Marsh Cat [Library Binding]

Peter Parnall (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 9 and up

A huge, wild cat faces new dangers when he moves from his marshland home to a barn during the winter months.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-6-- A compelling tale of a huge black cat, the sole surviving kitten of its one-eyed, feral mother. Cat's birth in the Maine woods, his learning to hunt and survive, and his interaction with the area's wildlife is told in read-aloud writing with an artist's and naturalist's eye and ear. Parnall tells a story of grim adventure softened by tender caring, vividly set against backgrounds of a forest and a marsh created by beaver dams. Cat is nudged by hunger and a wandering barn cat to a wary try on a farm where his mother once sheltered--and where a girl's attempt to tame him saves his life. But the call of Crow, not Rooster, foretells Cat's rejection of the warmly portrayed barn inhabitants and his return to the wilds. The jacket's silhouetted feline, black except for its amber eye, is a knockout. --Ruth M. McConnell, San Antonio Public Library
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews

An illustrator with three Caldecott Honor books to his credit tries his hand at a novel with his favorite theme: the interrelationships of creatures living near his Maine farm. Cat, a heroic-size member of his species, was born in the wild. Now four, he's having a tough time catching enough food to get him through the winter when he chances to meet a barn cat; curious, he follows her home and discovers that kibbles, though boring, make life easier. Gradually the little girl Tracy becomes aware of Cat and gains his confidence. After he ventures forth and is caught in a trap, he crawls back to the barn to die; Tracy gets him to the vet, who saves his life. Still, when spring comes, Cat returns to the wild. Of most interest here are Parnall's careful observations and descriptions of both wild creatures and farm animals; though he occasionally skirts close to anthropomorphism, he almost always adheres to a credible depiction of the world from the animals' point of view. The passages concerning Tracy are a bit trite; there are stylistic lapses; and the plot is predictable--but for anyone with a deep interest in animal behavior, Cat's odyssey is rewardingly full of authentic detail. Several handsome drawings are included. (Fiction. 9-14) -- Copyright ©1991, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Library Binding: 128 pages
• Publisher: Atheneum (October 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0027701204
• ISBN-13: 978-0027701203
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,272,698 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.