The Necessary Cat

Collector of all things feline, Bayley (The Mousehole Cat) here compiles an eclectic mix of cat facts, quirks and virtues--culled from every corner of existence, domestic and foreign, past and present--into a unified compendium. Not only do cats turn up in nursery rhymes, paintings, poetry and children's books, but in sayings (""She who denies the cat skimmed milk must give the mouse cream""), advertisements and plant names such as ""cat's face"" and ""catkin."" Each spread uses a different format or style of illustration: ""Cat Words"" includes small line drawings of ""cat-o'-nine-tails,"" ""catgut"" and ""cat's ice"" against a beige background in a bingolike grid; in another spread, readers view ornately framed cats rendered in the styles of great masters, such as Rousseau, Goya and Brueghel the Elder, as if perusing an exhibition hall; others present one poem (by the likes of Wordsworth, Farjeon and Yeats) paired with a single painting. Bayley is certainly inclusive; her bewhiskered heroes range from the 50-million-year-old miacid (the cat's first ancestor) to ""Sugar,"" who walked 1500 miles to rejoin her family in Oklahoma, from the Cheshire Cat to the spotted Margay. But more important, her versatile illustrations betray sly humor and a true passion for her subject. Ages 8-up. (Aug.)