Meow Is Not a Cat

This was a sweet and silly look at a little girl who is called Meow, but she stresses that she is NOT a cat. She wears a cat hat and marches to the beat of her own drum. This can be challenging when her teacher wants her to follow directions or behave.

Students who have trouble staying in sync, or who have the wiggles or who like to be different will feel seen in this book about a little girl who has so much charisma. Finally, when the class field trip goes awry, Meow uses her creative thinking to solve the problem.

This would be a good introductory story to talking about neurodivergence, recognizing each other's strengths, and working on those wiggles for good purposes.

I recommend this book for teachers, therapists, and librarians.

My 5 year old son and I love Meow Is Not a Cat. My little boy loves it as it makes him laugh and he loves the antics with the monkeys. I love it as it has an important message that everyone is different and children need to learn they do not need to conform, they just need to be themselves.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my ARC.

I loved this book! It is the story of Meow- a school going boy, who wears a cap with cat ears, and processes things a little differently than his classmates. I didn't understand the point of the story until I finished reading it, realizing it's general message is that it's okay to have a unique (out-of-the-box) way of thinking and although it gets you in a different place than expected, it can also get you out of problems

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!

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.

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.