"Spider Man looked at Momma's sunken-in eye socket and her chipped tooth and said, "How about ˜Beau?" I think it means "pretty" in French?"
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Wild Beau and Her Kittens
– The Kitty Tales Trilogyy by Peggy Krause CreateSpace
book review by L.Alonso
The third installment in the Kitty Tales Trilogy, Wild Beau and Her Kittens centers around a feral mother cat named Momma, who is befriended by the series' regular feline characters: Soupy, Lila, Lola, Puff Puff and Spider Man. Momma grew up in the wild and her frail body shows harsh evidence of her brutal existence. She is riddled with fleas and ear mites. The tips of her ears and tail were lost to a frigid winter. She has a broken front paw which healed poorly and she is missing one eye. But when Soupy and his friends encounter her, they see straight to her inner beauty and rename her "Beau."
Beau is a good mother to her two kittens Squeaky and Hoppy, but it is clear to her friends that their life in the forest is rife with dangers. Through their kitty ingenuity and copious amounts of pilfered bacon, they attempt to convince the reluctant Beau to overcome her fear of the humans, whom she sees only as ugly monsters, in order to get the care and attention she and her babies so desperately need. But can the domesticated cats' arguments undo the years of mistreatment and abuse she's suffered before her tiny kittens become breakfast for a hungry predator?
Krause's third Kitty Tales entry is aimed at the 7 to 11 age group and shows a considerable understanding of its intended audience. The author does a fine job drawing distinct personalities for all her feline characters which through their charms and kindnesses propel the story forward. There are several clear messages woven throughout the tale but they are subtle and consistent, allowing young readers to draw upon their own experiences to develop an understanding and compassion toward all animals and on a broader scale, one another.