The Cat Who Wouldn't Come Inside is a visually spectacular feast for the eyes! Done with a real doll house (done up like the author's residence) and using clay figures for the narrator and cat, this is one of the most unique and visually appealing books I've looked at in a long time. In addition to strong visual appeal of the pages, the book is done in a faux padded leather cover with wallpaper end papers (given the charming touch of cat scratches) which makes this book a step above the average picture story book that are normally put out for children these days.

The story itself is quite short, it does happen to be 8 pages over the 32 you normally see these days. As the story starts out, our narrator sees a stray cat outside on a cold and wintery day and tries to coax him inside the house without success. As each day passes, the narrator offers milk...then milk and tuna...then milk, tuna and so on, until practically the entire house is out on the porch to make the cat feel more welcome and comfortable out in the cold. At the end, the cat invites the woman out onto the now very house like porch. It's a charming book, full of love for animals and with a very warm and old-time feeling. The very end, the author places an end note about the story being inspired by a stray she tried form many, many years to coax into her own home...this end note is quite sad and younger children might not benefit from hearing that the cat FINALLY came in only to die in the owners arms...but it IS quite a lovely touch!

Overall, I give it four stars and would definitely buy this for my permanent collection if my children were not passing the age that this would get read again and again...but I will definitely buy copies to give as gifts. The book as an old world feel from cover to cover and is such a charming and sweet story that small children cannot help but love it! The Cat Who Wouldn't Come Inside would probably be best enjoyed by kids ages 3-6, maybe all the way up to age 8...but not much beyond and for older kids, probably not more than one time. For younger readers/listeners, the short story with the humor of the house slowly moving out to the porch for the love of the cat and the repetitive nature of the text (the litany of gifts offered and use of the woudn't come inside phrase...small kids usually LOVE this type of repetitive phrasing because over time it allows them to easily get in on the story telling) combined with the rich photographs and the charm of the claymation type woman and cat make for a splendid combination that may be destined to become a classic! ( )