Monday, June 1, 2015

Review/Giveaway: Carmella the Cat Goes Fishing

One of my fondest childhood memories is being read great stories before bed, by my parents. We never had a short supply of great cat books. Many of which I still think about from time to time.

In the many years since my parents read my nighttime stories, there have been so many awesome cat books published! I'm excited to be reviewing "Carmella the Cat Goes Fishing" by Ann Cerino, illustrated by Kathy Kunsman. Stay tuned to the bottom of the post, for a chance to win a copy of "Carmella the Cat Goes Fishing!"

"Carmella the Cat Goes Fishing" is the second book in the Carmella series. The first book is "Carmella the Cat," in which children ages 2-8 learn about how Carmella, a stranded orange and white tabby kitten,  was rescued and adopted into a loving 'fur-ever' home, and what it means to be responsible for another living being. Additional books in the series will come out in 2016 and beyond.


Written by Lehigh Valley, PA native, Ann Cerino, 10% of sales from the books are donated to animal shelters in the Lehigh Valley area.

The "Carmella the Cat" series is based on true events of author Cerino. Cerino found Carmella's litter in a flooded drainage ditch, and Carmella was the only one who survived. Cerino rushed Carmella to the vet, where Dr. Ackerman saved Carmella's life and treated her until she was ready to be adopted.

The real Carmella!

In the first page of "Carmella the Cat Goes Fishing," I love the attention to detail of the cat toys on the floor. All toys that my cats play with, especially the springs!

The illustrations of Carmella in action match perfectly with the playfulness of cats! It is so easy to picture your own cat playing along the way Carmella does.

Carmella learns a valuable lesson on fishing in this book - which is also a great lesson to be taught to children who have pet fish, pet cats or both!

"Carmella the Cat Goes Fishing" is definitely the kind of book my parents would have read to me as a kid. The simple wording in this book makes it easy for kids to be able to recite it from memory and use that as a tool to learn how to read. I certainly know that was the way I learned how to read.

Carmella the Cat's website is also a great place to visit with your kids, after reading the story! It has a cute little game where you can help lead Carmella home. There are also a few coloring pages you can print out!

Carmella's books are available for purchase on the Carmella the Cat Website, Barnes and Noble (Carmella the Cat, Carmella the Cat Goes Fishing) and Amazon (Carmella the Cat, Carmella the Cat Goes Fishing)

And now for a giveaway!

Giveaway Rules:
  • Enter through the Rafflecopter giveaway below (comment entries not accepted). Email Sandpipercatblog@gmail.com with any problems.
  • Open to United States
  • Winner contacted by email, must reply in 48 hours.
  • Giveaway to run from 12 am EST 6/1/2015 to 6/8/2015 at 12 am EST.
  • Good luck!


Receiving a complimentary copy of the book did not influence this review or anything we stated. I was not compensated for this review. All opinions are honest and my own.