Val Schaffner

One of my favorite children's books of all time - I even named my cats after this book!

I love the internal life of Hamlet and the other cats, the way they can communicate through dreams, even to cats in other times and places - and the illustrations of the dreamscapes (and real places) are gorgeous. And the visualizations of the human characters as cats (or dogs). I especially liked the way Hamlet disguises his helpfulness so the people won't figure out how smart he is and put him to work.

It is, of course, a book for an older child, perhaps 9-10. As a book set in a New York hotel, it might appeal to kids who liked Eloise when they were younger.… (meer)