Charlie Anderson (Hardcover)

by Barbara Abercrombie (Author), Mark Graham (Illustrator) "One cold night a cat walked out of the woods, up the steps, across the deck, and into the house where Elizabeth and Sarah lived..." (more)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal
Kindergarten-Grade 3-- Two sisters, Elizabeth and Sarah, adopt the cat who appears on their doorstep every evening--but never during the day. Soon he is sleeping on their beds and answering to the name of Charlie. The girls visit their father in the city every weekend, but on weekdays, when they are home with their mother, Charlie is always there by suppertime. One night the cat doesn't come. The next day the girls discover that he lives in a house with a family on the other side of the woods, where he is called Anderson, fed by day and let out by night. They all call the cat "Charlie Anderson," and realize that he, like Elizabeth and Sarah, "has two houses, two beds, two families who love him." Graham's soft-toned, realistic paintings of the charming little girls and the furry gray cat are delightfully appealing, perfectly conveying the mood and message of the story. --Shirley Wilton, Ocean County College, Toms River, NJ
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Description

Elizabeth and Sarah and their mother have a cat named Charlie, a stray they have taken in. At night, Charlie curls up on Elizabeth's bed to sleep. But every morning, after lapping up the milk in his bowl, he disappears into the woods. In the evening, he returns, in time to be brushed and fed.

Each weekend, Elizabeth and Sarah visit their father and stepmother in the city. They want to take Charlie with them, but Charlie is a country cat, their mother points out. They city is no place for him.

Charlie grows fatter and fatter, and then one stormy night, he doesn't come home. That's when the girls discover a secret about Charlie, something they have in common with him.

Elizabeth and Sarah's story -- and Charlie's -- is a contemporary one that takes into account the changing character of the family unit. Simply told and with heartwarming illustrations, Charlie Anderson will have special meaning for children whose parents are separated or divorced.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4-8
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry; 1st edition (September 1, 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0689504861
• ISBN-13: 978-0689504860
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 7.8 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #227,006 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Cat Lovers and Children of Divorced Parents..., September 10, 2001

By	Beth Jones Henkel "sabriel25" (louisville KY) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Charlie Anderson (Paperback)

This simple, yet intricate tale of a cat named Charlie and Anderson can help children of divorced parents relate to life. In it a cat has two homes, two set of owners and one big family that loves him a lot. He doesn't mind having to visit between them and he gets different kinds of love shown him at each house. So it makes him extra special. The two little girls who discover their cat actually has another home he visits during the day, slowly realize that although their parents live in separate houses still love them the same as if they did live together. It's straight forward approach and fuzzy, cuddly cat makes this book a unique approach to talking to your children about divorce. I recommend it highly being a divorced parent of a cat lover.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wanna explain "divorce" to a small one?, March 1, 2005

By	Reginald D. Garrard "the G-man" (Camilla, GA USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Charlie Anderson (School & Library Binding)

This wondrously illustrated and engaging picture book is simple enough and so thought-provoking that it makes the pangs of divorce a little less traumatic. With its feline hero, "intelligently" bouncing from one loved home to the next, the child can easily make a connection with a real-life scenario.

The book was presented to me in a grad class and I am thankful to the instructor for its introduction.

Thus, the recommendation is being passed on to the customers at Amazon with the hopes that they, too, will want to make this book a part of their children's collection.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of my ALL TIME favorite picture books, February 3, 2004

By	Mrs. Tiffany Regan "reading teacher" (Parker, CO USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Charlie Anderson (Paperback)

This is a wonderful story about a cat, Charlie, who saunters into the life of two girls. One stormy night, Charlie doesn't come home and the girls make a surprising discovery. They learn that having two homes and two families that love you can be pretty great! The illustrations are fabulous and capture the personality of the cat. You will fall in love with Charlie!