A delightful collection of feline folktales - featuring sixteen selections from thirteen countries - this anthology has both narrative and visual appeal, with a variety of entertaining stories from around the world, and charming illustrations that capture the sense of fun found in the text. Cat-lovers in particular, will appreciate that these tales were specifically selected for their positive depiction of our feline friends. Selections include:

When the Rooster Was King of the Cats, a West African tale in which the cats, long subservient to the rooster, learn that they have been tricked, and that there is not, in fact, any fire in his comb, and that he has no power over them. This was an interesting pourquoi tale, explaining the animosity between feline and fowl.

The Greatest Person in the World, listed as a tale from Ceylon (Sri Lanka), details a man's search for the appropriate mate for his beautiful kitten, whom he is determined to give in marriage to the greatest person in the world. Each prospective mate insists that there is another more powerful than he, until finally the man arrives at one who is willing to admit to being the most powerful. This tale, in which like eventually mates with like, is quite similar to the Mouse Bride tale-type, which has variants from traditions all over the world.

Knurremurre the Troll, a story from the Netherlands, in which a young troll must flee his mountain home, and live - disguised as a cat - amongst humans, when his dalliance with the wife of the terrible Knurremurre is discovered.

King Solomon's Cat, a tale from the Holy Land, in which King Solomon learns that even such a mighty king as he, can do no better than God, when it comes to teaching the beasts their business.

Why Cats Lie On the Doorstep in the Sun the first of three tales from Rumania (Romania), in which a cat saves Noah, and all the creatures on board his ark, by slaying Satan, in his assumed mouse-form.

Why Cats and Dogs Fight, a second Rumanian (Romanian) tale, in which the cat and dog, both serving Adam and Eve after the expulsion from Paradise, quarrel over the division of duties, resulting in the age-old animosity between the species.

The Marriage of Tom and the Vixen, the third and final Rumanian (Romanian) selection, in which a tom-cat marries a fox, and - through a series of misunderstandings - has the rest of the forest creatures convinced that he is a fierce fighter. This humorous tale is almost identical to a Ukrainian one, sometimes known as Mister Cat-and-a-Half, which also ends with a free dinner!

The Three Copecks, a Russian tale in which young Ivan exchanges three copecks - all the money he has in the world - for a tiny kitten, who eventually brings him great fortune.

The Cat and the King's Daughter, a Polynesian tale in which a humble man's cat, deciding that it was time that he married, helps him to win the carefully guarded daughter of a powerful king and queen, kept in seclusion lest her astonishing beauty tempt men to court her. This was an interesting tale, and I would have liked to know its specific origin: from which island, and which culture, did it come? Sadly, that information is not included.

The Tiger Cat, the first of two Indian tales, which explains the origin of cats, especially tiger cats, who were created to hunt rats.

When the Cat and the Tiger Lived Together, a second Indian selection, which explains how cats and tigers - once sisters and brothers - came to live apart.

The Lazy Cat, a Hungarian tale in which a man, having promised his father-in-law not to beat his wife, must find his way around his word, if he is ever to "convince" her to do any work. This unfortunate tale, with its misogynist assertion that the only way to make a "good" wife is to beat her into submission, almost ruined the entire collection for me. As if the casual acceptance of violence against women weren't bad enough, the means by which the husband gets his way - beating the cat - was so disturbing, that I question the inclusion of this tale in an anthology meant to be "feline friendly." More on that anon.

The Cats of the Mountain, a tale from Tuscany, in which a poor widow, with six daughters to feed, happens upon the magical mountain home of a tribe of cats, and having faithfully cleaned it, is amply rewarded.

The Cat and the Sea, a flood myth from the "South Pacific," in which a family, taking refuge on the heights of Lakimola, must fling one animal after another into the sea, until finally - with the cat - the sea is satisfied. As with the Polynesian tale, The Cat and the King's Daughter, I wished for more specific background information on this one, as the "South Pacific" covers a pretty broad swathe of territory. I think, after some searching, that this tale is recorded in Bulfinch's Mythology, and comes from the island of Seram (formerly Ceram, as it is known in Bulfinch), in Indonesia.

The Boy Who Drew Cats, a Japanese tale in which a gifted young man, whose penchant for drawing cats renders him unfit to be a monk, finds another way to serve the temple, when his cats come alive one night, and defeat a terrible goblin-rat. This traditional story has been retold many times, most notably (in the West), by Lafcadio Hearn.

And finally, The Five Friends, a Scots tale in which a sheep, determined not to be made into Christmas dinner, runs away, and is joined in his flight by a growing retinue of animals, including a cat. This tale, in which a group of animals unwittingly scare a group of robbers out of their lair, is of the same type as the more famous The Bremen Town Musicians, from the Brothers Grimm.

All in all, this was an entertaining collection - certainly my favorite, of the Natalia Belting titles I have read thus far - and I might have given it four stars, were it not for the aforementioned tale, The Lazy Cat, which made me so angry, that I was tempted to throw the book against the wall. I restrained myself, of course, as I was in a train compartment at the time, but my disgust at this passage: "There was no husband in the kingdom who did not beat his wife. How else could a man get a wife who would cook and clean and keep quiet as a wife should, and do whatever her husband asked of her?" was sufficient to convince me that this was not a tale I would be recommending to anyone - let alone young readers! Given the fact that the husband abuses the cat as well, as a means of getting his wife to work, made me wonder what parallel universe Belting was living in, that she considered this a "positive" story about cats.

Read Cat Tales for the many wonderful stories, but be aware that there is a rotten apple in the bunch... ( )