Miss Mink

October 1, 2018
Miss Mink, human "cat countess," relates 20 lessons she has gleaned from her 67 cats.According to the introduction, Marcella Mink became a cat countess by welcoming those 67 cats into her mansion by the sea. She started her own cruise-ship line when her kitties were denied boarding privileges on other lines. Despite a successful business, she was sad until she learned the 20 lessons presented here from her cats. "Lesson One: Start the day off right with a proper grooming." Miss Mink brushes her hair at a lavish vanity while her many feline friends (of a great many breeds) get their grooming on around her. "Lesson Five: Eat your greens first and dessert will taste even sweeter." Miss Mink enjoys (and shares with a puss) a salad while her cats munch catnip and various household greenery. Lesson 16 counsels a catnap in the afternoon, and 19 suggests that friendships will lend needed support. Hill's whimsical self-help tome, a companion to her canine-focused Miss Moon (2016), would make a splendid gift for any feline fan. Her illustrations, oils on canvas, have a 1920s flair to judge by the white human protagonist's hair and attire, and they tweak the life lessons and adages they accompany with a touch of feline humor.Pretty and positive (and posh). (Picture book. 4-8)

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March 25, 2019
In Miss Moon: Wise Words from a Dog Governess, Hill introduced an elegant governess with a host of canine companions. In the sequel, readers meet Miss Mink, who lives in a house by the sea with 67 cats and offers sage advice for bountiful living, self-care, and savoring precious moments. “Be a little mysterious,” she suggests, pictured face-to-face with the Mona Lisa, a cat on each shoulder. Standing beneath a large, red umbrella with her “clowder of cats” ensures that she will “never let a few raindrops spoil the day,” and, aboard The Cat’s Meow, of her “feline-friendly cruise company,” she encourages readers to “let your curiosity lead you to exciting new places.” Hill’s sumptuous art is infused with a 1920s-era glamour, particularly evident in the cat countess’s lush wardrobe of flapper dresses, scarves, and fur dusters. Being a cat lady has never been more divine. Ages 4–8.