A book that sounds like a case of Tom and Jerry.
Salmo-based author, Kathryn Bourdon, recently published “The Hundred Dollar Special: the Antics of a Rescue Cat” and expects to release it for the first time this weekend at Golden City Days.
The picture-book is geared for children between the ages of three and eight years-old. It’s a tale of training an island-bred feline to become a farm cat, and details a series of inadvertent adventures.
“This cat couldn’t get rid of the mice in our farm home and she basically was quite a nuisance at first, we didn’t know how to handle her,” Bourdon explained.
“And that’s what it says in the book, she does a lot of things that made us really wonder if she was ever going to be a mouser.”
The story is built from personal experiences with the cat, ranging from destroying fine china to getting trapped in a vent.
But the initial hurdles of “mousing” are overcome with patience and love from Bourdon and her granddaughter Elise.
“My son is a publisher and he usually publishes different types of books, but he offered to do this for me because his daughter is in the book,” she admits, while recounting the three-year endeavour.
“It took three years because there was only one illustrator,” she said.
“I interviewed a number of artists who painted for me, and they were all excellent, but the one I chose was certainly on the same wave length.
“And her pictures certainly illustrate that well.”
She noted that Robson-based illustrator, Sandra Donohue, had a flare for comedy and shared her vision. Concluding that the subtleties of the images used in the book will be appreciated by adults.
Bourden is a retired primary school teacher from MacLean Elementary School in Rossland and Fruitvale Elementary.
She will be making a literary splash with a number of events and chalks up her success to years of reading stories with students in her classroom.
To order a book phone Bourdon at 250-357-9369 or e-mail kathryn.bourdon@gmail.com.
The book is available in the Kootenay Gallery in Castlegar and will appear in select stores around the area shortly. She will also be available at the events listed below:
September 8thAll day at the Rossland Fall Fair
September 12thSalmo Library Book Launch at 6:30 p.m.
September 22 and 23Pass Creek Fall Fair
September 29th, 10 a.m.Castlegar Library Book Launch
October 20Salmo Fall Fair
November 9 and 10Fruitvale Christmas Fair: Community Centre