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FOXBORO - Miriam "Mim" Mackenzie finds working with kids the purrfect life.

For the past 35 years, she has owned the Growing Together preschool. She's now the owner-director, and her daughter Merrie runs the school in their Willis Lane home.

Among Mackenzie's favorite "kids" is Mac, a 6-year-old cat that she and her husband Ed adopted as a kitten.

About a year ago, Mac became the star of "Mac the Cottage Colony Cat," a children's book illustrated by Mackenzie and written by Peg Ariel, a retired Bellingham teacher. The book was Ariel's idea, Mackenzie says.

A sequel, "Mac in Action," is slated for release next summer. Mackenzie and Ariel will read "Mac the Cottage Colony Cat" at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, Dec. 30, in the Fuller Room of Foxboro's Boyden Library. Admission is free. Copies of the book will be available to purchase.

This interview was conducted by e-mail.

SUN CHRONICLE: So, how did "Mac" come about?

MIM MACKENZIE: The author, Peg Ariel, is a retired teacher of more then 30 years in Bellingham. And although we would wave and say hello for 20 years, it's Mac that made us friends.

Peg came to me in August of 2007 and asked if I would mind if she wrote a book about my cat. I said fine and asked if she would like me to illustrate it for her and so began our friendship.

We are still smiling.

SC: What's your favorite part of the story?

MACKENZIE: My favorite part of the book is when Mac smells the nail polish of the girls next door and runs to his scratching post and when he sees the lobster head for the first time and thinks it is alive and buries it.

SC: Are there any sequels planned?

MACKENZIE: We have a sequel in the works right now titled "Mac in Action," using verbs in alphabetical order and poetic prose for the narrative. It should be ready before next summer.

SC: What's the biggest challenge of drawing a children's book?

MACKENZIE: Keeping the pictures colorful, eye catching and simple.

SC: What inspired you to become an artist?

MACKENZIE: Having an older sister who graduated from Mass Art and became a beautiful portrait painter.

In nursery school, I drew and decorated the class.

It was not until I retired from Growing Together Preschool and Kindergarten as a teacher, director and owner, that I had the time to take a couple of classes at a gallery at the Cape in oil and acrylic paint. It has been fun!

SC: How often do kids ask you to introduce them to Mac?

MACKENZIE: Every time I read the "Mac" book to a group of children, they ask if they can meet him.

One principal on the Cape asked if we could bring the cat to her school, so we did. Mac was great, well behaved and let anyone pat him that wanted to.

Many cats are not as friendly as Mac and do not want to be petted and that is OK. Because our cat started out as a kitten living in a preschool, he was unusually friendly and we liked that about him.

SC: What's your favorite children's book? Why?

MACKENZIE: One of my favorite book series is Margret and H.A. Rey's Curious George.

I like this series because George experiences what so many children do for the first time, i.e.: going to the beach, visiting the fire station, going out on Halloween, visiting the hospital and flying a kite; and he gets into trouble in each situation which children find very funny.