Matthew Sturgis

Humans, as every cat knows, can be very difficult to live with, especially when absorbed in their own concerns and projects, rather than paying attention (as they should be) to their feline companions. Having first discovered this unfortunate state of affairs in Tosca's Christmas, in which she found herself being chased from room to room by her impatient family, busily engaged in their holiday preparations, our eponymous feline heroine once again discovers that she is de trop in her own home. Determined to find a warm, peaceful spot, where she can nap, and do something VERY important, Tosca is instead routed by her human family's annual Spring Cleaning. When even the spot underneath the hedge proves unsuitable - too many noisy birds - Tosca gets desperate. Then her tom-cat friend, Roger, shows her the perfect place, where a cat can do what she needs to do...

Given the (adorable!) outcome of Tosca's search for a private place - one which I saw coming, from the beginning - one wonders whether Roger weren't just a little bit more than a 'friend!' An engaging second record of one cat's trials and tribulations, Tosca's Surprise uses the same basic formula as the first, in its exploration of being a cat in a human world. Author Matthew Sturgis clearly knows his felines, as does illustrator Anne Mortimer, whose many other cat adventures include such titles as Santa's Snow Cat and The Lighthouse Cat (both written by Sue Stainton). Recommended to young cat lovers, anyone who enjoyed the first Tosca book, and fan of Anne Mortimer's artwork.… (meer)

Evicted from her favorite napping spot, when the armchair must be moved to make room for the tree; shut out of the bedroom, with its intriguing wrapping paper that she'd hoped to explore; and chased away from the appealing plum pudding on the kitchen table, Tosca was not a very happy cat: "She sat under the tree and sulked. Tosca didn't like Christmas very much. Everyone was always too busy enjoying themselves to think of her. And nobody ever remembered to give her a present." When she is put out in the cold snow, all because she was trying to reach the angel on top of the tree, in order to ask for a present, it is the last straw! But then a portly man in a red and white suit arrives, with his chuckle, and his soft lap, and sets all to rights...

The very first picture-book that cat illustrator extraordinaire Anne Mortimer worked on - by coincidence, I first encountered her work in another picture-book that included cats and Christmas, Santa's Snow Cat - Tosca's Christmas combines a sweet story with gorgeous artwork! The author really captures the cat's-eye view of things - how frustrating, to have so many intriguing smells, sounds and activities around, and not be able to investigate them, without getting into trouble with the humans! - while Mortimer, as one would expect, captures the beauty of the feline form itself. Recommended to anyone looking for feline-friendly Christmas tales, and to fans of the artist.… (meer)