The Cat Who Escaped From Steerage [Hardcover]

Evelyn Wilde Mayerson (Author), Ronald Himler (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 30, 1990 | Age Level: 8 and up

Living in the steerage section of a steamship bound for America, Chanah tries to keep her newly found cat a secret.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 3-6-- The cat in question is Pitsel, a stray adopted by nine-year-old Chanah when her family passed through Marseilles on their way from Poland to America. The year is 1910, the family is poor, and steerage is the only passage they can afford. But Chanah has worries beyond the discomforts of the ship. Traveling with them is a young cousin, Yaacov, who is deaf and may be turned back at Ellis Island, and Pitsel might be turned back as well. When the cat disappears, Chanah begins a desperate search that takes her into the heady heights of the third-class deck and beyond with Yaacov, who communicates with her by gesture, as her chief ally. The story moves along briskly, and conveys a good sense of what travel was like for millions of immigrants. Attention has been paid to characterization, even of bit players. Adults may remain skeptical of the climactic scene in which Chanah successfully battles immigration officials and wins entry for Yaacov, but children will enjoy her triumphs. A nicely written addition to historical-fiction collections. --Elaine Fort Weischedel, Turner Free Library, Randolph, MA
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Hardcover: 64 pages
• Publisher: Atheneum (September 30, 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0684192098
• ISBN-13: 978-0684192093
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.8 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #418,136 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Perfectly Charming, September 23, 2009

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LME "The Discerning Viewer" (Central CA, USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Cat Who Escaped from Steerage (Paperback)

This is an excellent book!!! At 66 pages I call it an "in-betweener". The style of writing is a cross between storybook and longer book. So...read it aloud to the 4-7 year old set and have the 8-11 year old read it independently. The plot involves an extended Jewish family (although their faith is not brought forward in a prominent way) that is immigrating to America on a big ocean liner. They travel in steerage and the realistic, while still humorous, way in which their style of travel is presented is delightful. Naturally there is a cat, and it escapes from its' family. This prompts the children to appear in various parts of the ship, all of which are off-limits. The way in which family members quirks are cycled in throughout the story, gives evidence of a master storyteller. The commentary on human nature that results is done in a refreshingly innocent way. It all culminates in a tough passage through Ellis Island. This book could easily be used in 3rd to 6th grade studies of immigration and Ellis Island.
"The mist cleared slowly as the sun rose, revealing the shapes of tall buildings of the city beyond. The buildings were higher than any they had ever seen in Poland, including a chrch with a steeple and a turreted castle that had cast the entire village in shadow.
Then something wondrous appeared. To their left, rising before them, stood a giant statue of a woman holding aloft a torch in one hand and clutching a book in the other. Rays like the spokes on a wheel poked from her head.
Tante Mima tried to cover Chanah's eye. "Don't look," she said. "She's in her nightgown."
"If the Americans want to put the Statue of Liberty in a nightdress," said Yonkel, "it's their business.""
I, the reviewer, loved the grandma and her comments about the Taj Mahal. It reminded me of the Yaya in the film "My Big Fat Greek Wedding". It was hilarious, yet not ridiculous. I highly recommend the book.