Meow Is Not a Cat
Written by Kelly Tills
Illustrated by Max Saladrigas
Ages 4+ | 44 Pages
Publisher: FDI Publishing LLC | ISBN-13: 9781736700488
Publisher’s Synopsis: Meow is definitely not a cat. Cats lick their butts. Follow along as this wild child’s unique way of following instructions ends up going a little bananas.
Meow Is Not Cat is a completely goofy story, guaranteed to make kids laugh. With a cynical cat, wild monkeys, butt jokes, and a banana cannon, even pre-readers will love shouting out their favorite parts as you read aloud. Nestled among the laughs is a lesson about how embracing a person’s different way of interpreting the world can lead to surprisingly good results —and bananas, lots of bananas.
Available for purchase here.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Kelly Tills is the creator of her own uniquely shaped family. Kindness, neurodiversity, and potty humor are her jam. She writes silly stories for kids and believes even the smallest hat-tip, in the simplest of books, can teach our kids how to approach the world. Kelly’s children’s stories are perfect to read aloud to your little humans or to have your older kids read to you (hey, let them flex those new reading skills!). Either way, you’ll enjoy the giggles.
For more information, check out the author's -
AUTHOR INTERVIEW
Life Is What It's Called - Why do you think it's essential to have books with neuro-diverse characters?
Kelly Tills - Everyone should see themselves in stories, even better if as the protagonist. Many books about neuro-diverse kids end with an adult coming to the rescue to correct them. A child who is gleefully identifying with the hero in a story, only to see that hero get “fixed” in the end, is left with the sinking feeling that they need fixing, too.
There can never be enough books that, instead, make kids feel good.
Life Is What It's Called - In what ways do you relate to the main character?
Kelly Tills - I’ll flip that around: how is the main character related to me? I’m raising a neuro-diverse family. In doing so, I’m learning to communicate differently. Our mix-ups can be funny, frustrating, and sometimes, alas, I take a while to see I’ve misunderstood. In this story, I aim to capture both sides of that experience: Meow as the neuro-diverse child, and myself as the teacher.
Life Is What It's Called - Why do you think the message of this book is important for readers?
Kelly Tills - For as important as neuro-diversity is, the real moral of this story is found in Meow’s teacher. Readers are dropped into a world where the adult changes, not the child. The teacher is able to realize her mistake (Oh, colloquialisms aren’t so clear after all), accept it (Meow’s been listening to me literally all along), and quickly move along without ego (Oopsie, let’s dance!). We need to normalize this behavior for adults.
Life Is What It's Called - What are some of the other "goofy" books you have written?
Kelly Tills - My Awesome Animals series never fails to make me chuckle. I call them half fact and half fun. These are short, brightly colored picture books where kids learn some new fun facts about animals, while also getting to shout out answers to questions like “Can a snake slither in space? No!”
There are some nuggets in there for the grown-ups, too. Like the entire Geckos Don’t Blink book has a hippy theme - a reference sure to go over the kid’s heads.
Life Is What It's Called - What do you think readers will like most about this book?
Kelly Tills - It’s fun! Not every important message needs to be preached from the mountaintops. Does Meow think differently? Yes. Does that lead to totally berserk stuff happening? Also yes.
Life Is What It's Called - What inspired you to write this story?
Kelly Tills - Believe it or not, this story actually happened to me–minus the banana cannon. I was visiting the Sacred Monkey Forest in Bali with a friend who is famously unpredictable. Shenanigans ensued, and we ended up being chased by monkeys, throwing bananas to distract them as we ran out of the park. When my first child was born, she loved hearing the story at bedtime. It grew and grew into something truly absurd.
By the time I sat down to write it years later, my family had expanded and become what I like to call, neuro-unique. Slowly, the book’s current form and message took shape.
Life Is What It's Called - How has your background helped you in developing this story?
Kelly Tills - Well, I was chased by monkeys.
Life Is What It's Called - How do you see this book being used in homes, schools, and classrooms?
Kelly Tills - I suspect there will be parents and caregivers who are totally confused. How on earth can so much happen in a single book? Why are the monkeys roaming free? What does “dancing like a flat-footed duck on a hotplate” even mean? And where on earth did that banana cannon come from?
These are all excellent questions. My hope is that they’ll ask the kids. Guaranteed, there will be no two answers alike, and that’s exactly how it should be.
Life Is What It's Called - What writing projects are you working on now?
Kelly Tills - I’ve become fascinated by older texts for kids. When I was a new mother, it thrilled me to share classic stories from my own childhood with my daughter, but that excitement quickly dampened as I opened those books up: racism, misogyny, body-shaming, you name it. These stories were riddled with heart-breakingly toxic ideas.
But the stories are great. Right now I’m noodling over ways to bring new life to them. The Secret Garden is at the top of the list.
Kelly Tills - I suspect there will be parents and caregivers who are totally confused. How on earth can so much happen in a single book? Why are the monkeys roaming free? What does “dancing like a flat-footed duck on a hotplate” even mean? And where on earth did that banana cannon come from?
These are all excellent questions. My hope is that they’ll ask the kids. Guaranteed, there will be no two answers alike, and that’s exactly how it should be.
Life Is What It's Called - What writing projects are you working on now?
Kelly Tills - I’ve become fascinated by older texts for kids. When I was a new mother, it thrilled me to share classic stories from my own childhood with my daughter, but that excitement quickly dampened as I opened those books up: racism, misogyny, body-shaming, you name it. These stories were riddled with heart-breakingly toxic ideas.
But the stories are great. Right now I’m noodling over ways to bring new life to them. The Secret Garden is at the top of the list.
GIVEAWAY
Enter for a chance to win a copy of Meow Is Not a Cat!
Five (5) winners receive:
- A copy of Meow Is Not a Cat
Meow Is Not a Cat: Book Giveaway
This post is in partnership with The Children’s Book Review and Kelly Tills. This post also contains a few affiliate links.
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