Saturday 8 November 2014

Book Review: Solomon's Kitten by Sheila Jeffries

I'm going to say a little bit about this fabulous book before handing you over to Mum for a full review.

Mum read Solomon's Kitten to me and I loved it so much! Tallulah is a great little kitten who truly suffers at the beginning of her life after being abandoned. Of course this made me extremely sad for her as I too was abandoned as a kitten, though I don't remember much about it. And I don't want to either. I just want to focus on the life I have right now - with my wonderful mum and granny

But this is an amazing, heartwarming book and it reminded me of the good things in life too, and the healing power of love. It's a must read! Don't miss it, especially you cat lovers out there! And dog lovers too because there is a lovely dog called Amber in it as well, who Tallulah simply adores. I don't understand that kind of love for another animal, but for those of you that do, you will find it incredibly moving. Get your human to read you this fantastic story now!

And now over to you, Mum.

Solomon's Kitten

Solomon's Kittenis an incredible story. An emotional journey of happiness and tears. It is a book full of healing love and purrs.

The story follows Tallulah, a 'special kitten' who has 'come to heal' a family. Very soon after she is born, the tiny kitten is taken from her dad Solomon and dumped like rubbish in a hedge. After enduring hunger and fear, the abandoned kitten soon finds a new home with a nice family, forming an unbreakable bond with the daughter TammyLee, who calls Tallulah her 'magic puss cat'. But TammyLee is harbouring a dark secret - a secret Tallulah already knows about.

My heart swelled with love for the kitten Tallulah, who also narrates this inspiring book. Through the eyes of this sweet little kitten, we experience all the ups and downs of modern family life. Not only does TammyLee have a secret, but she is also a carer for her disabled mother and has to juggle this with her school work and carrying the heavy burden of her secret, as well as having to deal with her rather complicated relationship with her dad.

Author Shelia Jeffries says she based Tallulah on a cat she had as a child, and the love and understanding of cats is clearly evident in her storytelling. Her portrayal of the pet-human bond really pulled at my heartstrings and touched my soul deeply as it is a bond I can relate to so well.

But this book is not all love and light, and in many parts I cried. At one point I was reading on the bed with Athena sleeping next to me. I held back the tears because she easily picks up on any upset I may be feeling, even as she sleeps. Well she did pick up. And in what was a most magical moment, she turned to me and held my gaze as I wiped away a tear. Then she slow-blinked at me (which means I love you in cat speak.) It's just so amazing - that unbreakable soul bond and pure unconditional love between pet and human - and this emotion is illustrated perfectly by the author.

Sheila also has the rare ability to capture life through the perspective of a cat. Yes, this is fiction, but animals are sentient beings and they do also have the ability to think. I've always believed this. And so this book touched me deeply in that respect as well. I also enjoyed reading the parts about animal healing, and the theme of spirituality, reincarnation, and how the soul survives death is something that rings true for me too.

Like Solomon's Tale, Solomon's Kitten is a book that will help younger children understand more about what happens after death and it teaches everyone the importance of pets and what a true gift they are when they enter our lives.

In my opinion, Solomon's Kitten is a unique story that deserves to be made into a film or TV drama.

I am definitely looking forward to reading more of this author's work in future!

About the Author:
Sheila Jeffries has been writing since she was young, and has written twelve children's novels.After studying at Bath Academy of Art, Sheila spent many years teaching in UK schools. Sheila lives in Somerset where she enjoys teaching meditation and running workshops for writers.

Sheila's website http://www.sheilajeffries.com/
Follow her on Twitter: https://twitter.com/sheilajeffries1


Disclosure: I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review. All words are my own. http://www.athenacatgoddess.com/p/disclosure-policy.html

4 comments:

CATachresis said...

Sounds like a wonderful read!

Marty the Manx said...

Thanks for the great review!

Anonymous said...

Pawsum weview and posty. sounds like a vewy touchin' stowwy.

Luv ya'

Dezi and Lexi

pilch92 said...

I am way behind, I just bought a used copy of Solomon's Tale.