Cats to the Rescue: True Tales of Heroic Felines - Hardcover

Singer, Marilyn

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0805074333 ISBN 13: 9780805074338

Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR), 2006

Synopsis

Do cats really have a sixth sense?

 

War hero, world traveler, adventurer, bodyguard—not the first descriptions that come to mind when we think of cats. But in this collection of true stories about the fascinating behavior of cats around the world readers will meet Grover, who saved his owners’ lives when their house caught fire. And Sugar, who spent fourteen months trekking 1,500 miles from California back home to Oklahoma.

Marilyn Singer offers a collection of inspiring cat stories, providing a historical framework and behavioral context to explain each cat’s actions.

 

Cats to the Rescue is a 2007 Bank Street - Best Children's Book of the Year.

About this title

About the Author

Marilyn Singer is the author of more than seventy books for young readers. She lives in Brooklyn, New York.

Jean Cassels has illustrated more than fifty natural history books for children. She lives in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Reviews

Grade 3-6–Singer's appreciative volume introduces cat after cat that has proven itself a hero. After a brief history of the feline's relationship with humans, the book is divided into chapters showcasing different instances in which these animals have been heroic. There are examples of fictional felines, such as Puss in Boots, and real-life cats like Bonnie, a British tortoiseshell that fought off a pair of burglars trying to steal dog food from a warehouse in 2001. Singer stretches the definition of heroism with the inclusion of chapters highlighting cats as muse, world traveler, and jack-of-all-trades. (The example of a cat that was elected mayor of Guffey, CO, in a publicity stunt is more daft than daring.) But this is a minor quibble. Cassel's black-and-white illustrations are realistic and expressive. The extensive bibliography has a good balance of text and online sources. Cat lovers will thoroughly enjoy this well-organized and entertaining work and the marvelous cats described in it, who often show that the easiest way to be a hero is to be a loving and dedicated friend.–Kara Schaff Dean, Needham Public Library, MA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Move over, Lassie. Cats are just as capable as dogs of protecting and rescuing their human companions. Though most owners would say falling down the stairs would barely elicit a yawn from their kitties, Singer has found a slew of cats that have done amazing things--from discovering a gas leak to locating a needed asthma inhaler. After a lively introduction and retellings of several stories, Singer discusses feline habits, including hunting. That leads to great mouse hunters (Towser, who lived in a Scottish distillery, caught almost 30,000!). Succeeding chapters cover cats who have been war heroes, world travelers, and, of course, lifesavers. Cats have even inspired great writers, such as T. S. Eliot. Along the way, Singer explains the physiological and psychological traits that make cats act the way they do. Written with affection and a bit of amazement, this book is a pleasure to read. Simple pencil drawings add interest, and the final stories about cats that survived 9/11 and Katrina are inspiring. Ilene Cooper
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Edition details

• Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
• Publication date: 2006
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0805074333
• ISBN 13: 9780805074338
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Cassels Jean
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 160