Bibliographical information:

Armstrong, Alan. Whittington. Illus. S. D. Schindler. New York: Random House, 2005.

 

Brief summary:

Bernie's barn houses animals no one else wants. Whittington the cat arrives, and joins the barn family. From that point on, the novel interweaves the lives of the animals, Whittington's story of Dick Whittington (from whose cat he is descended), and the experiences of Ben, a boy who has difficulty learning to read. The book also includes a historical note on the real Dick Whittington. My eleven-year-old was very intrigued by Armstrong's explanation of the way Whittington's history was blended with a Persian folktale to create the legend of Dick Whittington's cat.

 

Comments:

The three interwoven stories are well told, and both human and animal characters are well drawn. Ben's sister and the animals help with his reading difficulties, but Ben also learns that the teacher in the Reading Recovery program understands his problem and has techniques that can really help him. 

 

Grade/Age level:

Grades 4-8

 

Cautions:

 

If you like this book, you might also like . . .

E. B. White, Charlotte's Web

Alan Armstrong, Raleigh's Page

 

--Lisa Gordis

 

 

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