Contests & Giveaways,  Reviews & interviews

Cat & Crow-An Amazing Friendship

If you love cats, sharing makes us purrrr :-)

Like one of the millions who saw this remarkable video on YouTube, Oprah, Animal Planet etc., I couldn’t believe my eyes. A cat and a crow, who shared nothing in common but their coloring, were friends. BFF kind of friends. Friends who nurtured, protected each other faithfully every day for four years. When I heard someone had written Cat and Crow, a book about this interspecies miracle, I jumped at the chance to interview the author Lisa Fleming, a journalist, staunch animal activist and cat lover from Naples, Florida.

cat and crow-youtube video-book review- cat wisdom 101 Merlin gives a four paws up rating for Cat and Crow

Everyone knows I’m cat lover but not everyone knows I have a thing for crows (shown at this recent post on my Boomer Muse blog). I haven’t been this excited about a cat book in long time. The Cat and Crow is technically a children’s book with enchanting and colorful illustrations by Anne Marie Dominick-Harris, but I’m not ashamed to say I’ve already read it a dozen times. I find reading good illustrated children’s book an excellent way to de-stress. This book promises to remain a favorite for years to come.

Cat and Crow is magical, awe-inspiring and touching for hearts of any age. Lisa captured the essence of this charming true story with hands-on research. She visited Wally and Ann Collito, who adopted a kitten they named Cassie and shared their photos, videos and personal accounts of Cassie and Moses the crow on numerous occasions. Wally and Cassie even attended Lisa’s first book reading signing.

Lisa Fleming-Wally Collito-cassie-Cat and Crow-cat wisdom 101 Lisa Fleming with Wally Collito and Cassie.

Lisa has done a number of readings in schools and the mountain of illustrated thank-you notes from children are a testament to the book’s magic. Visit the Cat And Crow Facebook page to see some examples. She often donates proceeding from her book signings to animal welfare groups and has a soft spot for feral cats.

Normally when I do phone interviews I send interview questions in advance and the writer sends me their answers and we go from there. With Lisa, we were like proverbial birds of a feather and normal flew out the window. Suffice to say, we gabbed about cats: i.e. her volunteer efforts a rescue group where she knows a hundred cats by name. It all comes down to being passionate about animals. “This book has been such a labor of love. I am just a messenger seeing something in a different light often makes a lasting impression. It’s not every day you see a cat and crow hanging out together,” said Fleming. Lisa is working on her second book and will be about birds.

Cassie, the little kitten in the videos is now a well cared for senior girl and still a snowbird who flies south with 92-year-old Wally from their home in Massachusetts to winter in Florida. Any lucky seatmate will be regaled by photos, newspaper clippings of Cassie and Moses.

cat and crow-lisa fleming-book review- cat wisdom 101-boomer muse

The illustrated story of these two unlikely friends is more than enough but there are also educational fun facts about cats and crows, clippings from newspapers that covered the story, and real-life photographs of these two special friends at play as an added bonus.

This book is about an amazing friendship but its universal themes of love, trust and compassion drive the message home. If you’d like to win your own copy of Cat and Crow simply leave a comment on this post. Deadline: midnight January, 14, 2012. The winner will be announced next Sunday.

Or you can purchase a discounted copy from Barnes & Noble or from the publisher Collage Books

Cat and Crow published 2011 by Collage Books

Soft-cover 48 pages

Rating: 4 paws

16 Comments

  • Catherine Lucente

    I enjoyed your review of Ms. Fleming’s book. However, I must say that she is personally nothing like her characters. I had followed her Facebook site for months – and enjoyed fully engaging in “liking,” “commenting,” and “sharing,” the photos she posts. But one day I happened to make a comment about a very cute little book that my sister had purchased for me (granted the title is odd), called “I Could Pee On This-and Other Poems by Cats,” and without even looking into this book, she “spammed” me! I have been a cat mom for 26 years and I love cats! They are my life! I find it quite judgmental of her to have stricken me from her Facebook site for recommending an adorable little book of cat poems! To be judged so harshly on Facebook by a total stranger? Now that’s a first one for me! I’m nobody to her.

  • Heather

    What a lovely story. I would love to win a copy of this book to read. Then I would pass it on to a child in my life. Thanks for the chance! I may buy a few copies as gifts anyway.

  • Phoenix

    This is a lovely story, and one I wasn’t familiar with. It’s great that it’s now available as a children’s book.

  • Kathryn

    That is such an amazing video. I watched it over and over. And great that it has inspired the book. This will live on forever. I’ve always believed that animals have a maternal instinct – was it a female crow, does anybody know? The video stated ‘he’… but nobody checked. Seems it was likely a female crow. They are so intelligent.

  • Tinch

    Thanks, Layla, for introducing us to this book. I watched the video and want more! So, please enter me in the drawing. Thank you.

  • Carolyn

    I’ve seen the video on YouTube many times. It is quite an amazing story. Will check out to see if the book is available in the UK … for the younger members of the family of course 😉

  • Bobbi Hahn

    I, too, read (and own) children’s books, and will definitely add this one to my treasure trove! I remember seeing the video, so I was thrilled to learn there’s a book about these two unlikely friends. Judging by the cover, I’m really looking forward to the illustrations inside; the artist’s style reminds me of a collection I had as a child.

  • Pam Kimmell

    What a delightful book this must be. Any time cats and birds can be best buds – I’m all in! This has some nice lessons for kids reading it too – about getting along with everyone who crosses our path no matter how different they may be. Love it! Thanks for the review and Sam and I would be pleased to add a copy of the book to our library so count us in on the giveaway please.

    Pam (and Sam)

  • Kathy Thompson

    I have heard about this wonderful relationship between Cassie and Moses. It sounds like MS Fleming is a wonderful writer and animal lover as well. I love children’s books and actually have several from my childhood that I still read again from time to time. I will most likely be passing those along to my nephew’s little boy that is due in March of this year. My mother read to me from infancy and I think that contributed a great deal to my personality. I hope to be able to share a world of books with the little one just like I did with my two nephews. Cat and Crow would be a wonderful and much welcomed addition to the “library”! Thank you again Layla for all the wonderful information and contests etc. that you share with us! Kat

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