A Whole Lot of Ocelots: Minecraft Cat Book 1 by P.T. Evans combines two favorites of youngsters; emoji art and video games. When Spike, a Minecraft gamer’s cat, is bored watching Jason play, the cat had his own ideas of how to build Minecraft worlds. When Jason is called away for a time, Spike sits in front of the computer. For a time, he is mesmerized by the colorful spinning wheel on the screen. Then, within moments, he caught in a vortex. Soon, he finds himself inside the game. Delighted to be in control for once, he sets about designing a purr-fect world for himself, complete with a scratching post. Before long, he meets several creatures within the game, some friendly and some not so much. Raking through Jason’s hoard of emeralds, he purchases what he requires to go fishing, then makes friends with a number of ocelots, eventually taming the jungle cats. The fun ends when Spike is caught once again in a vortex ...

One of the difficulties in getting young people to read is finding things that capture their attention and reflect their interests. P.T. Evans has met this challenge in Minecraft Cat, offering young readers a story placed inside a video game that is popular with young grade-schoolers. With artwork that includes renditions of characters from the game, along with some original cartoon drawings of Spike, young readers will quickly make their way through this chapter-book. No doubt they will be delighted to learn that it is one of a series, which is sure to keep them coming back for more.

Minecat Book 1: A Feline Minecraft Adventure: A Whole Lot of Ocelots is an adventure tale for children, grades 4-6, and preteens, written by P.T. Evans and illustrated by Jake Tashjian. Spike's an indoor cat, and he's not at all impressed with being housebound. He'd much rather be outdoors chasing birds with Lily, the cat who lives next door. But no, he's stuck inside, so he makes do with watching as his human companion, Jason, plays Minecraft. Jason thinks he's a master of Minecraft, but Spike thinks he could play a lot better if he were only given the opportunity. Spike sees things that Jason totally misses, and Jason makes the most elementary mistakes -- like digging down into lava with his pick-axe. One day, though, something very strange happened. After Jason fiddled with his computer and the game to make it run more quickly, his mom called him away before he could test the results. Spike would normally tag along with Jason to see what's happening, but he found himself mesmerized by the colors. Spike's always loved the spinning color wheel, but it's acting strangely now, and he just can't resist its pull.

P.T. Evans' adventure tale, A Whole Lot of Ocelots, is funny and exciting all at once, and you don't even have to be an avid Minecraft gamer to appreciate Spike, the wisecracking kitty whose adventures in Minecraft are very special indeed. Spike is a consummate gamer and watching him create his world had me seriously considering getting into Minecraft myself. Jake Tashjian's illustrations are fun and perfectly suited for both the mood and the action in the tale. Will Spike star in the next volume of Minecat? I hope so. I'm quite curious to see what changes and ideas he comes up with next. Minecat Book 1: A Feline Minecraft Adventure: A Whole Lot of Ocelots is most highly recommended.