By Vicki Myron (with Bret Witter)
(Reviewed by Nancy Jelinek)

A couple of months ago, on CBS Sunday Morning, I caught a story about Dewey, the library cat in the town of Spencer, Iowa. They had film footage of the cat making his rounds among the library patrons— sitting on shelves, riding the book cart, making himself at home on the lap of a reader. I’m a cat lover, so it drew my attention. About a month later, I was able to purchase a copy of the book locally. I’d been thinking about using my December reviews to highlight possible holiday gifts and decided Dewey was a good choice for animal lovers, even those not so fond of cats.

Dewey Readmore Books, aptly named for the Dewey Decimal System used by libraries, was dropped into the book return of the Spencer library on a terribly cold winter night. Found the next morning by the librarian, the tiny kitten could barely walk because of the frostbite on the bottoms of his feet. Could they keep him? Should they keep him? Many people are allergic to cats. How would the library visitors accept Dewey in their midst? Charming, easy-going Dewey managed to win them over for 19 years, becoming well known around the world.

However, Dewey is more than just a story of a cat living in a library. It’s about his special relationships with the librarians, the small children coming for the reading hour, the older children waiting in the library after school for working parents, and the special-needs children responding to a gentle friend. It’s the story of Vicki Myron, a single mom with health issues, and the people of Spencer, Iowa.

Spencer is a farming community that, like many Midwest towns, has seen ups and downs over the years. Vicki, as director, made sure the library was there to support job seekers with computer access and educational materials and to be the center of a progressive community. Dewey was there to supply the comfort that only an animal curled up in a person’s lap can provide.

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Are you more of a “dog person”? I recommend A Three Dog Life by Abigail Thomas. This is the memoir of a woman whose life with her husband was turned upside down when he was involved in a terrible accident and had to live in an institution. She attempts to rebuild her life in a new community and her family in the company of three dogs. I gave this to a friend for her birthday. Her son had returned home with his two large dogs, so along with her Labrador, she was living a three-dog life. I also gave it to my dog-loving sister to read while she recovered from surgery. They both loved it!