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Deacon is a stray cat, emaciated
and holding on tenuously to his own life when he is discovered by
Margie, the author as a young girl. In this true story of a girl and
her cherished pet cat, Deacon must learn to adapt to living in a
domesticated environment after having to fend for himself and survive
doing whatever it took. Margie and Deacon quickly fall in love with one
another, but pet ownership is never simple. From having to learn how to
walk on a leash to a notable episode in which Deacon almost
single-handedly ruins a family Christmas celebration, the girl and the
cat are nearly inseparable, learning how to live and love together.
Even a run-in with a hungry and angry family of bears cannot separate
Margie and Deacon once they found each other.
With a variance of short vignettes and bright, cute, full-page illustrations, Deacon
is a perfect book to share with a child who is desperate to own a pet.
While the bond between child and animal is unmistakable, this story
goes a long way to highlight the responsibilities and challenges that
come with pet adoption. From medical concerns to the natural, wild
urges that animals undergo, this is a story about forgiveness and
tolerance as much as it highlights all the best parts of owning a cat.
Taking place in the first half of the twentieth century, the author
tells her actual story of owning and caring for Deacon, often using a
first-person style to show events from the cat’s point of view. While
some of the circumstances may have changed for young readers today, the
concerns and responsibilities are still the same, and this book is
perfect for addressing those issues and understanding them before they
occur.