King Tut Greets Me In Mamaroneck, New York

King Tut

I visited Mamaroneck Avenue School in Mamaroneck New York last week to give a slide presentation about my book to all 500 students. I was in for a surprise when the ultra-cool librarian, Madeline Gilbert, picked me up at the train station with her pet cockatoo, King Tut, on her shoulder. The bird stays at the library with her every day and at the end of the school year Madeline brings in her pet turtle. Her office, with fellow cool librarian Carol Santini, is a dark planetarium and the library was warm and welcoming. The children presented me with 500 beautiful drawings of houses and animals. I have chosen a few of them to display here. It was hard to choose. I love all of the drawings. - Cynthia von Buhler

"Hi Cynthia,

Thank you for making our entire school so happy today. I'm sure by the time you visit us again, the copies of The Cat Who Wouldn't Come Inside will be well worn with the many requests to take them out of the library.

Your presentation was so natural and appealing. All of us are still
talking about it.

Thank you,

Madeline Gilbert
Library Teacher"

Madeline and King Tut
King Tut
"A Shelter For The Cat" drawing by Emmeline Chuy
"House by Moonlight" drawing by Natalia
"Sandwich House" drawing by Hyojin Kang
"Heart House" drawing by unsigned (Contact me if you made this drawing so I can add your name here.)
"Guitar House" drawing by Jason Abel
"The Place of the Cats" drawing by Kyra Greenawalt
"The Flying House" drawing by Noah
"Large Purple Bird with Cat and Dog" drawing by unsigned (Contact me if you made this drawing so I can add your name here.)
"Cat with Hat and Boots" drawing by Rie Ogasawara
"Castle, China House and Heart House" drawing by Jessica Barrios
"Tweet Tweet, Meow and Neigh" drawing by Ciara Cattano
"Air Bubble House" drawing by Hayley

Kodiak's Clay Cat

The clay cat workshop and book reading at The Staten Island Museum was a big hit. We are doing another one on Saturday, August 25th at 2 p.m. For more information please click HERE.

Here is a letter from a parent who attended the Clay Cat Workshop at The Staten Island Museum:

"Cynthia,

Kodiak (age 4) is finished with the cat sculpture he started at your 5/19 clay workshop at the Staten Island Museum. The photos are attached. The sculpture is painted like one of his mom's cats.

I also blogged (with lots of photos) about the entire process at the link below. This post includes the trip to SI, sculpting at home, and painting... as well as the Prodigal/Splashdown backstory.

http://brian-of-brooklyn.blogspot.com/2007/06/cat-who-wouldnt-come-inside.html

Thanks for putting on this workshop. I hope to get back to the museum this summer to take a closer look at your 'grownup' exhibit. Keep spreading the good word about Staten Island!

-Brian Hedden"

The Most Wonderful Cats

Photo: Ada needs a new home.
Sent by a cat lover:

"well, we have to do it.

as you may know, we're moving to copenhagen. as you also may know, we have a few cats. some think its crazy to bring a cat to denmark. pretty much everyone would agree its psychotic to bring three. so we're trying to find a good home for ada and lily. chances are we've already asked you, or know that you cant take them. but maybe we havent asked. or maybe you know someone who could. or know someone who knows someone . . .

they are wonderful cats who have grown up together and so if at all possible we want them to stay together. ada is 8 and lily is 7. they both love to sit on laps and in boxes and to play with each other. ada is black and white and really smart and has distinctive features like a black spot on her nose. lily is gray with white paws and a bit of a ballerina and she'll fall over if you rub her belly right. i think she may actually be the sweetest cat in the world.

i've attached pictures. dont want to beg but if you know anyone who you think may be able to care for them, please pass this on. this is a terribly depressing email to write and possibly to receive and i apologize. i also apologize if you live very far away or our communications have lapsed . . . we are casting a wide net and hoping that someone knows someone who might come to love these cats nearly as much as we do.

thanks.

catherine and benjamin and lily and ada."

CONTACT: catherine zeidler, catpatz@gmail.com
Photo: Ada and Lily
Photo: Lily needs a new home.