"DEAR LITTLE CATS", HAVING A BALL

THE SONG OF THE JELLICLES, by T.S. Eliot

Early edition illustrated by Eliot himself

Jellicle Cats come out to-night

Jellicle Cats come one come all:

The Jellicle Moon is shining bright -

Jellicles come to the Jellicle Ball.

Jellicle Cats are black and white,

Jellicle Cats are rather small;

Jellicle Cats are merry and bright,

And pleasant to hear when they caterwaul.

Jellicle Cats have cheerful faces,

Jellicle Cats have bright black eyes;

They like to practise their airs and graces

And wait for the Jellicle Moon to rise...

"Jellicle" is one of many nonsense words invented by T.S. Eliot (in the spirit of Edward Lear and Lewis Carroll). The word shows up in an unpublished poem and in a letter to his godson Tom, in which he sent a spoof party invitation "To All Pollicle Dogs and Jellicle Cats".  It's been noted that "...Pollicle Dogs was a corruption of "poor little dogs", just as Jellicle Cats are "dear little cats". (Maybe three-year-old Tom's mispronunciation?)    Source: an article in The Telegraph, that can be found HERE.

T. S. Eliot’s playful cat poems have delighted readers and cat lovers around the world ever since they were first published in 1939 as Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats, with simple illustrations by the author.  Eliot's 14 original poems were included in a series of letters written to his godson, with Eliot himself posing as "Old Possum".  My favorite edition of the book came out in 1982, with illustrations by Edward Gorey.  Gorey's merry, yet sinister, depictions of cats are perfectly paired with Eliot's mischievously charming poems.

The book inspired Andrew Lloyd Webber's legendary musical, CATS, which opened in London's West End in 1981 and on Broadway in 1982.

I still have my program from a Los Angeles production my husband and I went to see at the Shubert Theatre for our second anniversary in 1985!  If you were lucky enough to see the musical, CATS, you might be interested in reading this excellent review by Janet Karsten Larson, Eliot's Cats Come Out Tonight.  It brought back great MEMORIES for me...wink, wink.

I'll end this post with a few lines from Eliot's "THE AD-DRESSING OF CATS"

...You now have learned enough to see
That Cats are much like you and me
And other people whom we find
Possessed of various types of mind.
For some are sane and some are mad
And some are good and some are bad
And some are better, some are worse--
But all may be described in verse...
But -
How would you ad-dress a Cat?
So first, your memory I'll jog,
And say: 
A CAT IS NOT A DOG.

HAVE YOU EVER WONDERED WHAT HAPPENED TO CHRIST'S CROSS?

Have you ever wondered what happened to the Cross of Christ, after his crucifixion? Well, the answer involves a queen named Helena, who was the mother of Emperor Constantine the Great.  In the twentieth year of his reign (326), the Emperor sent his mother to Jerusalem to find the site of the Holy Sepulchre and of the True Cross (a story in itself). After finding the Cross in Jerusalem, Queen Helena travelled to Cyprus to gift a small piece of the Cross to the church there. Too much for kids to comprehend?  Not in this new children's book, THE QUEEN AND THE CATS: A Story of Saint Helena, by Calee Lee.  It debuts today, September 14, which for Orthodox and Catholic Christians is a special "feast day" commemorating the finding of the Cross of Christ...


Told through the eyes of a young girl, the story begins as Queen Helena arrives to bring the greatest of gifts to the people of Cyprus. But when she tries to present the treasure, the Queen discovers that the local churches have been infested with a deadly problem: snakes! It’s up to Queen Helena and the little village girl to come up with a solution that will make the churches safe once more.

As Calee describes it, “this story brings Saint Helena to life in a way that is both accessible and enjoyable for little ones. The lives of the saints provide so many rich stories for our children. I’m thrilled to have partnered with illustrator Turbo Qualls to bring this story to Catholic and Orthodox families around the world.”

While this captivating picture book is geared towards kids ages 4-8, older siblings will be quick to take over the read-aloud duties and littler ones won't be able to resist Turbo's 24 full-color graphics. This is the first story of its kind to be available in ebook format (the Kindle version is less than $5 and works on phones, tablets, laptops and more).  But not to worry, all you "traditional book" people (like me) can preview and purchase a print copy from Amazon by clicking HERE.

Calee M. Lee visited the island of Cyprus for Holy Week in 2009 and fell in love with the country’s beautiful scenery and friendly cats. A graduate of New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, Calee has worked extensively as a freelance writer, editor and video producer. She attends Saint Paul’s Greek Orthodox Church in Irvine, California with her husband and two children. You can read more about Calee on her BLOG.

Turbo Qualls is an accomplished artist and illustrator in the Southern California area. Along with his wife and four children, Turbo attends St. Barnabas Orthodox Church in Costa Mesa, California.

And just in case you were wondering...Saint Helena really did send cats to the island of Cyprus. There’s even a breed of cat called the "St. Helen" that is traced back to her gift. Click here to read more...