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There’s something remarkable about cats, when they stand up on their hind legs, that exhibits both feline grace, while invoking a sort of humanity, too, that I find altogether charming. If you, like me, find cats absolutely adorable when they stand on their hind legs, this is the book for you! Invisible Cat Activities offers 80 pages of complete-the-drawing activities, with a cat shown, isolated, on a white background (your canvas). Almost all are shown standing up, or at least, stretched out, in some way or another.
Various humorous doodling prompts include such things as “Draw the invisible umbrella,” “Draw the invisible beach ball,” “Draw the invisible guitar,” or even “Draw the invisible long-distance phone bill,” for a standing cat with a shocked expression. I’m having fun following these prompts or just making them all into superheroes. Regardless, it’s delightful doodling fun for cat lovers.
This is such a clever book. An office worker asks a woman what she did over the weekend? The rest of the seek and find book shows us all the art galleries, bookstores, restaurants, house parties, and fitness centers she visited, almost exclusively with other women. Each two-page spread suggests looking for ten specific items, like a lost contact lenses, a glass of wine, or 11 copies of “Badass Gals.” The illustrative style is fun, as each spread seems almost infinitely messy, with little items strewn everywhere — some to find, some as just clutter.
When my daughter reached a certain age, I could see she found herself confronting a wider world than she’d anticipated. Uncertain, I wanted to encourage her, and offered her a series of inspiring books about accomplished women. They helped her realize that she could make her mark in life whenever and however she liked, and from her books, found some inspiration to go out and do just that. Also, recently, a middle-aged friend of mine divorced her husband, and I’ve noticed she feels a little unsure how to proceed with her life after such a big change.
This book includes a long list of women, who found success in their later years, more or less on their own. There are articles, essays, brief bios, and excellent interviews about how women can move forward at such a juncture in life. I’ve found it inspiring, and hope she’ll find encouragement in this wonderful book, also. Life isn’t over, til it’s over. Make the most of it! The perfect gift for a divorced or widowed friend.
This large and wonderful coloring book series continues, this time featuring machines and machinery from the last century. The coloring pages, drawn with meticulous pen-work in varying line widths, pinball machines, small engines, mining equipment, and more.
Some illustrations are presented as is, while in others, the various machines are “reflected” as if through in a kaleidoscope, into mandalas or snowflakes of machinery. I think this would make the perfect gift for men or boys who would like to try coloring. It offers a relaxing and enjoyable coloring experience for all ages, and offers fascinating insights into the engineering of our modern lives.
I’ve enjoyed William Wegman’s photos of his infinitely patient Weimaraners for many years and of course, their humorous appearances on Sesame Street. This book has a large selection of his finest photos packaged in this wonderful 350-page collection. An enlightening interview, and other essays, are included.
The photos are well-done, alternately striking and/or humorous, thoroughly charming, and overall a considerable delight. At first, I agreed with the title that dogs can seem so human sometimes. In looking through them all, though, I’ve come to think that, perhaps, it’s more that people can seem so dog sometimes — in the best sense. Wonderful!