Dewey:The Small -Town Library Cat Who Touched the World

I checked out Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World because it looked like it would be a fast and somewhat mindless read.

On a bitterly cold January morning in 1988, librarian Vicki Myron found a tiny cold and starving kitten in the Spencer Public Library's book drop box. With the permission of the library board, she and the other librarians adopted the kitten, naming him Dewey Readmore Books, and kept him at the library. The library patrons quickly got to know Dewey and enjoyed his presence. As time went on, word got out about this library cat with the friendly personality and people started coming from other states and countries to visit the library and see and pet Dewey. Dewey was a feline ambassador for the Spencer Public Library for 18 years.

Woven throughout Dewey's story is a memoir of Vicki Myron's life growing up in rural Iowa in a large family, then her years as a young wife and later as a single mother. I enjoyed learning about Ms. Myron as much as I did Dewey and I believe without Vicki Myron as his champion and defender, Dewey's life would have been pathetic and brief.

I'm glad I happened to see this book at our library. I should ask the other members of the library board to read it - I wish our library had a cat!