A purple cat. How cool is that?

"Purple Cat," 2010, by Carlos (born 2004); papier-mâché, pipe-cleaners, plastic, ribbon; 3 1/4 inches tall by 10 1/2 inches long. (Collection of the author)

Yesterday's birthday was a good one. My niece Terry and her family took me out for a barbecued rib dinner at what I think is the best place for barbecued ribs in Richmond, and my nephew and his family joined us. There were funny cards, and I took in a lot of birthday loot, ranging from a simple bag of M&Ms -- a favorite since childhood -- to a bottle of really excellent small-batch bourbon.

But the best present was a purple cat.

My 6-year-old great-nephew Carlos made it himself, out of papier-mâché, pipe-cleaners, plastic eyes and red ribbon. I think it's wonderful. And it's not just me: two people with no connection to Carlos or the family have now seen it. Both said they were astonished that it was the creation of a 6-year-old. One said it would be quite an accomplishment for a grown-up.

I agree wholeheartedly, and Carlos's purple cat has now found a place of honor at my house. It's evidence of much creativity and talent.

There's a story, as there always is, behind Carlos's purple cat.

Two years ago I gave him a book for Christmas that was designed to teach him his colors. We were leafing through it on Christmas morning when we came across a picture of a purple cat. "Purple is my favorite color," I told him. It was not meant to be a statement of any significance -- I'm also, in fact, quite fond of blue - but it stuck in Carlos's mind.

Last Christmas, I gave him a great tub of art supplies. His mother tells me that the tub is nearly empty now, but that's where he found the pipe-cleaners, the ribbon and the plastic eyes for my purple cat.

Carlos is also well aware that I like cats. He's met two of my cats over his few years, and he's lived with his own dogs and cats for almost all of his life.

So he put all of that knowledge together and decided to make a purple cat for my birthday. His mother says it took him about a week.

Kids' minds work in wonderful and strange ways. It's been a truly educational experience for me to see him grow, develop an imagination, explore the world outside himself, learn life's lessons both the easy way and the hard way, and become a unique individual with interests and aptitudes emerging almost week by week.

Had I made that purple cat at his age -- or even now -- you would be hard-pressed to identify what I had set out to create. I work in words, not images. Ergo, I am impressed by where his mind led him, into what is alien territory to me.

A purple cat.

How cool is that?