The Kitten Who Lost His Meow by Veda M. Fowler
What do a pair of curious twins, an ornery old man and a strangely silent cat all have in common? Well, the four of them are the focus of Veda M. Fowler’s insightful tale, The Kitten Who Lost His Meow. Perfect for early readers, this 68-page children’s book features a varied cast to teach a vital lesson of patience and compassion.
A Winter Surprise
It’s winter in Vermont, and while everyone else seems to be enjoying the season, eight-year-old twins Charlie and Chloe are struggling to do the same. With their father overseas in Afghanistan, it looks like this will be the second Christmas without him. The twins do their best to distract themselves with winter fun and go to build a snowman — but everything changes when the clump of snow near Chloe begins to move.
It turns out that the snowball is not a snowball at all, but a kitten dusted with snow. The girls bring him inside, where they wrap the shivering kitten in blankets and feed him warm milk. With the help of their mother and the town veterinarian, the newly named Mr. Chris (short for Mr. Christmas) grows healthy and strong. But no matter how much Chloe and Charlie play with him, he never makes a sound.
An Unlikely Friendship
Mr. Chris’ missing meow isn’t the only mystery that’s hit their town. It seems that old Mr. Feldman, known throughout the neighborhood for being rather crotchety, had disappeared. But crotchety or not, Chloe and Charlie are determined to get to the bottom of this missing person’s case and find their missing neighbor. The girls poke around Mr. Feldman’s house … only to discover quite the shock. Mr. Feldman hasn’t disappeared at all — he’s just decided that he won’t be going outside any longer. “No one likes me out there,” he tells the children, “so I am better off by myself.”
Sworn to secrecy by Mr. Feldman, the twins wonder how they can help the man if he refuses to go outside. They agree on bringing Mr. Chris with them on their visits, in the hope that he might bring a smile to the old man’s face. That’s exactly what Mr. Chris does — and as Charlie and Chloe watch the two get along, they come up with an idea that could solve both problems at once.
Lessons to Last a Lifetime
The Kitten Who Lost His Meow doesn’t hold back on complex topics for its target audience to wrestle with. There’s a myriad of lessons to be learned from the text — the importance of kindness and of not keeping serious secrets from grown-ups (and that breaking and entering is not very nice!). It also provides children a peek into the loneliness epidemic of seniors, and how intergenerational friendships can benefit both parties in ways they couldn’t even imagine.
The illustrations interspersed throughout act as breathing room for young readers, moments to let them absorb the story’s morals. And as they follow Charlie and Chloe’s story to its conclusion — with two surprise guests at Christmas and gifts that would bring a smile to anyone’s face — kids will come out of the story with a new understanding and appreciation for the people around them. So if you’re searching for a book to teach children about the power of empathy, look no further.
About Veda M. Fowler:
Family means everything to Veda M. Fowler. She has always found the time to read to her children and to write short stories with them. Fowler has continued this tradition with her great grands.
Fowler was an interior designer for 28 years before retiring. Her goal is to make children happy with Charlie and Chloe’s stories, and have parents or grandparents read to their kids.
