Uncle Andy's Cats

K-Gr 2In "Uncle Andy's" (Putnam, 2003), Warhola mentions that his famous uncle lived with his mother and owned 25 cats named Sam. That throwaway detail has been developed into its own book. "Cats" tells the story of how Andy Warhol and Bubba start with a single feline named Hester, acquire a companion for her named Sam, and end up with 25 kittens that look like their dad. Overrun by cats in a house already filled top to bottom with Warhol's art, the artist and his mother create two books about the Sams, which lead to happy relocations for the kittens. Warhola has masterfully combined a childlike delight at the almost alien world that his celebrated relative lives in, while impressing on the audience the idea that even famous artists have to deal with worldly matters. The natural playfulness of the 25 Sams adds zest to an already eclectic household and provides Warhola ample opportunity for cheerfully chaotic illustrations of cats and Pop Art trying to coexist. Pictures such as a stampede of Sams running between Warhol's legs or the exhausted artist asleep in bed with only his trademark white hair visible among a sea of kitties are delightful. Young readers will be glad for this opportunity to revisit the tall, skinny house in New York."Kara Schaff Dean, Walpole Public Library, MA" Copyright 2009 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.