“Cat Got Your Tongue?” is a delightful exploration of cat-related idioms from around the world. In the introduction author Hannah Shaw (aka The Kitten Lady) explains that she gathered many of these phrases during her travels for “Cats of the World.”

Each phrase is in English, the native language is stated, then the phrase is in the native language. The phrase is then explained in English. One of my favorites is the Yiddish “I care like a cat cares that it’s Wednesday.” This means that one doesn’t care at all.

The hand drawn illustrations are playful and depict the cats in various situations. Don’t miss the cat decked out in a hunting costume.

If you’re a cat lover, this should be added to your shelf of cat books.

This book is great for feline lovers of all ages and would make an excellent gift book.

I received an advance review copy for free from NetGalley and Ten Speed Press, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Most of these phrases were new to me and the illustrations are adorable. This would be a great gift for a cat lover.

This was a fun and educational read! I love cats and finding out all these new sayings all round the world was very fascinating. I also loved the illustrations :)

CATS!!! This is a collection of cat related proverbs. I absolutely loved it. There were so many phrases and the art is adorable. I need more of these right now!

5 stars

Hannah Shaw AKA The Kitten Lady has written a cute and whimsical little book describing different cat sayings from around the world. We have a lot of sayings involving cats in the States but we aren’t alone! Read this little book to learn some. The illustrations were bright and colorful. I’d buy this for a cat lover in my life.

**Thanks to the author and Ten Speed Press for the e-arc I received via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.**

A fun book for cat lovers filled with cat sayings from around the world. Each page has a saying, where that saying is from, the saying in it's native language, and then a little summary explaining the saying. My only complaint is I wish there were more sayings!

From the beautiful illustrations to the different languages spoken around the world, this book was a very whimsical read. It is a short novella that shares 60 feline phrases from across the globe. The illustrations were beyond great, in my opinion. This book made me feel lighthearted and relaxed. It is a very easy to read book that I found to be informative! It also made me laugh quite a few times while reading it! This is a book that will put a big smile on your face and will leave you feeling like you just had a big heartwarming hug. I highly recommend this book to anyone that is a lover of cats! Overall, I rate this a 5 out of 5 stars!

Thank you to NetGalley, author Hannah Shaw and Clarkson Potter/Ten Speed Press for this delightful digital advanced reader’s copy in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

This book is expected to be published on July 1, 2025!

Thank you Netgalley, Hannah Shaw and Clarkson Potter/Ten Speed Press | Ten Speed Press for the eArc of Cat Got Your Tongue.

Being a cat lover myself this book is both beautifully illustrated and simply put together. I love different languages is used throughout the book that corrosponds with each illustration. This also ties in with a saying that involves a cat and what the saying actually means. This makes for a real fun read which is also beautifully expressed within the illustrations.

" There are many ways, said Grandma while wiping the table with a cat " ( Finnish translation ) Means there is more than one way of doing a job. I however know this saying as " There is more than one way to skin a cat "

Seeing as the members of my family have cats, this will make a wonderful birthday /Christmas pressie!

5 stars

This book was great. I loved learning about these cute cat idioms, especially ones that I'd never heard of before. And the illustrations were very cute.

IT's all fluff and pamcakes! The books are super simple yet the format they used are amusing. Love the illustrations and details. I wish we could have second book in the series😆

A book perfect for cat connoisseurs and linguists alike! It's so interesting to see how cats have entwined themselves into languages across the world in such casual but notable ways. From cute to thoughtful to playful, all sorts of languages manage to capture the essence of cats and it's really such a treat to see a large selection of them in one place. Truly stunning, textured art. Would make a great gift book.

Cat Got Your Tongue

This was such a fun and delightful read! The author has compiled cat-related phrases and expressions from various parts of the world, collecting them during her travels across different regions.

Each phrase is presented in its original language, along with an English translation and a simple example to illustrate its meaning. The book is also filled with charming illustrations that add to its playful appeal.

It's a very cute little book, which will be a great read for cat lovers and language enthusiasts equally. This was a light, feel-good read, which is bound to bring a smile to your face.

Thank you so much @netgalley and @tenspeedpress for providing the earc of this book.

3.75🌟

I LOVE cats. If you don't love cats, who even are you? I loved learning all of these sayings and idioms!

Interesting cat sayings from around the world with cute illustrations. This would be very giftable to any cat lover.

I enjoyed reading Cat Got Your Tongue? Curious Cat Phrases from Around the World by New York Times bestselling author Hannah Shaw, which features illustrations by New Yorker cartoonist Sophie Lucido Johnson.

60 Cat related proverbs and idioms from around the world are presented in their native language along with a translation of the phrase in english, a simple explanation of their use and meaning, and an interesting illustration by Johnson.

This cute little book could be a great gift for a cat-lover you know!

Publication Date July 1, 2025
Clarkson Potter/Ten Speed Press

Humor & Satire

#Catgotyourtongue #netgalley

Such a cute and interesting book!

Perfect for people who like to know fun facts to share with others (and those who love cats too, of course)

From the creator of Cats of the World comes a new multi-cultural cat-splosion.

This book of idioms and proverbs would be loved by anyone who loves cats, languages, and learning. Hannah Shaw includes the phrases from various countries, the origin country, and the language it is originally in. It was fascinating to find out that some of the phrases we see used in the U.S. have similar counterparts in different cultures.

I don’t know why I didn’t recognize the name of the author; I’ve been following Hannah Shaw on social media as the Kitten Lady for several years now. She and her husband have such big hearts and supreme love for all things meow. As it goes, any of her work is worth the support and worth the read.

#ThxNetGalley #HannahShaw #CatGotYourTongue

This was adorable! I've been a fan of Hannah Shaw's for a while now through Instagram, so I was so excited to get a chance to read this early. It's a quick read, but so much fun. The illustrations were adorable, and I might have to adopt some of these sayings from around the world. What I liked about this book is that the sayings weren't just translated into English, but also into their original language as well. This is, without a doubt, the perfect for cat lovers and a fun coffee table book. It would definitely start conversations, and one I'll need to add to my collections of fun cat books when it hits shelves in July!

"Who life the cat's tail if not the cat itself?" meaning to toot your own horn. well, I'll tell you that Hannah Shaw should be applying this phrase to herself!

This book is so cute. A short book about idioms and phrases surrounding cats and I adored it! I've always loved language and the ways we express ourselves (and cats, of course), so this book was right up my alley. I didn't realize there were SO many idioms and phrases surrounding cats. I got to connect with other cultures by getting an insight into the phrases they say. I can't wait to put them to use!

The illustrations??? So cute! The colors give a cozy feel and the art feels so whimsical and fun.

I would absolutely recommend this book to others and will be purchasing a copy when it comes out! I'll be talking about this book for weeks, trying to find fun ways to implement them in conversation so I can explain this newfound knowledge. I genuinely wish this was a series. I could breeze through a series of books on idioms like this, maybe surrounding other animals!

Thank you to NetGalley and Clarkson Potter/Ten Speed Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This is a very enjoyable and fun book on the various phrases around the world where cats play an important role. We all know that there are lots of expressions in English that revolve around cats, including the title of the book. But who knew there were so many from all sorts of different cultures and languages.

With adorable pictures to highlight the various expressions, cat lovers will enjoy this easy to read book.

Five purrs and two paws up.