“Sketch, The Cat Who Thought He Was a Dog!” is available exclusively for Kindle this Christmas. It downloaded and was ready to read in a couple of minutes, which was good because my kids and their two friends were jumping all over the backseat and with bumper to bumper on the freeway, we were expecting an accident.
I returned my Kindle with the children’s book, “Sketch, the cat who thought he was a dog” and it was like magic; They fell silent and began to read. (I can’t tell you which of those two I liked better!)
However, I noticed in the rear view mirror that the story immediately drew them in. It’s no wonder because “Sketch, the cat who thought he was a dog” has an endearing opening. Here is the first paragraph:
“For as long as he could remember, Sketch had lived among dogs. There were three of them and Sketch was the fourth. Once he had tried to bark like his brothers, but only a strange, high-pitched sound came out and they all looked at him. felt very ashamed. After that time, he had always thought that there was something wrong with him, even though his brothers treated him well, like one of their own.”
After everyone was in bed, I sat in my favorite chair with my new Kindle and a cup of tea to read “Sketch the Cat Who Thought He Was a Dog.”
So now it’s Saturday morning, we’ve all had breakfast, and I can tell you: I really, really like this children’s book. No, that’s not true, I love it. Little Sketch is adorable, he is a cat who has always lived with dogs and has never known anything else. And at its core, this children’s book is about being different and knowing that there’s nothing wrong with that, in fact, it teaches kids that it’s great to be different.
Let’s see the story. The adventures in the forest of a cat and some dogs begin, and we meet the three dogs that Sketch considers family. They have always taken care of him and accepted the fact that he is not a dog. We first meet Krypto, a muscular boxer, the dog who took care of Sketch when he was a little kitten. “…even letting him eat from his own bowl. They also drank water together every morning.” How cute is that?
We then meet Corso, a giant gray mongrel who is the smartest of the three and helps Sketch find his true strengths. He is a dog who has lived on the streets before, so he always knows where to find good food (like pizza). He just lets his nose lead the way.
The third is a huge Labrador, with “hair the color of the sun”, as the writer Gabriel Hroz says. Flip through the webpage of this popular children’s book and we soon learn that the book’s main character, Little Sketch, has begun to wonder why he is so different from his three older brothers. He can’t howl or growl no matter how hard he tries. But the problem, of course, is that Little Sketch doesn’t know that he’s a cat.
Sketch is sad that he is different until he learns that he can climb trees, which he loves to do. And along the way he discovers the sharp claws hidden in his paws and realizes that he can stretch out his paws to use them only when he needs them, something his brothers can’t do.
Then one day, he meets Mr. Tree and it turns out to be a very interesting meeting. Here is the exception:
The sun warmed his face. She closed her eyes slowly to feel better. She meowed, stretching and scratching her claws at the bark beneath him. Suddenly, a windy voice came from all around her!
“Ha ha ha, that tickles!” said the Voice.
Sketch looked around, “who are you?”
“Why are you so surprised?” said the voice, “didn’t you know Trees could talk?”
Sketch didn’t know what to say, so he just listened. The voice was like leaves moving in the wind. “My name is Mr. Tree, what is yours?”
And as this great children’s book unfolds, Sketch begins to learn more and more about himself. With the help of Mr. Tree, he is able to see himself for the first time. (He looks into his bowl and notices his reflection on the surface of the water.) After that, Sketch knows that he is completely different from his brothers. It is the wise Mr. Tree and the older dog, Corso, who help Sketch see how important it is to be different and focus on his strengths.
So after trying this book out in the real world on the highway with 4 kids, and then reading it myself over a cup of tea, I’d say this children’s book is a worthwhile addition to any parent’s Kindle library. Having it on your Kindle is the most convenient way to read to your children, anytime, anywhere.
About the story itself, the plot is attractive and the characters are well drawn. The main character, Little Sketch, encounters a problem that many children face: being different, not fitting in, which makes him easy to identify with. And the lesson learned is something valuable that all children should know, that each one of them is unique, with their own strengths and talents. These are what they should focus on.
So I highly recommend “Sketch the Cat Who Thought He Was a Dog” to anyone with kids and a kindle who wants their kids to know that it’s cool to be different. This children’s book will definitely be one of the most popular children’s books this year.