Don't wait until next year to read 'Purr-im Cat'

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Do you know when your pet's birthday is?

If you do, I'll bet you buy her a present, because your pet is part of the family, right?

Cinnamon the cat wanted to celebrate Purim with his family, too. In the new book "Purr-im Cat" by Wendy Ruth Gottlieb, you can see all the fancy costumes that Cinnamon wore.

You know how much fun it is to dress up. Choosing a costume is something you like to do every year, and so does Cinnamon the cat. In this book, you can see the costumes Cinnamon wore for Purim last month. Which one do you think he liked best?

You might already know that Purim is a Jewish holiday that celebrates a story from the Book of Esther, which tells the tale of the deliverance of the Jews from Persia to safety. You might hear the story each year, and you give gifts to your friends and charity to the poor on Purim. Your family gathers to eat a big feast. But your favorite part is dressing up and making noise.

Getting into the spirit of the celebration, Cinnamon has many costumes to choose from. He can be a sailor with a funny little hat, or a king or queen with a fancy crown. He can dress as a soldier or a farmer or even a pirate with a bird on his shoulder. He might dress as a rabbit or a clown or a bride or groom. He might just wear his jammies and be a sleepyhead.

Whether you're a big or little kid, you can dress up like Cinnamon. All you have to do is use your imagination for Purr-im or any holiday.

Parents, there are three things that are going to occur to you as you're reading this book to your 2- to 7-year-old for the umpteenth time.

Number one: What a very, very good and patient kitty. May his life be filled with catnip forever.

Number two: You'll want to impress upon your child that not all kitties like to be dressed up. In fact, the vast majority of them would rather go naked-with-fur than to have to endure any sort of cat clothing.

Number three: A big kid -- a really big kid between the ages of, say, 25 and 95 -- would very definitely also get a kick out of this funny, charming book.

Aside from the colorful pictures of the ever-stoic Cinnamon, Gottlieb includes catchy rhymes that kids will love. The captions for the illustrations are in the corner of each page in both English and Hebrew, which is a very nice touch.

Even though Purim was last month, "Purr-im Cat" is way too cute to leave for next year. Pick up a copy of your own, for a paw-fect Purim or any time.

Terri Schlichenmeyer's book reviews appear weekly in the View. She can be reached by e-mail at bookwormsez@yahoo.com.