Bookathon - E

 E is the hardest letter for surnames. I want to say T S Eliot because he's so literary, but I confess I have only ever read Old Possums Book of Practical Cats and never picked up The Waste Land (it didn't appeal to me...one look at the title and I thought it would just be a waste of time).

I was very much tempted to buy a copy of Old Possum's book of Practical Cats with replacement money for the library but ended up buying two Roald Dahl books, The Tale of Peter Rabbit and the latest Road Code instead. I am now regretting that I did not go and buy it because I really think it's a fun read. 

This copy had charming colour illustrations by Alex Scheffler (of the Gruffalo fame) and I have always been partial to cats. These cats are so practical, they end up starring in an Andrew Lloyd Webber musical and make lots of money for the West End. But you don't have to go very far to see them if you do live in London, street cats are everywhere. Of recent times, the Streetcat named Bob was well loved, and used to ride on the red double decker busses with his owner James Bowen, and even starred in a movie, in which author Jacqueline Wilson made a cameo. Because James had written a book about how this cat saved him from drug addiction, became super famous, and even had a seek and find books published with him hiding in the pages, like Where's Wally. I don't live in London, but big sis does and she went to a cat show and got Bob's pawtograph for me. 

I think Bob deserves a poem in Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats just like MacCavity, Rumtumtiger, Skimbleshanks, Grizabella, Jennyanydots and Old Deuteronomy. It is too bad T S Eliot is no longer alive so I can write and say please compose a poem about my beloved cat Fluffy. Of course he would have probably changed her name it to a more ear pleasing one like he did with Magical Mister Mistoffolees. 

You do not need to watch the disastrous movie version in which Americans played most of the cats. If you have the book, you can read the poems yourself in your best British accent and put on your own musical. A book is a very practical thing to have. I think I will go to the bookstore and buy it anyway, why not? Then read it out loud to our blind and low vision children. They'll love it.