“The Christmas Cats Chase Christmas Rats”
Cover Designer: Gary McCluskey
Comments about cover design
The first Christmas Cats book was written long before my twin granddaughters were born. It was illustrated by one of my daughter’s high school boyfriends, Andy Weinert (who now has a PhD in graphic arts from NIU). The publishing entity LOST all of his original drawings. It wasn’t until about 4 years later that I had the idea of trying to turn the scans I had in my computer into a Xmas gift for the girls, who were then 3. They are now 5 and help me write the books, which feature Christmas Cats in Silly Hats (the name of Book #) helping other animals and teaching a good moral lesson. (Bk. #1: learn to cooperate and don’t bite your sister on the nose. Bk #2: Always be gentle and helpful and kind and learn to keep an open mind. Bk. #3, due out this winter with Gary, who is an outstanding artist, doing the drawings, is entitled “The Christmas Cats Encounter Bats,” as the girls voted on the animal of choice and bats beat out pigs and deer. (Plus, as 5-year-old Ava noted, “It rhymes.”) The cats drive home the lesson that just because an animal is not a cute, fuzzy puppy or kitten, they are still God’s creatures and should be treated well.
