The heart-warming true story of a little boy and the cat that changed his life.
Julia’s nine-year-old son George was autistic. Quiet and withdrawn, he appeared lost in his own world. Then one day a small black-and-white stray cat appeared in her garden and George’s face lit up.
George bonded with Ben and began to open up to his mother as well. For three happy years, the trio was inseparable and George made remarkable progress. But then disaster struck—Ben went missing and George regressed.
The weeks turned into months, and Christmas was fast approaching, but on December 21, Julia got a call from a family more than fifty miles away, which finally offered a ray of hope . . .
Genuinely touching, The Cat Who Came Back for Christmas is a story about devotion, love, and a holiday miracle.
Barnes and Noble Summary
Romp’s prologue grabbed my attention and amusement with her “ritz for
rabbits”, George’s “Benny Boo”, and the wisdom that “time and good food”
can do lots of good for animals and for people. Her no-holds barred,
matter-of-fact telling of her own, ok to call them failings?, makes her
100% devotion to her son all the more remarkable. She changes from an
irresponsible, 16 year old drop-out, with an unmarried pregnancy into an
amazingly, creative, patient mother for George. I loved her descriptions
of her parents, especially her dad, whose kindly attempts to make
everything right usually starts with, “let’s have a cuppa.”
I’ve had no close experience with autism. The frustration, heartbreak,
lack of sleep, and noise of coping with an autistic child must be, as Romp
says, a full-time job. It’s so amazing that she discovers a few wise
friends, Michelle and Wendy, who accept George just as he is. George
shows so much imagination and understanding of the cacophony around him
sometimes – it surprised me. I have some experience with a friend’s child
who might have some qualities of the autism spectrum. He also responded
well to a pet – a dog this time. George and his cat Ben reminded me of
the experience. All those animal lovers who tried to help Romp find Ben
when he disappeared have a special place in heaven. Reading the story of
the opening of George’s heart and mind to Ben and to his mom is really
happily poignant…especially since this miracle cat came home for
Christmas!
Four Stars
*Reviewed by Colleen*
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This product or book may have been distributed for review, this in no way affects my opinions or reviews.
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