Meow is Not A Cat by Kelly Tills is a graphic children's book.

The main character Meow is a non-gender, neurodivergent child who takes things quite literally.

The kids got a laugh out of the book and thought it was hilarious with some of the things Meow said and got up too.

However coming from an adults perspective, there wasn’t a storyline as such and there were a few things that didn’t seem realistic. Overall it felt like it was a silly story to read.

Thank you Netgalley and FDI Publishing for the digital copy of Meow is Not A Cat for reviewing purposes.

This was an interesting read for me.It was fun and perfect for a short evening read during weekend. It is best suitable for kids but even adults can have a good time reading the same.

I loved this adorable book with its charming main character, Meow. I think kids of all kinds will relate to Meow and their voice, especially since it is non-gender specific. Every kid is a little quirky, regardless of whether they are neurodiverse or neurotypical. Highly recommend.

People think Meow is a cat. But she’s not. She gets bored easily and doesn’t always listen, but that doesn’t mean she’s a cat.

Her teacher, Ms. Snickety, gets impatient with her because Meow doesn’t do what Ms. Snickety says. But Ms. Snickety’s directions aren’t always clear to Meow.

Ms. Snickety doesn’t lose her patience with the other kids, because they all seem to understand what their teacher is saying and do what she wants without having to think about it.

But when the class goes to the zoo and the students have bananas, the monkeys steal them all. Meow isn’t happy about that and thinks that the monkeys should share the bananas, so she decides to teach them that sharing is caring.

While things don’t always go as planned when Meow is there, they always seem to work out in the end, and there is never a dull moment. Meow brings her own twist and lots of spirit and fun to everything she does.

Author Kelly Tills has crafted a story that has lots of charm, lots of fun, and lots of individuality. The bright illustrations by Max Saladrigas bring Meow to life, along with the adorable cat who helps set the record straight about the qualities of a real cat. This short book will offer neurodivergent kids the chance to see a character as quirky as they are.

I really loved how Meow is celebrated for her spirit and her creativity. While she struggles with some of the restrictions of school, she can also find ways to be herself within the strict rules of the school. While it’s not said outright that Meow is neurodivergent, her behavior makes it known. I think all kids know someone like Meow, and reading this book may help them better understand why there are kids at school who act up or who always get extra attention from the teacher. I think that Meow Is Not a Cat could offer acceptance and understanding for the kids who struggle with the rules, both for the kids who are in class with a Meow and for the Meows themselves.

Egalleys for Meow Is Not a Cat were provided by FDI Publishing through NetGalley, with many thanks.

A great book for any child of any age! I love that this story was gender-neutral and focused on having the confidence to be your own person. I read this to my niece and by the time I was halfway through, all 3 of them had come over to listen to the story.

Thank you to the auther, FDI Publishing and NetGalley, for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This story about a young child who marches to the beat of their own drum - and seems to go out of their way to be contrary and deliberately refuses to follow any instructions given - has a lot of potential. Sadly, it doesn't use the setting to affirm that all people have different styles, and that by working together and accepting one another, we can make room for everyone to fit in. There doesn't really seem to be a thread running through the story, except for the "do your own thing, no matter what chaos or harm it causes" vibe. The illustrations are well-done, but overall this is not a book I would recommend.

*received for free from netgalley for honest review* funny little book, the story and art style is very cute as well!

Cute book, definitely something I would have loved as a child. It was clever and funny and the type of book that tells kids they can be anything they want and not to worry about what anyone else thinks of them! Highly recommend for all ages! Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Really enjoyable little book with lovely illustrations. My four year old absolutely loved it and wanted to read it again. Would highly recommend. Five stars ⭐

This book is really cute! I love cats so much! And sometimes how they behave is weird. And this book is about a boy named Meow, but he's not a cat. His behaviour surely said otherwise.

I enjoyed reading every bit of the book. The illustration are sooo great. Will buy it if I find the physical copy

Though the author's illustrations are cute, I really didn't enjoy this rather disjointed, frenetic tale of a little girl who doesn't quite fit in. Perhaps children will like it more than I did . . .

Thanks to NetGalley for the chance to read this title.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Meow is Not a Cat by Kelly Tills is a silly children's picture book about a Meow, a child who wears cat ears. This story, which bounds into absurdity, starts off with a trip to the zoo and Meow insisting on eating a banana instead of giving it to a monkey. According to the book, "nestled among the laughs is a lesson about how embracing a person’s different way of interpreting the world can lead to surprisingly good results -- and bananas, lots of bananas."

Overall, Meow is Not a Cat is a fun and silly children's picture book. One highlight of this book is that it is a fun story. Unfortunately, I didn't really enjoy the book because it was more absurd than I thought it would be. According to the description, this book "paints the picture of what life is like from the perspective of one neurodivergent child." I thought that this book would have lessons to teach me, but it ended up not having much substance. If you're intrigued by the description, you can check out this book when it comes out in April.

I wasn't a big fan of this book. It felt very confusing at times and once I thought I knew what was going on it changed direction so quickly I forgot what it was even about. The illustrations are beautiful, the story just needs a little shaping.

This was a silly read that even I enjoyed as an adult. Teaches you it is okay to walk to the beat of your own drum and the illustrations is simply adorable and laugh out loud cute. Not much flowing rhyme but still a great book to read with your child

What an adorable and fun read! As a former preschool special education teacher, I could picture my students smiling and laughing along with Meow and her crazy antics at the zoo. I absolutely loved how her character saw and interpreted her teacher’s directions differently than her classmates, and how in the end she was embraced and even celebrated for that. The illustrations in the book were also really nicely done and paired super well with the story!

Exactly what it promised - a very silly story! Probably best read aloud to very small children who won't recall any of it when they grow up!

The description mentions that the protagonist was a neurodivergent child but I wish that was more evident in the story. Maybe a guide for children and parents on neurodivergence at the end of the book would help.

Thank you to the author, NetGalley and FDI Publishing for this book!.

Exactly what it promised - a very silly story! Probably best read aloud to very small children who won't recall any of it when they grow up!

The description mentions that the protagonist was a neurodivergent child but I wish that was more evident in the story. Maybe a guide for children and parents on neurodivergence at the end of the book would help.

Thank you to the author, NetGalley and FDI Publishing for this book!.

Very cute book about a human named Meow. Drawn in a kawaii-style. The story is all about how Meow is like a cat. It is impossible to tell the gender of Meow, so this book might appeal to parents who want to raise their kids gender-neutral. Thank you to Netgalley for giving me an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to Netgalley and FDI Publishing for the ARC of this book!

This was cute! Meow is a child, not a cat, who comes off very neurodiverse, they want to follow the rules but only exactly as they are stated, and that leads to some confusion and frustration for their teacher when, unlike their peers, Meow doesn’t do the implied rest of the instruction. My favorite character was the grumpy cat 😂 This shows that sometimes it’s ok to be a little silly while still following the rules and sometimes rules are important - getting into the monkey pen at the zoo to try to make them share bananas might not be the time to bend the rule of the zoo and might be time to ignore the rule of “sharing is caring!” Meow is clearly cognizant of the fact that they are different, and is maybe even a little frustrated themself by it, they aren’t intentionally trying to frustrate anyone. My kids really enjoyed it and asked to reread immediately. The art was cute!

Meow is not a cat focuses on a young girl who is a little different from her peers. She's cheerful and energetic, and she struggles to comprehend what people say and what they mean. Particularly when it comes to her class teacher!

The story is quite uplifting and sweet, I like how she gets to save the day and show off her understanding by sharing.

Overall, I rated the story three stars because although it's sweet. It's not particular memorable. However, I would highly recommend this for children aged 4 and below.

Thank you to netgallery for allowing me to read this sweet and delightful story.