cover image The Devious Book for Cats 6-Copy Counter Display with Easel

The Devious Book for Cats 6-Copy Counter Display with Easel

Joe Garden. Villard Books, $96 (0pp) ISBN 978-0-8129-4000-8

A parodic riff on the Dangerous Book for Boys series (and its followers), this collection of feline's-eye-view essays is a mostly winning effort from past and present staffers of parody newspaper The Onion. Less cringe-worthy than its predecessor, The Dangerous Book for Dogs, Garden and the gang focus on a litany of cat quirks and behaviors that make cat owners nod and chuckle on practically every page. Including a field guide to cardboard boxes, profiles of famous felines like Garfield (""the ten ton gorilla in the comics room""), the three waves of felinism and an illustrated guide to napping positions, the book lends itself to casual perusal, though cat fanciers will likely consume it in one sitting. Like listening in on cat-to-cat communications, readers are treated to tactics for ""Getting Away With It,"" explanations of ""What's in There?"" and the Legend of the Crazy Cat Lady (a cat's campfire scare story). Rounded out with original larks like a TV Guide-style program schedule for the window (""4:00 p.m.: Parallel Parking. Watch as Susie Crook fails the test again"") this funny collection boasts an impressive hit-to-miss ratio while managing to avoid cute overload.