“This book should be required reading for all cat owners! Lynda Graham Barber's careful, direct words combine with Nancy Lane's beautiful, realistic illustrations to present a vivid picture of the comfort and security of an indoor cat, contrasted with the frightening, life-threatening dangers faced outdoors. KokoCat, Inside and Out gets across an important message without "preaching," in a manner that will appeal to all ages of cat lovers as well as to the uninitiated. An important book with a vital point!” – Libby Phillips Meggs,author of Go Home!:The True Story of James the Cat “If any lost cat deserves to be found (and of course they all do), it is KokoCat. I love the artwork and the details about KokoCat’s personality. Follow her outdoor adventure and learn why it is better to be inside than out.” —Pet Detective Kat Albrecht, Founder, Missing Pet Partnership One day, KokoCat, a well-loved housecat, sees an open door, a chance to escape her pleasant life, to explore an exciting world outdoors. Once outside, she finds that life is more frightening and less enjoyable than she bargained for. Hungry, lost, and alone, KokoCat takes shelter under a dumpster and dreams of her former life inside. In vibrant images, KokoCat’s story shows the reader that keeping a domestic cat indoors is better both for the well being and longevity of the cat as well as for the birds and wild animals on which a cat preys. The book’s final page for parents and adults offers important information, provocative questions, and tips to increase young readers' awareness of this important animal health and welfare issue. Lynda Graham-Barber ’s abiding passions for writing and animals have intermingled for four-decades, as children’s book editor, writing teacher, author of thirteen books, and animal rights advocate. The author, who holds an MFA in writing for children from Vermont College, lives in a small stone cottage, which she helped build, situated on 160 wooded acres in the Northeast Kingdom, Vermont, with her artist husband David and their rescued dog Biscuit. Nancy Lane has been an award-winning illustrator for the last twenty years. Her picture books include Call the Horse Lucky and A Home for Dakota (both from The Gryphon Press). She lives in the Finger Lakes region of upstate New York with her family and her rescued dog and cats. The debate over whether domestic cats should be allowed to roam outside has made it into picture books—or at least half of it has. This story introduces KokoCat stretched out on her back, a contented indoor animal: “She stalks the sun around the room.” A few pages later, she rests on her pillow, licking her paws: “KokoCat is warm, well fed, and loved.” When the opportunity arrives, however, KokoCat escapes into the mysteries of the outdoors. She encounters a fierce tomcat, water from a “sour puddle,” a chasing dog, and little food; she sneaks under a trash bin during the stormy night. Graham-Barber and Lane succeed in making this adventure a scary one, and when the cat hears familiar voices calling the next morning, she seems visibly relieved. The last line reads: “KokoCat is an indoor cat. For good.” An afterword spells out what the book has suggested through terse text and realistic paintings, offering convincing arguments for keeping cats indoors for the safety of both songbirds and the cats themselves. Grades K-2. --Abby Nolan “This book should be required reading for all cat owners! Lynda Graham Barber's careful, direct words combine with Nancy Lane's beautiful, realistic illustrations to present a vivid picture of the comfort and security of an indoor cat, contrasted with the frightening, life-threatening dangers faced outdoors. KokoCat, Inside and Out gets across an important message without "preaching," in a manner that will appeal to all ages of cat lovers as well as to the uninitiated. An important book with a vital point!” – Libby Phillips Meggs,author of Go Home!: The True Story of James the Cat “If any lost cat deserves to be found (and of course they all do), it is KokoCat. I love the artwork and the details about KokoCat’s personality. Follow her outdoor adventure and learn why it is better to be inside than out.” —Pet Detective Kat Albrecht, Founder, Missing Pet Partnership “This book should be required reading for all cat owners! Lynda Graham Barber's careful, direct words combine with Nancy Lane's beautiful, realistic illustrations to present a vivid picture of the comfort and security of an indoor cat, contrasted with the frightening, life-threatening dangers faced outdoors. KokoCat, Inside and Out gets across an important message without "preaching," in a manner that will appeal to all ages of cat lovers as well as to the uninitiated. An important book with a vital point!” – Libby Phillips Meggs,author of Go Home!: The True Story of James the Cat “If any lost cat deserves to be found (and of course they all do), it is KokoCat. I love the artwork and