valuable messages for kids, even if they are delivered in cat-like ways.
Things Are Shaky in Mewowville!
In the story, Cuddles, a young male cat, wants to ask Brittany, one of the more popular female cats, to the upcoming dance. His sister Claire, sensing his reluctance, suggests he do something unusual to grab her attention — in this case, create matching bowties for him and Brittany. He will show her the bowties when he asks her out.
The well-intentioned idea falls short. Brittany scoffs when Cuddles approaches her and laughs at the bowties. Cuddles’ biggest fears manifest themselves. Rejected and dejected, he tosses the bowties in the garbage.
However, a secret admirer of Cuddles witnesses the exchange from her window. She has a plan of her own.
Meanwhile, Claire is showing her cat-like curiosity on another matter. At Mom’s computer, she sees on Mom’s calendar an upcoming appointment, “Claire Checkup,” which throws her into a panic. What could this mean? And then discovering a cage-like crate in the attic, she tries to put the pieces together and figure out what’s in store.
Fun Narrative & Important Lessons
With Chloe the Cat identified as the author, the book is written in a clever, engaging and entertaining way, through the perspective of a cat telling stories about cats. In the process of behaving like, well, cats, they also put on display a number of human-type challenges that most children typically face: shyness, reluctance and uncertainty to put yourself out there; being creative to your advantage; fear of the unknown; dealing with rejection and disappointment and being able to pick yourself up; and the curiosity to seek out and discover new things that on the surface you don’t quite understand.
Then there’s one more lesson: Rob, the cat boyfriend of the popular Brittany, bullies and teases Cuddles after Brittany rejects him. While one of the teachers comes to Cuddles’ aid, it’s a situation that’s all too common at a young age, and the author addresses it head-on. In the preface of the book, Chloe writes, “In Mewowville, we put our paws in to fight back against bullies and help all cats and kittens feel safe in the world,” and refers to the website www.stopbullying.gov.
Mewow: Adventures in Catastrophe is a worthwhile read for children — a narrative told in a fun manner through the unique voice of cats and at the same time presenting many lessons from real-life situations. No need to grow up being scaredy-cats or to believe that curiosity killed the cat. Here’s a book to help children feel comfortable in their own skin and spread their wings to new ideas and opportunities.
And what of those bowties? Stay tuned.
About Chloe the Cat:
Chloe is a storyteller. She wants to write and share stories in a way that makes the listener feel a connection to her characters and their problems. She knows that everyone goes through difficult times in their nine lives and, through these stories, hopes she can show that anything is possible if you keep a curious outlook on life. She has a soft spot for drama, but romantic comedies are her favorite…which might be obvious when reading her work. Her characters are her life, and she can’t imagine where she would be without them. The book follows a podcast of the same name. Follow her on Instagram and check out her website.
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