Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10
Everybody has a book in them, it is a cliché that hangs around because it is true. It might not be appreciated by all, and the process of writing one gets harder every year as all the great ideas run dry and became less inviting and yet books are written and the word is kept alive.
Whilst everybody has a book in them, there are so few that gain the attention when written in such a way that is inviting, playful and fun and those that do are so scarce that they are dismissed by the unworthy as just being placed into a camp that exists to put a smile on the face of a young child. For whilst pleasure can be gleaned from reading, normally they attached to books that reside in the so called real world, the true experiences made possible, rarely do they go down the extraordinary route of capturing a slice of life that is unseen and full of potential.
It takes a great story-teller to show this obvious anthropomorphic display, the imprinting of human experience into the world of animals and one of the best around surely has to be Cathy Roberts and her Tales of the Mersey Moggies.
The Mersey Moggies are an institution in the city of Liverpool and the structure of the tales, from a cat’s World Cup with an unlikely winning goal, the very human subject of frailty as one gets nearer to the point of spending the final days in a rest home or even Cathy Roberts great spin on the Charles Dickens tale of Ebenezer Scrooge, all are seen with an eye for the world that goes unnoticed, that sits alongside us in a world that is shared but not appreciated.
The artwork that goes alongside the narrative, the pictures of Dutch, Lefty, Moose and Mo is beautifully crafted and has the feel, the mix of something out of Alice in Wonderland coupled with an absolute love of the subject at hand; it is a scene that pulls the reader in, no matter the age, and asks the very simple request that the stories, the genuine ability to craft a tale, be shared with those who are just beginning their journey into the world of literature.
Cathy Roberts is genuine storyteller, there is no ego to be stroked, no alternative message being delivered, just the honest attention to detail which makes a story an enjoyable pastime. Tales of the Mersey Moggies are the cat’s whiskers.
Ian D. Hall