DEWEY by Vicki Myron

"Do I really want to read a book about a cat?" I asked myself that question when someone recommended "Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World" by Vicki Myron. Reluctantly, I began reading the book -- and became captivated by this heartwarming story.

On a freezing cold night in Iowa, someone stuffed Dewey into the book return slot of a small-town library. He was just a few weeks old and barely alive when Vicki Myron, the library director, found him the next morning. Myron fell in love with Dewey and nursed him back to health with the support of her staff.

At the time, the town of Sterling had fallen upon hard times. Yet when townspeople visited the library, their spirits soared as they watched Dewey's antics. He seemed to know instinctively how to reach out to people. Special-needs kids blossomed under his spell. As the years went by, stories about Dewey, the library cat, spread throughout Iowa, then the entire country -- and around the world.

People traveled thousands of miles to see Dewey. A camera crew from Japan came to the library for a shoot. The increasing number of visitors to this isolated small town helped generate more business -- and Sterling began to thrive.

If this book were only about Dewey, it might become a bit tiresome. Fortunately, it focuses on the human side also. We learn more about Vicki Myron, a single mother, and her struggles to gain an education, survive a disastrous marriage, and create a first class library. Myron and Dewey became a force in Sterling and helped turn the town around after its earlier decline.

Readers feel as though they're IN the library with Dewey. This book also offers interesting insights about library management.

DEWEY is the purr-fect book for increasing your appreciation of small-town values and resilience -- and for learning about a remarkable cat.