THE SECRET LIFE
OF WALTER KITTY
The Secret Life of Walter Kitty
by Barbara Jean Hicks
Illustrated by Dan Santat
Walter is no ordinary housecat. In fact, even if his Person doesn't know it, his real name is Fang. And watch out, Wanda—he's a swashbuckling superhero tiger of a cat, so don't get in his way!
Readers young and old will recognize in Walter Kitty the common behaviors of cats, kids and yes—grownups too. This zany tale is one of those rare books that keeps little ones giggling while delivering a powerful message about the power of imagination to transcend the limits of ordinary life.
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FIND YOUR CLOSEST INDEPENDENT BOOKSELLERWalter's illustrator, Dan Santat, is the author-illustrator of Guild of Geniuses (Scholastic 2004) and the illustrator of the "Otto Undercover" books by Rhea Perlman. He is also the creator of The Replacements, a Saturday morning cartoon show on ABC and the Disney Channel.
Dan has his Walter Kitty paintings posted online with comments about his process. For a fascinating look at how an illustrator works, click here. For a slideshow of all the book's artwork, click here.
Reviews
"A charmer!" ―Kirkus Reviews
"Sure to capture [a child's] fancy." ―School Library Journal
- "Priceless!" ―The Orange County (CA) Register
"I love this book." ―L.A. Daily News
"A great book about a healthy and fun imagination." ―The Pet Place Radio Show
"Adorable and whimsical.... Kooky. Will delight kids and adults of all ages." ―curledupkids.com
"A fun, funny tale." ―amazon.com
"Zany..." ―themotherpress.wordpress.com
"Hilarious!" ―picturebookoftheday.blogspot.com
Dan has created a coloring page, a paper toy and a mask to make The Secret Life of Walter Kitty even more fun! To view and download his fun stuff FREE, follow the links below. Each item fits on 8.5" x 11" paper. For best results, use a color printer and matte photo paper for the toy and the mask, or print on typing paper and glue to construction paper before cutting out.
COLORING PAGEMASK
PAPER TOY
Walter Kitty's Biggest Secret Ever:
Wherein the Cat Reveals How
The Secret Life of Walter Kitty Came to Beby MIGUELITO
FREE BONUS!
Miguelito's Glossary of Words
Possibly Unknown to Younger Readers
Some might call it luck, a cat like me ending up an Author’s Muse.
I call it destiny.
From the very beginning I was a literate cat: born in the stacks at the Pilchuck Public Library, nursed on a pile of old Nor’wester magazines, potty trained on the Bellingrath Daily News.
And she—my Person, the esteemed & celebrated Author—grew up in a house with no TV and about a gazillion books,
and a mom and dad who gathered the kids on the Chesterfield to read Treasure Island and the Just-So Stories and the funny papers aloud,
and flipped through the pages of Webster and Funk & Wagnall at the supper table
just for the fun of learning something new.
GLOSSARY:
muse: someone who gives brilliant ideas to another
destiny: something that was meant to be
literate: bookish; likes to read and write
stacks: a set of shelves for books, as in a library
esteemed: respected
celebrated: almost famous
gazillion: a whole bunch
Chesterfield: a large, overstuffed sofa with high arms
Webster: Webster’s English Dictionary
Funk & Wagnall: Funk & Wagnall’s American EncyclopediaA PLACE FOR BOOKS
A READING FAMILY
Is it any wonder my Person grew up an Author? Is it any wonder I ended up her Muse?
I don’t take credit for the grownup, mushy stories she used to write (which your mom might like, or maybe your teenage sister)—
That was before I knew her.
And I don’t claim I’m the only one who inspires the Author now.
There’s her cohort, Michael (my other Person), and her nieces and nephews, and all the kids in all the schools and libraries where she reads and speaks, on occasion...
inspires: wake up someone’s brilliant Ideas
cohort: close friend and companion
on occasion: once in a whileMY OTHER PERSON, MICHAEL
NEPHEW JOSH
NEPHEW JESSE
KIDS AT SCHOOL
But I have to tell you: without Me, Miguel, Author’s Muse—my Person wouldn’t be writing at all.
Here's how it happened. One day my Author read a review of one of her grownup stories. A stinky review. The reviewer in question clearly did not appreciate her talent. In fact, he found the story in question “silly.” “Ms. Hicks really ought to be writing for children,” he sniped—as if writing for children was something bad!
Pompous man. But she took it hard. Crawled into bed and said she’d never write again.
So I coaxed her into helping me instead. I'd been thinking of writing my memoirs, I told her. I’d dictate; all she had to do was write it down, I said.
And pretty soon we had ourselves a manuscript. My Life as a Cat, we called it. And then my Author started to get all kinds of new ideas! None of that grown-up mushy stuff, either—just lots and lots of great ideas for kids. Maybe, she said, that stuffy old reviewer was right all along.
review: a kind of book report in a newspaper or magazine
appreciate: to see something or someone as valuable or worthwhile
snipe: attacked a person’s work from a safe distance
pompous: thinking of oneself more highly and acting more important than one really is
coaxed: talked somebody Into something
memoirs: an autobiography
dictate: to say aloud for someone else to write down
manuscript: a story before it’s published
stuffy: same as pompous (see above)
Am I the Muse of Author’s Muses, or what?
About My Life As a Cat, however (a perfectly brilliant manuscript just as it was): my author, for some unfathomable reason, fictionalized it! Changed my name to Walter, threw in some outrageous lies, called it The Secret Life of Walter Kitty—and sold it!
And that, my dear young readers, is the story behind my Author's success. Me. Miguelito. Author's Muse Extraordinaire.
brilliant: outstanding; showing great intelligence
unfathomable: too weird to understand
fictionalized: made up a story about something real
outrageous: preposterous; unbelievable
extraordinaire: a French expression for "one who is remarkable." Like me, Miguel!
A NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR: Miguel dictated the article on this page shortly before his death in May, 2005. I am deeply grateful for the years he lived with and inspired me. I know he will continue to live on in my heart and in my work. Truly he is the everlasting cat. BJH
"I am the cat of cats,
the everlasting Cat!Cunning,
and old,
and sleek as jam—The everlasting cat!"
―William Brighty Rands
(1823-1882),
"The Cat of Cats"
HOME ABOUT THE AUTHOR ABOUT THE CAT BOOKS FOR KIDS BOOKS FOR GROWNUPS EVENTS SCHOOL VISITS TEACHER/PARENT PAGE STORE ART SAMPLES All text and images on this website © Barbara Jean Hicks 2005-2007 unless otherwise identified. Text and images may be used for educational and other non-commercial purposes if copyright and website information are clearly stated. Commercial use of all text and images is strictly prohibited.
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