What I love about children’s books is that you don’t have to be a child to enjoy them. I admit that I have a collection of children’s books – all cat books, of course – so I was happy to receive a copy of Purrball Meets Burrball in Brazil for their Blog Tour this week.
As you may have guessed by the title, our hero cat Purrball meets a friendly sloth named Burrball in this adventure story. This book is perfect for young readers, ages 6-9, who will quickly fall in love with the two main characters as they follow along on their journey.
Below is an interview with the author and illustrator, Anne Zoet, as provided for the Blog Tour. The book goes on sale tomorrow and you can pre-order the book here. And be sure to enter our giveaway below for a paperback copy of the book!
About the Book: Visiting Brazil, an earthquake hits and separates a family from Purrball, their beloved cat. Purrball’s mad dash leaves her lost in a jungle where she becomes fast friends with a very clever sloth named Burrball. The two quick-witted animals embark on a journey to find Darryl, the loving and loyal boy who longs for his adorable missing cat. Witty word rhythms and rich illustrations make Purrball Meets Burrball in Brazil an engaging read-aloud story. An alluring tale of friendship, family, ingenuity, and persistence.
An Interview with the Author Anne Zoet
Why did you choose to write about a cat and a sloth?
I’m crazy about both domestic and wild animals and it is a passion that just gets deeper all the time. I’ve done a lot of research on cats (on nutrition and behavior) as well as love to build cat structures and make toys for them. And, I do not know who could look at a sloth and not smile! They have the sweetest faces and they have so much more to them than the “sloth” slowness we think of. They’re rather industrious buggers and have some funny quirks, like the wildlife that grows in their fur. I firmly believe they should never be pets and should be kept wild. While the story is pure fantasy (as are stories where animals communicate with phones!), I really want to keep one a pet and the other wild and be true to my feelings about that and it would be so lovely to pass all that along to children!
Did any of your three cats influence the character of Purrball?
All three: one has the coloring of Purrball (I love grey kitties, although I suppose Purrball is a bit blue, really) and she has some cute characteristics—the scene where Purrball is looking up curiously at Burrball is so her! I have another one who is a squat and roundish cat with intense eyes and sitting frontally she looks like a black and white version of Purrball. And the last cat is the most clever cat you could imagine. I rolled them all into one.
What drew you to writing and illustrating a children’s book?
My niece and nephew were recently of picture book age and I loved reading to them. I fell in love with books that were both beautiful and cleverly written and also reminded me of the years we live with unconstrained imagination. I love that animals are a big part of books for children. I figured I had a lot to say that could help kids fall in love with animals, like I did from a very early age.
Will we see the duo return in a future book?
They have many adventures ahead! If a picture book were not a short thing, I’d probably be just finishing up chapter 18 at this time because I have so many ideas for Purrball and Burrball. But yes, there’s one in the works already as well as a few other animal adventures that are rattling around in my head.
Giveaway!
Anne has been kind enough to let us give away one paperback copy to a reader. Simply leave a comment below to be entered in the giveaway! The giveaway closes on Saturday, September 10, 2016 at noon Pacific. One winner will be chosen via Random.org. U.S. entries only. If you are an international entrant and the winner, you can choose a U.S. friend to have the book sent to.
Be sure to visit the book’s website to learn more about Anne and also check out the Kid’s Corner on the site. You can connect with Anne on Facebook and Twitter.
Disclaimer: We received a free copy of the book to read for this week’s Blog Tour. The opinions are our own. We only share information we feel would be relevant to readers.
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Reblogged this on Paws4Thought and commented:
Over at Three Chatty Cats a beautiful kitty themed picture book and an interview with the author Anne Zoet.
That looks very cute and I’m glad the burrball is the friendly type!
Children’s books are lots of fun to read!
The book looks really cool. I love sloths and of course I love kitties. :)
My granddaughter would enjoy this book! At 7, she is an aspiring artist and writer constantly writing and drawing cats! This book looks amazing!
What an adorable book!
Cute book. And what cute drawings. Glad you enjoyed it. Fanks fur sharin’
Luv ya’
Dezi and Raena
Sounds like a fun book, I love the illustrations.
What a unique combo…a cat and a sloth. Who would’ve thought this duo could be feature characters in an interesting book.
Shoko
I know ,my niece would LOVE this :)
This was such an adorable book!
This looks like such an adorable book!! I love the drawings!! Look at that cover <3
We don’t usually enter to win books but TW’s knows some sticky little humans who would probably love it.
We’ve been reading some fun stuff about this book today!
I love the idea of a cat and sloth being friends!
This looks like a beautifully illustrated children’s book – I’d never have thought to write about a friendship between a cat and a sloth. Good luck to everyone who enters the giveaway.
I book marked this book as it would be great for my boys
What a darling book…..and a wonderful interview! I don’t have kids but I adore kids – I wrote two childrens books myself so YES I love to read them………………
Hugs, Pam (and Sam)
The book sounds fantastic. Will definitely spread the word amongst my friends im sure their kids will love the story
I really enjoyed the book, too. Adorable illustrations and cute characters.
This book looks adorable and the illustrations are awesome!
Giveaway entries now closed. The winner will be contacted shortly! Thanks to all who entered.
What an absolutely adorable book. purrs
Great interview, I love that the characters are inspired by her real life cats!
Love & biscuits,
Dogs Luv Us and We Luv Them
We have a collection of childrens’ books as well. We love fine illustration and a good story has NO boundaries at all! This book looks especially sweet AND we love where it is set, which will introduce a new part of the world to many youngsters!
The Dash Kitten Crew
This sounds like a wonderful book! I love the illustrations and the storyline.
This book sounds like a lot of fun. And the title is just the best!
I have some youngsters to buy a gift or two this holiday season. This looks like a great present to put in their stockings.
This looks like such a cute book!
This is such an adorable book! I think that kids are really going to love it. I love the colors and that the cat has a cell phone! :)
Oops! We are a little late to enter the giveaway, but this looks like a great book that Mom Paula’s great niece would enjoy!
We loved this book! We’re not going to enter because we have a copy. Great review.
I love the illustration, and what a fun story! Tweeted & Fbkd as well ;)
What a cute book and love the illustration! It was cool reading the interview with Anne, too!
My kids would love this!