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:
with imagination, we can
transcend the limits of ordinary life.
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FREE WALTER KITTY FUN STUFF!
Walter's illustrator, Dan Santat, 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.
Dan 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
illustrating process. For a fascinating look at how an illustrator works,
click here. For a slideshow of all the
book's artwork,
click here.
WALTER KITTY IN THE NEWS
Amazon.com
editors named The Secret Life of Walter
Kitty their #2 Pick for Best Picture Books of 2007. My grin is as big as
Fang's. Go, Walter!
The Society of Illustrators included Dan Santat's artwork for
The Secret Life of Walter Kitty in their 2007 juried Original Art Show in
New York City. No surprise to me. Go, Dan!
The Secret Life of Walter Kitty was nominated for a Cybil award.
The Cybils are reader-nominated and kid-lit blogger-awarded. Go,
readers!
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
Walter
Kitty's Biggest Secret Ever:
Wherein the Cat Reveals How
The Secret Life of Walter Kitty Came to Be
by the Cat, Miguel
*FREE BONUS!
Miguel'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 Encyclopedia
|
|
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
sniped:
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. Miguel. Author's Muse
Extraordinaire. |
brilliant:
outstanding; showing great intelligence
unfathomable: too weird to understand
fictionalized: made up a story about something real
outrageous: preposterous; ridiculous; 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"
All text and images on this website © Barbara Jean Hicks 2005-2009
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.
