Catwings Return

by Ursula K. Le Guin, S.D. Schindler (Illustrator)

Overview

James and Harriet return to the city in this second book in legendary author Ursula K. Le Guin’s bestselling Catwings chapter book series, now with a new look!

As kittens, James, Thelma, Harriet, and Roger took advantage of their wings by flying away from the busy city where they were born. Now the cats live comfortably in the country with two human friends. But a big adventure is in store for James and Harriet when they decide to return to the city to visit their mother. So much has changed! The dumpster where the kittens grew up is gone. All the buildings in their old alley are being torn down. And inside one of them is a wonderful surprise, just waiting to be discovered...

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781665936620
Publisher:	Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Publication date:	10/24/2023
Series:	Catwings Series , #2
Pages:	56
Sales rank:	113,477
Product dimensions:	4.90(w) x 6.80(h) x 0.30(d)
Age Range:	5 - 9 Years

About the Author

S. D. Schindler is the popular and versatile illustrator of many books for children, including Ursula K. Le Guin’s Catwings series; Skeleton Hiccups and Monster Mess!, both by Margery Cuyler; Big Pumpkin and the ALA Notable Children’s Book Don’t Fidget a Feather!, both by Erica Silverman; How Santa Got His Job by Stephen Krensky; and Johnny Appleseed by Rosemary and Stephen Vincent Benét. He lives in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His website is SDSchindlerBooks.com.

Hometown:

Portland, Oregon

Date of Birth:

October 21, 1929

Place of Birth:

Berkeley, California

Education:

B.A., Radcliffe College; M.A., Columbia University, 1952

Website:

http://www.ursulakleguin.com

Editorial Reviews

Identical in format and length to its predecessor, Catwings , this new book picks up where that one left off. The four winged catsThelma, Roger, Harriet and Jamesare content in the country barn where they live, secretly cared for by humans Hank and Susan. But they would like to see their mother, and the dumpster where they were born. Only James and Harriet make the trip, and learn that the slums are being destroyed by demolition crews. Their mother and the dumpster have moved; instead, they find a winged kitten. After a brief reunion with their mother, who now lives amidst flower pots on an apartment roof, all three felines go to the farm. Some of this repeats the first book, such as the absence of a father, the mother who bravely, and perhaps somewhat curiously, sends the children away to a better life, and the rather dull goodness of the human boy and girl. Le Guin's graceful writingespecially of the adventurous rescue of the new member of the family and in the roof sceneis sweetly illuminated by Schindler's delicately tinted drawings. A Richard Jackson Book. Ages 7-10. (Mar.)

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

Gr 2-4-- James and Harriet, the youngest and most adventurous of four winged cats, return from the country refuge that they found in Catwings (Orchard, 1988) to the inner-city slum where they were born, to see their mother again. They find a frightened winged kitten before finding their mother, the genteel Mrs. Jane Tabby. She is delighted to see her grown children and grateful that they've brought back her lost kitten. She insists that they take the kitten to safety in the country. This may grate on those who criticized as unfeeling Mrs. Jane's decision, in the first book, to send her older children off to a new life so that she could begin a new liaison unfettered, but it seems in character. Although characterization is slight, there is enough to win readers' sympathy. This gently appealing story will mean more to those who enjoyed the more vigorous first book, but it is hard to resist a story that brings a terrified, lonely kitten home to a loving family. The illustrations are engaging pen-and-ink drawings with watercolor wash. A handsome little book for middle readers. --Marilyn Iarusso, New York Public Library

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