Charlie Anderson [Paperback]

Barbara Abercrombie (Author), Mark Graham (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 1995 | Age Level: 4 and up

Charlie, a fuzzy gray cat, walked out of the woods one evening and into Elizabeth's and Sarah's hearts. Now he sleeps on their beds, lets them dress him up in doll clothes, and laps up warm milk on chilly nights. But where does Charlie go during the day?

It's not until a storm keeps Charlie away one night that the two sisters discover his other, daytime, home. But maybe that's not such a bad thing. Because, just like Elizabeth and Sarah, Charlie has two houses, two beds, and two families who love him very, very much!

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. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

Booklist Graham's softly blended full-color paintings reflect the gentle warmth of Abercrombie's prose, which capably employs a simple text to reinforce the good fortune of the cat an the girls...

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Paperback: 32 pages
• Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books (March 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0689801149
• ISBN-13: 978-0689801143
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 7.5 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #52,287 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #14 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Issues > Divorce
  • #15 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > People & Places > Family Life > Marriage & Divorce
  • #18 in Books > Children's Books > Social Situations > Family Life > Marriage & Divorce

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 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 (St. Louis MO) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (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.

8 of 9 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
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

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

4 of 4 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)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

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!