Simon's Cat vs. the World by Simon Tofield: A review


My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Those who know me well know that I am a big fan of Simon's cat, the wonderful, always hungry, totally self-absorbed feline who is a composite of every cat I've ever loved. It's obvious that Simon Tofield has also known a lot of cats like the ones who have populated and enriched my life and his drawings and particularly his YouTube videos featuring the animated drawings of his cat are a source of delight to me.

Imagine my pleasure, then, upon receiving this little book of cartoons as a surprise gift on my birthday a few days ago. What fun! Every page brings a smile.

In addition to the hundred pages or so of his iconic cat drawings, Tofield includes at the end of the book some lessons on how to draw different kinds of cats and one on drawing squirrels, which also frequently feature in his cartoons. He makes it look so easy that even I might be able to do it.

This book gets an honored spot on the table by my favorite chair so that I can refer to it whenever I am in need of a smile or a chuckle. Simon's cat never fails me.


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