| Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World | 
 enlarge | Author: Vicki Myron
Creator: Bret Witter
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Category: Book
List Price: $19.99
Buy New: $9.95
You Save: $10.04 (50%)
New (42) Used (17) Collectible (1) from $9.95
Avg. Customer Rating:  260 reviews
Sales Rank: 31
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 288
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.9
Dimensions (in): 8.2 x 5.7 x 1.1
ISBN: 0446407410
Dewey Decimal Number: 636.80929
EAN: 9780446407410
ASIN: 0446407410
Publication Date: September 24, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
How much of an impact can an animal have? How many lives can one cat touch? How is it possible for an abandoned kitten to transform a small library, save a classic American town, and eventually become famous around the world? You can't even begin to answer those questions until you hear the charming story of Dewey Readmore Books, the beloved library cat of Spencer, Iowa.
Dewey's story starts in the worst possible way. Only a few weeks old, on the coldest night of the year, he was stuffed into the returned book slot at the Spencer Public Library. He was found the next morning by library director, Vicki Myron, a single mother who had survived the loss of her family farm, a breast cancer scare, and an alcoholic husband. Dewey won her heart, and the hearts of the staff, by pulling himself up and hobbling on frostbitten feet to nudge each of them in a gesture of thanks and love. For the next nineteen years, he never stopped charming the people of Spencer with his enthusiasm, warmth, humility, (for a cat) and, above all, his sixth sense about who needed him most.
As his fame grew from town to town, then state to state, and finally, amazingly, worldwide, Dewey became more than just a friend; he became a source of pride for an extraordinary Heartland farming town pulling its way slowly back from the greatest crisis in its long history.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 255 more reviews...
 Dewey rules January 6, 2009
This is an overwhelmingly heart warming story about a cat that touched the residents' lives in small town America. As the owner of four of the "critters" myself, I could easily identify with the different ways he was able to accomplish these tasks so adroitly. The beginning of the book will break and then quickly warm a reader's heart as it is explained how the Spencer, Iowa library acquired Mr. Dewey. And Ms. Myron, the author, is absolutely correct in that if Mr. Dewey had not been the sociable feline he was, taking him on as the library's mascot would not have worked. Many cats are "one person" animals and resent having anyone else--pet or human--having much interaction with their owners. And more often than not, I would speculate, most cats in public places have been declawed which tends to make them less sociable as they have very limited defenses. I don't recall that this was mentioned in the book one way or the other.
Whatever the situation, we know that Mr. Dewey was almost puppy-like in his loving and sociability skills and was able to win over virtually all library patrons. Not only that, but the number of patrons increased considerably after the library acquired Dewey. As his popularity grew, in and outside of Spencer, he truly became the darling of the town. I marveled at his ability to pick up on everyone's individual needs on a regular basis so his feline wiles could be put to the best and most efficient use. I also have great respect for the author's ability to "read" him. She seemed to know what he was thinking, what he was likely to do in any circumstance, etc.
Obviously, I'm very much a "cat person". I cannot say whether non-cat people will be able to appreciate the "ins" and "outs" of Dewey, his town, and library. It is hoped they might. Otherwise, they will miss out on a lovely story about a most amazing cat.
 Loved Norton More January 5, 2009
I really loved Dewey, but I have to admit, I still prefer my first love Norton from The Cat who went to Paris and A Cat Abroad. Check him out if you never have. I actually met him at a book signing once and couldn't believe how perfect he was! Keep the cat books coming!!!A Cat Abroad
 Reading the cover made me start crying in the middle of Chicago O'Hare January 4, 2009
2 out of 4 found this review helpful
So I obviously had to get it. =) This is a great story about a rescued kitty and the life of his momma (Myron) and the town of Spencer. I can relate to it on so many levels. I'm a cat lover myself who has rescued tons of kitties (7 now), I'm also an only child of a divorced mother who grew up in a small town and experienced the glory of Reganomics first hand! (we also had a small stint on welfare after my mom's divorce from my alcoholic father!) Now that I think about it, it's pretty easy to see why this book resonated so much! :) When it comes down to it though, it's about how much difference a look, a snuggle, or a lap nap can really make in a person's life when they are down. Dewey was able to tap into what people needed just to make that person's day a bit lighter. I'm so happy that he will live on through Myron's work. This book gets 2 paws way up! =)
Not the best writing, but an amazing story January 4, 2009
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
ok, i finished dewey at 1:30 this morning, but i stayed up most of the rest of the night watching tv and reading other books to try to cheer me up. before i get to the ending, i'll talk about the rest of the book. it wasn't the best animal book i've ever read, and i actually think i may have liked marley and me better, despite the subject being a dog. but there were things about this book that appealed more to me. obviously, the cat, and duh, the library. i don't think she's as good a writer as john grogan. she's a librarian, and he's actually a writer, and even though the stuff about iowa and spencer's history and her own were somewhat interesting, i was like where's more dewey stories??? some chapters were completely about her or iowa and not at all about dewey. when reading those, i was like uh???? i didn't mind the ones that infused history, biography/autobiography, AND dewey, but the other ones without dewey just didn't fit, in my opinion. but i did like getting to know more about the author. what really appealed to me were the numerous, numerous connections she made to dewey and the improvement in EVERYTHING. that's what i loved. i was like bring it on. more. more impact. more about how he improved children. more about how he improved the library, and spencer,a nd your relationship with your daughter. more. and she delivered. i love that. i could barely get through the last 3 chapters/epilogue, and acknowledgements. i was crying so hard that i had to set the book down a number of times. i was flat out sobbing and wailing. i cried for her family, for max, her parents' cat who was accidentally killed by the vet, i cried especially for dewey and the loss for the people of spencer, and i cried thinking about my own lost pets. it like destroyed me, but i knew it would. i think it went beyond a good cry for me, but i knew it would.
Dewey January 4, 2009
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
This book was a Christmas present; I opened it that morning and finished it that night. It is a delightful book. If you are a cat's person, you will delight in the complex personality of this little survivor--he was found in the return book bin at a small town library in Iowa. Even if you are not so fortunate to live with a cat, you will still enjoy. The librarian is a survivor, too. This is a paean of appreciation for a small town, where anything can happen.
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