Purrball Meets Burrball in Brazil - A Book Review

Hello and Happy Friday! Today Lexy and I are joining the Purrball Meets Burrbal in Brazil blog tour.

Purrball Meets Burrball is a children’s book about telling the tale of friendship between Furrball the cat and Burrball the sloth. Visiting Brazil, an earthquake hits and separates a family from their beloved cat, Purrball. Purrball’s mad dash leaves her lost in a jungle where she becomes fast friends with a very clever sloth named Burrball. The two quick-witted animals embark on a journey to find Darryl, the loving and loyal boy who longs for his adorable missing cat. Witty word rhythms and rich illustrations make Purrball Meets Burrball in Brazil an engaging read-aloud story. An alluring tale of friendship, family, ingenuity, and persistence.


Purrball Meets Burrball in Brazil is written and illustrated by Anne Zoet.  Anne is a freelance creative director in Silicon Valley. She studied at the University of California, Los Angeles, the Universite de Bordeaux, and the University of California, Santa Cruz, and graduated with a BA in art history. Anne is passionate about animals, art, travel, and the environment. She also enjoys salsa dancing, building cat furniture and housing, cooking, and gardening.  She lives in Santa Cruz, CA where she shares her home with her three cats. 

Do you think they inspired the character of Purrball? We’re lucky enough to have some interview questions with Anne, and she just might give that secret away!

1. What inspired you to write this book?
The story hit me on a day that I took out for myself away from my high tech work. I was having a massage, which is when I zone-out and don’t think about anything. Oddly, this time, I started creating the Purrball and Burrball storyline the more and more I unwound. I was so relaxed that the whole thing unfolded start to finish.

2. How would you describe the characters of Purrball and Burrball?
Smart, kind, resourceful and they’re team players. Animals are invariably way more clever than we humans give them credit for. I’ve seen my cats use incredible logic to alter a situation they’re in. I once had a cat run away in a place she didn’t know (the worst weeks of my life searching every day) but she found her way back, though completely unfamiliar with the surroundings. I have another cat, my outdoor cat, who you can see trotting alongside opossums and raccoons in evenings. That scared me so much at first, but eventually we’ve come to see that he has a real relationship with them. He’s so smart and the more I see the wildlife interact with him, the more I see them as clever and accepting and even friendly. The Purrball and Burrball characters came to me before I moved to this area and could witness my cat and his outdoor adventures. But this experience really solidified how Purrball and Burrball should be portrayed as a team. I think that my cat’s experiences with wildlife show that animals are capable of very unexpected bonds with one another.

3. Why did you decide to set the story in Brazil?
It had to be set in the natural habitat of a sloth. I’ve always wanted to see a Brazilian rainforest, so I just created my own. It is roughly in the Atlantic Forest of Brazil and their plane arrives in Sao Paulo. Earthquakes are incredibly rare in that region, so all the more surprising that one happens when they arrive. After setting my sights on this area, I’ve seen dozens of photos of both Sao Paulo and the Atlantic Forest that make me long to go there! It is on my bucket list.

4. You also illustrated Purrball Meets Burrball in Brazil. How did illustrating the book compare to writing it?
It was a bit easier, given that I’m familiar with creating digital art for business purposes. To have artistic license was amazing and both writing and illustrating were very creative and fulfilling. In sum, illustrating was easier for me than writing, but both were much lengthier than I had ever imagined. I spent a good six months pulling both together.

5. Did any of your three cats influence the character of Purrball, either in physical likeness or personality?
All three: one has the coloring of Purrball (I love grey kitties, although I suppose Purrball is a bit blue, really) and she has some cute characteristics—the scene where Purrball is looking up curiously at Burrball is so her! I have another onn who is a squat and roundish cat with intense eyes and sitting frontally she looks like a black and white version of Purrball. And the last cat is the most clever cat you could imagine. I rolled them all into one.

We knew it! Any human who writes a book and is owned by a cat can’t resist putting a little bit of their cat’s purrsonality into the characters! We love it!

Purrball Meets Burrball in Brazil is a story about a little boy named Darryl, and his best friend, his cat, Purrball.  Purrball travels to Brazil with his family, and once they arrive an earthquake hits.  In all the chaos Purrball escapes from the airport with Darryl’s mom’s cell phone and charge wrapped around his leg.  He soon meets up with a Brazilian native, a sloth whom he names Burrball.  The unlikely pair become friends and the adventure of reuniting Purrball with his family begins.  The story is beautifully illustrated to help tell the tale of family, friendship and kindness.  Even though Purrball and Burrball are different in every way, Zoet shows the reader how differences can be put aside and friendships made.  The book is written for children ages 3 to 9, but animal lovers of all ages will love this book.  And adults can also learn lessons from this tale.

This delightful, beautifully illustrated book can be purchased on Amazon in hard copy form for $19.15. 

Book Details:
• Hardcover: 28 pages
• Publisher: Fab Idea Press; First edition (September 9, 2016)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0997383704
• ISBN-13: 978-0997383706

Learn more about Anne’s cat expertise at radlilcat.com.

We have a copy of Purrball Meets Burrball to give away to one lucky reader in the USA. You can enter via the rafflecopter below. Giveway will end on 9/16/16 at Midnight EST.

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Were you ever reunited with a lost pet? And do you think Purrball and Burrball remain friends?
Lola

Disclaimer: We were compensated for our fair and honest review of Purrball Meets Burrball in Brazil. Fab Ideas Press is not responsible for the content of this review.  Lola The Rescued Cat only shared information and products we feel will be of interest to our readers.

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