MUTTS is, to put it simply, the best comic strip produced in North America today." -The Infodad Page's five-star review

Giant events, earth-shaking themes, complex issues...all of these can make for captivating cartoons. But it's the artist who can take the simple, keep it simple, and still tell a story that really stands apart from the crowd. Patrick McDonnell, creator of MUTT's Mooch the cat and Earl the dog, is such a cartoonist.

The quickest way to absorb McDonnell's mastery of his art is to pick up this third MUTTS treasury, in which frame after frame and strip after strip he consistently displays his wit, cleverness, and ability with a pen. Mutts is the perfect way to escape into what appears to be an easygoing, carefree world. But just beneath the characters' banter and endearing mannerisms are the universal concerns of animals and people alike. The cartoonist's sparing style and gentle humor invites readers to fill out the frames with their own imaginations.

Nationally, McDonnell has received awards ranging from Outstanding Cartoonist of the Year to Newspaper Comic Strip of the Year. He has also received such worldwide praise as being named the Swedish Academy of Comic Art's Best International Comic Strip Artist. This strip's a winner the world around!

With fatherhood looming, I kept seeing that six-year-old version of myself drawing comics in his bedroom, and I thought how crushed he would be to find out that I had given up on our dream. . . . So, three months after my daughter was born, I submitted Cow and Boy." -Mark Leiknes, creator of Cow and Boy Evocative of a boy and his pet beagle, or a precocious six-year-old and his imaginary pet tiger, Cow and Boy isn't afraid to tackle the complex relationship that exists between a boy and his cow.More Cow and BoyTo balance yin, there is yang. To complement day, we have night. There are just some things in life that harmonize with one another and Mark Leiknes's Cow and Boy creation definitely benefits from the paradox of its two central characters, namely one towheaded boy named Billy and his trusty bell-ringing sidekick Cow, who move through life's adventures with a refined balance of curiosity, meaning, pathos, and humor. From inspired games of chess to grassy afternoon talks of reincarnation to lakeside swimming-hole ponderings that make room for a game of charades, Cow and Boy thoughtfully explores a different species of friendship in the funny pages.

Nationally syndicated journalist Georgie Anne Geyer explores the connections between the royal and sacred felines of ancient civilizations and the beloved domestic cats of today.

Chasing an irresistible mystery across the globe, journalist Georgie Anne Geyer conducted exhaustive research into the little-known puzzle of how cats came to occupy their unique position in the lives of humans. Treated with the tenacity, resourcefulness, and narrative instinct of a seasoned foreign correspondent, the investigation yielded unexpected answers--and posed tantalizing new questions. The result is a remarkable book, bound to delight and amaze cat fanciers and adventure seekers.

It was Geyer's curiosity about her own cats that inspired her to study the history of human-feline relations and especially cats' exalted status among the ancients as royal or sacred beings. Her quest spanned the earth. In Egypt, Geyer learned of the cat-goddess, Bastet, and of the cat's role in the transmigration of souls. In Myanmar, she saw Leonardo DiCaprio, Ricky Martin, and the other incongruously named cats of the Nga Phe Kyaung monastery, trained by the monks to jump through hoops. She even met a family who dutifully guards the heritage of the Japanese bobtail, cultivating the line in--of all places--rural Virginia.

Richly illustrated with photos of Geyer's journeys and historical cat images, When Cats Reigned Like Kings also presents a Family of Cat section that describes the origins and characteristics of the 38-40 recognized modern cat breeds, including photos of each.

"One of the best things about Baby Blues is that it follows reality so closely that you're never quite sure whether Rick Kirkman and Jerry Scott are over the top or are merely excellent reporters." Oh, baby, it's Baby Blues! Just when readers thought the MacPherson world was baby-proofed, cocreators Rick Kirkman and Jerry Scott flip up the toilet-training lid, throw open the kitchen cabinets, and drag the garden hose into the house with Wall-to-Wall Baby Blues: A Baby Blues Treasury.

Baby Blues, of course, is the delightful internationally syndicated comic strip that depicts the adventures of the MacPherson family: Dad Darryl, Mom Wanda, and the three youngsters: Zoe, Hammie, and newborn Wren. From games of Destroy the Legos to how to blow a two-year-old's nose with just one box of tissues, Baby Blues never fails to revel in the funny facts and fantasies about raising kids.

Wall-to-Wall Baby Blues: A Baby Blues Treasury. represents a treasury of the best moments from three previous Kirkman and Scott collections—Baby Blues: Unplugged, Dad to the Bone, and Never a Dry Moment.

This combination of daily strips and full-color Sunday features delivers an array of hilarious family comedy. Wall-to-Wall Baby Blues: A Baby Blues Treasury. has young readers, parents, expectant parents, and grandparents nodding their heads in recognition of life in the MacPherson household. It's truly family fun for everyone in the family.