Marshall Arisman dedicates his new book The Cat Who Invented Bebop to Dee (his wife) and Katman (their cat). Indeed, Katman was the inspiration for the cool cat in this delightfully penned, beautifully illustrated saga of feline frolic on the jazzy streets of New York. The coolest of all the cats is Stringbean McCoy, a stray with a penchant for swing (who you can see and hear here). Of course, as Arisman notes, the real swingin' cats were Charlie "Bird" Parker, Dizzie Gillespie, and Thelonious Monk, and "any resemblance to actual cats, living or dead, is purely coincidental." But this book makes you want to believe. (Published by Creative Editions and designed by Rita Marshall).