Lessons From Stanley...A Review!!!

Lessons From Stanley The Cat

Nine Lives Of Everyday Wisdom

By

Jennifer Freed

Illustrations

By

Tone Gellerstedt

I told Dorothy from TheWritersLife that I would happily review this book.

It was about cats…it was sweetly short…it had very cute simple illustrations. I loved it.

This book is sort of like reading a really serious how to live your life book. The best thing about these serious rules and how to follow them is that they are told truthfully and matter of factly by Stanley…the illustrated star of this book.

The book is divided into four main sections…

You and Yourself

You and Others

Love and Lust

Healthy Habits

The author has divided each section into subtitles and then proceeds to explain each one. And again, they are sort of punctuated by these great illustrations. Actually…you have to keep in mind that Stanley is explaining everything from his perspective which is that of a cat….a very wise cat.

One of my favorite Stanleyisms was…

Be kind to the aged and the dying. They do not have many advocates or visitors, and it takes so little to let them know you are their friend. Stanley explains this one by saying we should take time to enjoy those who might not move as quickly as we do.

Another favorite was…

When someone is on the computer too long, help them by distracting them, or walk lightly on the keyboard. The reality behind this one is that we are too occupied with machines and we are not enjoying the “splendor of human contact”.

And yet one more favorite was…

Take time out of your day to take time out of your day. Stanley explains that we should just spend some time sitting and reflecting. Again, this is accented with a great illustration.

So…this is a sweet yet wise book. It is one that I am keeping on my night stand for a while. You can pick it up and reread parts very easily. I will put it on my husband’s night stand, too. He will laugh at Stanley and hopefully it will remind him to slow down a bit, too.