Clarence the Copy Cat - Hardcover

Patricia Lakin has written numerous children’s books.

Grade 1-3-Clarence is supposed to help catch the mice in the deli in which he lives with his parents. However, since he can't "bear to harm another living creature," he is banished from the store. He tries to find a home elsewhere, but is thrown out when the owners discover that he is no mouser. The feline slinks sadly down the street and wonders if he will ever find a home. He finally curls up by the door of the local library, where the librarian takes pity on him and invites him in. Clarence loves it there because he is kept "well read, well fed, and well petted," but especially because there are no mice. He sits on top of the copy machine so often that Mr. Spanner calls him Copy Cat. Then, one winter day a mouse shows up for storytime. Readers will sympathize with poor Clarence and root for him as he battles with the rodent and finds a solution to his problem. Manders's appealing, full-color illustrations are lively and full of fun. Tall and skinny Clarence has a black coat and bulging yellow eyes, and is particularly comical when he stuffs his face with cheese or sits primly on the copier. Children will laugh out loud as they follow his adventures.
Kristin de Lacoste, South Regional Public Library, Pembroke Pines, FL
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