A wonderful story of how no one or no thing can replace another but they can surely make an impact. Cat lovers will love this story. It shows the heartbreak of losing a cat and the road to recovery through adopting a new one. One part in particular I found amazing was the vet calling the young man and asking "if he knew anyone who loved cats", when you already knew that everyone knew his love for cats. This technique got him to come meet the beautiful new kitty that would soon be his new "best kitty in the world". I think Charlie would approve. ( )

Sweet story, adorable illustrations.

Victor’s beloved cat Charlie dies of old age and Victor is grief-stricken. He takes in a new cat, Shelley, in need of a good home and discovers that he can love another pet, despite his sadness over losing Charlie. I like this book for an elementary class because it addresses a realistic experience of a child. This would be a good book to use in a 1-3 grade classroom to talk about pets, how it feels to lose them, and how great it can be to love a new one.

When Victor's beloved cat Charlie dies, he is grief-stricken, but agrees to meet a new cat in need of a good home, Shelley. At first Victor dislikes all the ways that Shelley is not like Charlie, but he eventually learns to love Shelley for the cat she is and comes to find her as the best cat in the world. I like that this book addresses the serious topic of death. This would be an appropriate book to use for grades 2-4 to discuss loss and grief and love for a pet.

Newman, L., & Himler, R. (Ill.). (2004). The best cat in the world. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans Books for Young Readers.

Young Victor loses his beloved cat Charlie from old age. He is very sad for some time. One day, the vet calls him to ask him if he would like to take in a kitten. After meeting with the kitten, Shelley, he accepts to take her home. At first, he thinks Shelley will behave like Charlie, but he soon realizes that she is different, and does not do things the way Charlie used to. Victor learns to accept that, and to love her for what she is.

This book can be good to share with a child who has lost his/her favorite pet as the story describes well the emotions that a child goes through then, but the story also lends itself to a wider audience. The pencil and color illustrations convey quite well the emotions of Victor, and nicely portray the -sometimes puzzling- actions of his new cat. Because Victor is an older boy, and the text is longer than in many picture books, I think this book would be best for ages 7-10. ( )