Finding My Molly

Peggy Krause

Format ISBN Price   Paperback (5x8) 9781434342799 £ 5.70

The National Humane Education Society includes Finding My Molly on its recommended reading lists!

Finding My Molly is also currently under consideration for the National KIND Children's Book Award!

“[An] endearing story… Krause appeals to children by using their own language and humor.  Finding My Molly is a charming novel for elementary-aged boys and girls alike. They will take delight in the world seen through cats’ eyes."

                                       ForeWord CLARION

 

Soupy, the cat, is not allowed to go outside.  One day, though, the front door is accidentally left open and Soupy cannot resist seeing what it’s like outside.  No sooner does he decide that being outside is wonderful, when he is chased by a monstrous cat-eating beast.  Soupy runs so far trying to escape the monster that he gets lost and must live in a hollow log in the forest.  He must form a plan to find his way back home to little Molly, his beloved human-kitten.  The next day, though, Soupy finds a tiny, helpless, orphaned kitten in the forest, too.  Soupy is now torn; raise the kitten or find his way home?  He can’t do both at the same time.  He knows his Molly would never abandon a helpless kitten, so neither will he.  

Peggy loves children, and children, in turn, are naturally drawn to her animated personality and quirky sense of humor.  This quirky sense of humor is evident in every chapter of Finding My Molly.

 

The author is an avid animal-lover who devotes several hours each week volunteering at a nearby animal shelter. She is quite in tune with the feline psyche and has captured all of their adorable idiosyncrasies within the characters of Finding My Molly for the enjoyment of cat-lovers everywhere.

 

Peggy wrote Finding My Molly in such a way that it would not only entertain, but also make the readers think.  She wrote it as a timeless lesson about love and loyalty and responsibility. At times, readers will find themselves laughing out loud. Other times, they won’t be able to read the words through their tears.

 

The author lives in a suburb of Chicago with her four cats, Lovie-Dovie, Shenaynay, Rocco, and Monkey.  Peggy’s daughter recently married and she is very anxiously awaiting grandchildren to play with.  

 

 

Chapter 1: Meet the Gang

 

His name was Soupy and he was the most handsome cat in the whole world. Soupy knew he was the most handsome cat in the world because his owner, little Molly Taylor, told him this every day, and Soupy knew his Molly would NEVER lie to him. Soupy was given to Molly about two years ago, when he was a tiny kitten. The truth was that Soupy was an average-looking orange striped cat with green eyes; a handsome cat, yes, but certainly not the most handsome in the world. But according to Molly, “No other cat can compare to my Soupy when it comes to handsomeness!”

Soupy was sitting on the windowsill in the front room of their house, talking through the screen window to his friends, Puff Puff, Spider Man, Lila, and one newcomer cat.

Soupy’s friend Puff Puff was a small white cat who lived in the house directly north of Soupy’s house. Puff Puff had long fluffy fur, which is probably why his owners named him Puff Puff. On the other hand, Puff Puff was also a timid, nervous cat, so the other cats suspected that this could possibly be the inspiration for his name, too. But always being concerned about good manners, no one mentioned this so as not to make Puff Puff’s nervous condition even worse.

Puff Puff’s owners were the Beckers, who had a little girl named Carli. Once or twice a week, little Carli would dress Puff Puff up in doll clothes and push him around in her baby buggy. Puff Puff tolerated this because he loved Carli very much, but he worried that his friends would see him wearing doll clothes and being pushed around in a baby buggy. Puff Puff thought, I have my macho reputation to consider! Luckily so far, none of his friends had seen him like this, and he hoped his Carli would grow out of this phase before any of them did.

Soupy’s other friend, Spider Man, was an adorable, chubby, striped cat who lived in the house right behind Soupy’s. One might think that “Spider Man” is an unusual name for a cat, and yes, it is. Well, legend has it that Spider Man acquired his moniker because his owner, Marcy, had two small grandchildren, ages two and a half and three and a half, and she thought it would be a nice gesture to let them name her kitten when she first brought him home. Well, being so young and impressionable, her grandchildren picked their favorite super hero’s name for the kitten. Marcy had assumed that they would pick a name such as “Tiger” since the kitten was striped or …well, anything but “Spider Man.” But, being a loving grandmother and having promised the grandchildren that they could choose the kitten’s name, Marcy did not go back on her promise, and “Spider Man” it has been ever since.

As mentioned earlier, Spider Man was very cute, and being quite aware of this fact, he constantly admired his own reflection in every mirror, puddle, and window he could find. The other cats constantly caught Spider Man posing in Soupy’s window, trying to decide which angle was his