Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World

A big claim to be sure, but in fact, people did come from all over the U.S. and even from countries as far away as Japan to meet this remarkable orange cat in Spencer, Iowa. This is not only the story of a amazing cat, but also a semi-autobiography of the library's director and author of the book, Vicki Myron. Additionally, we learn about the town of Spencer, and its economic trials and tribulations, as family farms became an endangered species.
As a young kitten, Dewey Readmore Books (his full name) was found in the book drop-box one morning after a night of sub-freezing temperatures, with frost-bitten feet that required weeks of recovery. But he quickly took possession of the library, won the hearts of staff and patrons, and seemed intuitively to know who needed a cat on their lap at any given hour. He had a bad habit of eating rubber bands and so they were banned from the library. He roamed the light fixtures high overhead at will. He greeted people at the door. He excited the children of all ages and even some oldsters. This is an absolutely touching story about the amazing impact that one animal can have on individual lives and the community as a whole.

NEWS UPDATE: There's an upcoming picture book and maybe even a movie (supposedly starring Meryl Streep --man she's busy). Here's the article in Publisher's Weekly.