This is a timeless and humorous take on the secret life of cats, turning the classic proverb 'When the cat's away...' on its head. Martha may think her cat Lionel sleeps the day away while she is at school, but she is quite mistaken. Lionel is a worldly-wise cat with a jam-packed schedule. He busies himself during the day by catching up on his current affairs, weightlifting, cooking and enjoying some letter-writing. Furthermore, Lionel seems to be the 'cat's meow' to the feline ladies in the neighborhood, squeezing in time to paint their portraits, impress with his pianoforte and play doctors and nurses! Bruce Ingman won the Mother Goose Award for this delightfully arch tale of a cat's secret life.

 

There are 32 pages in this book. This is a picture book. A picture book uses pictures and text to tell the story. The number of words varies from zero ('wordless') to around 1k over 32 pages. Picture books are typically aimed at young readers (age 3-6) but can also be aimed at older children (7+). This book was published 2010 by Walker Books Ltd .

Kate Feiffer is a writer and a filmmaker. The New York Times Book Review heralded Ms. Feiffer "economy of style and understated wit" in her debut picture book Double Pink, illustrated by Bruce Ingman. Ms. Feiffer and her family live on Martha's Vineyard, MA.