“My Cat Looks Like My Dad”
The following items are available at the Hancock County Public Library, 900 W. McKenzie Road. Descriptions are provided by the publisher, unless otherwise noted. For more information on the library’s collection or to reserve a title, visit hcplibrary.org.
Fiction: “The Making of Another Major Motion Picture Masterpiece” by Tom Hanks
From the Academy Award-winning actor and best-selling author: his debut novel. The story of the making of a colossal, star-studded, multimillion-dollar superhero action film…and the humble comic book that inspired it. The first part of this story takes place in 1947. A troubled soldier, returning from the war, meets his talented five-year-old nephew, leaves an indelible impression, and then disappears for 23 years. Cut to 1970: The nephew, now drawing underground comic books in Oakland, Calif., reconnects with his uncle and, remembering the comic book he saw when he was five, draws a new version with his uncle as a World War II fighting hero. Cut to the present day: A commercially-successful director discovers the 1970 comic book and decides to turn it into a contemporary superhero movie.
Nonfiction: “The World: A Family History of Humanity” by Simon Sebag Montefiore
Simon Sebag Montefiore chronicles the world’s great dynasties across human history through engrossing tales of palace intrigue, glorious battle, and the real lives of people who held unfathomable power. He trains his eye on founders of humble origin, like Sargon, the Mesopotamian cupbearer sent to help defeat a rival who returned with an army to dethrone his own king, and Liu Bang, a peasant who became a rebel leader and founded the Han dynasty.
Youth: “My Cat Looks Like My Dad” by Thao Lam
A narrator describes all the ways in which her cat and father are—or are not—alike. They both love milk (we see them with milk mustaches) and sardines (ew!). They both start their mornings with stretches (yoga routine) and their afternoons with naps. What starts out as a humorous series of comparisons and visual gags takes a more meaningful turn when we realize the narrator may not be much like her parents at all. In the end, the narrator proclaims, “My cat is like my dad. But me? I’m like my mom.” We see the same blue eyes, the same poofy hair—and then two pairs of dancing feet, but one belongs to a bird!
