Book Review: The Cat That Changed America by Tony Lee Moral*

[Ad-gifted] The Cat That Changed America by Tony Lee Moral is a children’s fiction book based on the true-life story of P-22, a monitored mountain lion that attempted to cross two ten-lane California freeways to find a space of his own.

P-22 was born in the Santa Monica mountains, outside Los Angeles. Whilst P-22’s mother raised and taught the cub and his brother, their food sources, the places where they learned and played and – eventually – P-22’s life were at risk. They were living in the territory of Prime, the dominant mountain lion of the area, and it wasn’t big enough for three male mountain lions to share. With his mother carrying new cubs, his brother roaming elsewhere and having suffered a tussle with Prime, P-22 needed to find his own territory.

In this fictionalised tale, the animals in the area told P-22 of a lush, green park, not too far away and full of deer. It sounded ideal, except for one thing – it was surrounded by what his mother had called the ‘death crossing’, filled with humans in metal machines. The threat from Prime meant P-22 had no choice but to investigate. Making some animal companions on the way, avoiding the dangerous humans and linking strange behaviours in some of the wildlife to the poison which had found its way into the food chain, P-22 learned many lessons on his journey to become king of his own world.

What I thought of The Cat That Changed America 

I had never heard of P-22 the mountain lion before reading this book, but it seems that he is famous across California and wider America. He made worldwide headlines in April 2015, when he became trapped under a house in one of the areas he was travelling through. This book makes his tale accessible to younger readers – aged roughly 6-9 years – in a fun format that will intrigue and entertain them.

P-22 is given a gentle but brave persona, in contrast to the rough-and-tumble arrogance of his brother, and readers will understand his initial reluctance to leave his mother and home, until it becomes his only option. As P-22 grows up and heads out on his own, the story strikes a good balance between fact and fiction. Descriptions of the mountain lions’ habitat, family bonding and hunting (detailed, but not too graphic, although adults will want to read this story first) are included.

Humour then comes from the curious creatures P-22 meets, which give the story a familiar fun element. Indeed, Racket the raccoon might remind children of their favourite animated animal side-kicks in the movies they love. Peril initially comes from P-22’s encounters with Prime. However, be aware that humans are ultimately the ‘bad guys’ here, and readers should continue to the epilogue, where the role of current communities in helping the mountain lion and other wildlife provides a more positive note. I wouldn’t usually include spoilers in my reviews, but for a children’s book it seems only right to say that P-22’s story has a happy ending, as he comes full circle to find himself at home. The bitter-sweet nature of this will only be realised by the adult reader, and again is addressed by the epilogue.

Overall, the blend of fact and fiction works well for children. The serious conservation message at the core of the book is delivered through the lens of the mountain lions’ family relationship, the mischievousness of the other wildlife and P-22’s lovable character. The Cat That Changed America asks children to think about “What would you say if you saw a mountain lion in the middle of your local park?” In this way, it hopefully encourages them to think about all animals, and our relationships with them, in a new way.

About the Save L.A. Cougars project

As of 2020, P-22 had been living in Griffith Park for over 8 years. He is effectively trapped, as other cougars can’t reach the park without risking their lives on the freeway, as he did. Save L.A. Cougars are beginning to build a wildlife crossing, spanning the freeway near Liberty Canyon, where P-22 was born. They aim to join two mountain ranges in the area, with the crossing increasing the territory size for mountain lions but also providing safe haven for the many other types of wildlife living in the area.

To find out more about the project, head to www.savelacougars.org

How much is The Cat That Changed America and how can you buy it?

The Cat That Changed America is available in paperback and Kindle editions at this link. The paperback retails for £7.37 and the Kindle ebook costs just 77p.  Please check Amazon for the latest price as this might change.

How you can win a copy of The Cat That Changed America?

Terms & Conditions:
* Prize is not exchangeable for cash and not transferable
* Open to residents of the United Kingdom Only
*Entrants of the competition must be 18
* All entries must be received by Sun, 25 April 2021 (23:59).
* The winner will be chosen at random
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About the author

 Tony Lee Moral is an author of mystery, suspense, natural history, children’s and YA fiction. He has also written three books on the Master of Suspense, Alfred Hitchcock.

Tony was born in Hastings, England in 1971, and now lives in America. He lived in Monterey and Big Sur for two years, which forms the inspiration for his latest thriller Ghost Maven: The Haunting of Alice May, which is published in a new edition in October 2020 for Halloween.

About the book

Title: The Cat That Changed America
Author: Tony Lee Moral; Illustrator: Louise Goves
Publisher:  Tony Lee Moral
ISBN: 978-1838211516
Trim Size: 15.2 x 22.9cm
Pages: 150

Review by: Sharon Corbally

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* We were given a copy of the book in return for a feature. All opinions are our own.