Black Cat Takes to the Air!

LOS ANGELES, CA, March 07, 2014 (Press-News.org) The sassy and clever cat who has been seen in the classic animated Miss Switch Afternoon Children's Specials that aired on ABC in the 1970s, is back again, this time as an airborne ally to the Cowardly Lion and the Hungry Tiger from the land of Oz, featured in the illustrated book, Miss Switch's Bathsheba & The Cat Caper. It is penned by the original novelist of the celebrated Miss Switch book series, Barbara Brooks Wallace, and illustrated by Smithsonian artist, Caroline Lewis. The adventure is now available for $5.99 at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Books-A-Million).

To promote the new book, a unique YouTube video was created, thanks to the generous provision of a special black cat from King Street Cats, a non-profit cat welfare organization located in Alexandria, Virginia. The author and illustrator both visited the shelter and cast the video from the available black cats. The spokescat is named Roscoe, but he does an admirable job of crossing the gender barrier by portraying Bathsheba with just the right attitude and 'purrsonality.' The cat tale features Bathsheba flying atop Miss Switch's magical broom. The video can be viewed at www.youtu.be/uTjTBwT7c9U.

King Street Cats, in concert with Pangea Publishing, are offering a free copy of the book to anyone who adopts one of the shelter's black cats from now until June 2014. Supplies are limited, so those in the area are encouraged to adopt a black cat soon. "The whole idea is to bring awareness to how adorable and playful black cats are. There's a stigma about black cats which is totally unwarranted," explained cat curator, Melissa Murphy.

The collaboration between Barbara Brooks Wallace and Caroline Lewis is a long overdue one. Wallace, or Bobbie as she likes to be called, approached Lewis with the idea of illustrating her book, given a previous assignment she had with the author. "I just knew that Bathsheba, being a remarkable, clever and witty witch's black cat, would inspire the remarkable Caroline Lewis. The result is the irresistible Miss Switch's Bathsheba and the Cat Caper, which I might add, is the first one of my Miss Switch novels where Bathsheba has appeared as the star of the story." According to Lewis, "Bobbie Brooks Wallace is the Meryl Streep of children's books. Like the actress, she brings a class and distinction to her art that has won her top awards. Working with Bobbie on this book has challenged me to a level of excellence I truly admire. The result is a book no child could resist." 

Miss Switch's Bathsheba and the Cat Caper marks the fifth published book by Pangea Publishing (www.pangeacorp.com), authored by Barbara Brooks Wallace. Betsy Bird, blogger of "A Fuse #8 Production" for the School Library Journal, trumpeted, "Cat lovers of the world, rejoice!" with the YouTube video embedded into the School Library Journal's website (www.bit.ly/1n5btc5). Ms. Bird is currently the New York Public Library's Youth Materials Collections Specialist, formerly served on Newbery and has written the picture book, Giant Dance Party (www.amzn.to/1n5dZyY).

To review a preview of Miss Switch's Bathsheba and the Cat Caper, visit: www.amzn.to/1f6oXNZ

PANGEA is a creative development salon that specializes in writing, production and publishing of intellectual properties in the toy, licensing and entertainment industries. www.PangeaCorp.com Contact John Schulte at BigDog@PangeaCorp.com

King Street Cats is the only cat-exclusive orphanage in Alexandria, VA and has been in business since 2003. Because we are a free-roaming cat orphanage, we have the "cat-friendliest cats" in town! Our primary purpose is to educate and assist the community in regard to cat welfare, and to provide loving homes for the cats and kittens in our care. Please stop by and visit with our friendly cats today at 25 Dove Street, Alexandria, VA 22314 or call 703-231-7199. www.KingStreetCats.org Media contact: Melissa Murphy, 202-375-4370.