Pablo the Rescue Cat

Yes, I have been called a crazy cat lady on many many occasions, despite only ever owning one cat. But my goodness, did I love that cat! I went through a short time in my life where I was lonely, and at that same time a little brown cat came into my life and brought me a level of friendship that I so desperately needed at the time. So Pablo the Rescue Cat, written by Charlotte Williams, illustrated by Angela Perrini and published by Little Steps Publishing could not have resonated more with me!

Pablo the Rescue Cat follows the story of a rather lonely little girl who really wants to make her house a bit more homey. So her Mum takes her down to the nearest rescue centre and together they find the perfect friend, her new cat, Pablo.

Having a pet takes time, commitment and money, which for many people is not an option, but I have always felt that, if possible, and if appropriate, having a pet can enrich children’s lives! They can teach children lots of skills, such as caring, nurturing, responsibility whilst bringing laughter, fun, and love into their lives in return. Watching a child grow up with pet friends is the most gorgeous thing! Pablo the Rescue Cat is a book which demonstrates this so beautifully. It also shows the important and value of rehoming centres and finding the right animal for you, not necessarily a puppy or kitten, but how an older cat can provide just as much, if not more, joy. Providing a new home to an animal who really needs it, and will appreciate it can be the most rewarding and wonderful thing a human can do.

Charlotte Williams has written this story in rhyme and it flows so nicely, and will always help to engage younger readers. I don’t know of a child who doesn’t love a rhyming book. But the rhyme in no way compromises the telling of the story. It’s clear and easy to follow for young children, and but she’s added bits humour with the girl’s adventures with her new friend to make this a really entertaining read.

Angela Perrini’s illustrations are completely charming. There’s detail on every page, and the rescue home is representing as a caring lovely place rather than a prison for strays as can sometimes be the case in book representation. It’s just gorgeously done, and a feast for the eyes. My favourite spread of the girl enjoying the garden with her cat just made me smile, as I used to love sitting on the lawn with my cat, just enjoying the outdoors. Those moments with your pets are really the very best and these have been captured beautifully!

Pablo The Rescue Cat is out now and available from all good libraries and book shops with a proportion of the profits being donated to animal shelters in the UK.

You can support indie book shops and my blog by ordering a copy through my bookshop.org affiliate link. Thank you!

Now I’m thrilled to pass over to the wonderful author Charlotte Williams to tell us how Pablo came about:

Author Writing Journey by Charlotte Williams

I didn’t initially write the story of Pablo with the intention of it becoming a book. I began writing as it’s my way of processing emotions and I needed something therapeutic after Pablo died so suddenly. However, once I read the rhyming story to a few people, they all told me how adorable it would be as a children’s book! I then started looking up rhyming schemes to ensure the story had a clear rhythm to it, which also makes it more fun to read as a parent, I think.

Next, I started noting down what sort of illustrations I’d like with each verse of the story, as well as the illustration style too. Once I was happy with the story, I searched online for a few publishers and was immediately attracted to Little Steps, as their business model allows the author to be heavily involved in all the steps that go into creating a real book. I sent them a draft of my story with the motivation behind the book and heard back within a few days that they wanted to help me publish my story.

After that, it was a case of tweaking the text and selecting an illustrator to bring the words to life. I really believe the process was so easy because I was writing from the heart. I have no idea if the book will be a best-seller, but I know that anyone who does read it will enjoy their adventure with Pablo, and maybe even consider adopting an animal themself!

Thank you so much Charlotte for that brilliant bit of info. Don’t forget to check out the other stops on the blog tour.