The Cat in the Rhinestone Suit
John Carter Cash
Illustrated by Scott Nash

Little Simon Inspirations
May 2012 / ISBN 9781416974833
Picture book, cats (ages 4-6)
Amazon

Reviewed by Bob Walch

Cat is all decked out in a very special suit as he heads into the desert with his buddies – Mouse and Camel. Riding his trusty steed, Bandicoot, Cat quickly finds himself in a perilous situation. While riding around, Cat takes a fall over a cliff and is hanging to a root about to tumble down. At that point, Cat’s old nemesis, a rattlesnake named Del Moore, appears.

Only the snake heeds the call for help, but what will he do? Will their dispute, which dates back to when Cat was quite young and Del swiped his catnip ball and refused to return it, get in the way of a rescue? Will Del just slither away and let Cat fall? You’ll have to read this picture book to see what the final outcome is.

Although the artwork this book features is excellent, the narrative, at times, doesn’t make a lot of sense. To create the rhymes he wants, the author sometimes sacrifices coherence, but young readers probably won’t mind that much because the illustrations convey the central ideas of the story.

If the author’s name sounds familiar it is because he is the only son of June Carter and Johnny Cash. As the book blurb states – “he has dedicated himself to preserving the legacy and heritage of his family’s musical history.” Perhaps you can try to figure out how that relates to this picture book because I am at a loss!