I first bought the Japanese version of this book in Japan in 2005, not knowing any Japanese, but managing to crochet some really cute cats from it nonetheless despite the fact that I am a novice crocheter. I am so pleased it has been made available in English and that none of the original book was changed to appeal to different cultural tastes, and I quickly snapped-up this English version to supplement my Japanese version.
This English publication is exactly the same book translated from Japanese, and the fact that I was able to crochet a cat from the Japanese version tells you just how easy it is to follow Japanese crochet instructions such as are in this book. Why? Because the key crochet instructions are written in chart format. With the remainder of the book translated, the reader has the added bonus of being able to follow suggestions for variations and instructions for sewing accessories like a futon, a pillow, sardine, or maybe squid for crocheted cats.
This book isn't so much about liking cats or not (and I do like them), nor is it about getting 104 pages of instructions to make different kinds of cats, it's about easy-to-follow crochet instructions for the basic crocheted dolls (Japanese word: amigurumi) that look like funky cats pictured on the book cover, and fun artistic photos of crocheted cats doing silly stuff. Think of it as part crochet pattern book and part coffee table book, but in softcover format, as opposed to the expensive and wasteful hard cover books as most Americans think of when they think of coffee table books. Open your mind and loosen-up, this is a fun little book, and use it as a launching point to create your own crocheted animals or dolls as you desire.
Also check out Ami Ami Dogs: Seriously Cute Crochet by Mitsuki Hoshi, another Japanese amigurumi book recently translated into English, but for create super cute mini dogs.
Have fun!