Marcy Blesy’s HAZEL, THE CLINIC CAT: Vet Book for Kids offers readers young and old an insider’s look into the daily happenings of the Furry Tails Veterinary Clinic. Hazel the cat lives quite the charmed life. She doesn’t have a house to call home, but Hazel doesn’t want one. And why should she? After all, living at Furry Tails with Dr. Lang is far more fun and interesting than any house could ever be. But Hazel hasn’t always been a clinic cat–she was born in an abandoned building, and spent the first six months of her life living on the streets. Thankfully, after someone scooped Hazel up and dropped her off at Furry Tails, Dr. Lang decided to bring the shell-shocked kitten home.
Unfortunately, Dr. Lang and his wife did not exactly see eye to eye on Hazel. After a series of ‘mistakes,’ including an accident involving the human doctor’s favorite pillow, Dr. Lang’s wife issues an edict: Hazel has to go! And that’s how Hazel became a ‘clinic cat,’ a role that the feisty feline has fully embraced. When Dr. Lang is not around, Hazel is the one in charge, much to the dismay of Dr. Lang’s wife. Not only does she have all sorts of opportunities to get into some feline-themed trouble, but as the ‘boss’ of the clinic, Hazel gets to meet all sorts of furry friends. In her time at the clinic, Hazel’s seen just about everything–that is, until she meets a dog named Emmitt. Emmitt is a new patient who has a myriad of health issues. Hazel’s diagnosis? Emmitt’s just incredibly overweight. From there, readers are treated to a series of hair-brained adventures and unintentional mishaps involving an over-excited Hazel and a woefully reluctant Emmitt. Along the way, readers will learn all sorts of interesting facts about veterinary medicine and maybe even gain some insight into what makes cats act the way they do.
Written from Hazel’s perspective, HAZEL, THE CLINIC CAT is highly entertaining from cover to cover. By blending a quasi-stream-of-consciousness narrative with an otherwise linear plot-line, Blesy succeeds in capturing the feline voice–cat owners will especially appreciate Hazel’s quirky reasoning. The free-flowing narration is a bit jarring at first, but within a few pages, you can almost hear Hazel’s voice telling her story. Additionally, Thomas Roth’s illustrations, consisting of simple, stylized line-drawings, are sprinkled throughout, adding a cinematic touch to Blesy’s narrative.
HAZEL, THE CLINIC CAT delivers loads of laughs by exploring the enigmatic, trouble-making streak that all kitties seem to possess, but the true triumph here is the way Blesy’s book offers young readers a glimpse into a veterinarian’s life. The prolific author (twenty-two titles and counting) has stumbled upon something special here–Hazel’s big personality and insatiable curiosity are sure to provide adventures for years to come. At just over a hundred pages, HAZEL, THE CLINIC CAT also makes for a perfect introduction to chapter-books.
Readers of all ages will smile, cat-owners will surely laugh, and a handful of future veterinarians will likely find inspiration in the pages of HAZEL, THE CLINIC CAT, a chapter-book that pairs an unforgettable kitten with a fun, educational story.
~James Weiskittel for IndieReader