Wonderful Alexander and the Catwings: A Catwings Tale [Hardcover]

Ursula Leguin (Author), S.D. Schindler (Illustrator)

Book Description

Series: Catwings

"Nothing frightens Alexander!" the Furbies exclaim of their biggest, strongest, loudest kitten. "Alexander is wonderful!" But the world Alexander trots off to explore turns out to be terrifying--with trucks and dogs--and Alexander must be rescued by Jane, a strange, furry bird called a Catwing. Full color.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 2-4-The third installment in the saga introduces a kitten whose family thinks he is so remarkable that they call him "Wonderful Alexander." One morning, he sets out to explore the world. But soon he finds himself stuck in a tree, and is rescued by Jane, a black kitten with wings. She leads him to her home, and there he meets the other Catwings. His rescuer can only say the words "Me" and, when she's frightened, "Hate." (Readers of Catwings Return [Orchard, 1989] will recall that she had a terrifying experience that left her mute.) Alexander is adopted by the Catwings' human caretaker and finds himself mulling over how to thank Jane for bringing him his good fortune. When he helps her overcome her fear of speaking, all agree that he is truly wonderful. Alexander's appearance in this charming series does more than tie up the loose threads of Jane's muteness; it also sets the stage for further adventures. The story is illustrated with delicate pen-and-ink drawings colored in soft, earth-tone washes. This pocket-sized title will appeal to early chapter-book readers, fans of the earlier books, and cat lovers in general.
Mary Jo Drungil, Niles Public Library District, IL
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Gr. 2-4. The third book in the Catwings series features a pampered but adventurous kitten named Alexander who leaves his comfortable home to explore the world. He's soon cold, frightened, and lost in a forest, until Jane, one of the flying cats, rescues him. In gratitude, he later helps Jane regain her speech by encouraging and even bullying her into talking about a traumatic experience in her youth. Although the writing is clear and fluid, the story is less satisfying than earlier Catwings books. Perhaps it's easier to accept a cat who's part bird than a cat who's part psychoanalyst. Still, this sequel has a place in libraries, where the earlier books have a following. S. D. Schindler's delicate ink-and-watercolor artwork continues its old enchantment, giving convincing form to the flying cats and grave beauty to the fantasy. Carolyn Phelan

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 48 pages
• Publisher: Scholastic (September 1, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 053106851X
• ISBN-13: 978-0531068519
• Product Dimensions: 0.5 x 5.5 x 7.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,393,519 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars wonderful alexander and the catwings, November 16, 2000

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Wonderful Alexander and the Catwings: A Catwings Tale (Hardcover)

Alexander is a cat. He is the biggest and the strongest but very bossy. He went off exploring. He was chased by dogs. He got stuck in a tree. One of the catwings (Jane) came to help him. She brought him home to his family. The owner of his family said to Susan that she could keep Alexander. I liked the book because Alexander goes on adventures, He goes to a farm and sees a cow and says to the cow don't say moo say mew. I think you should buy this book if you like cats you will like this book.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Better than the original!, February 1, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Wonderful Alexander and the Catwings: A Catwings Tale (Hardcover)

I read "Catwings" to my kids and we loved it! And this one is even better. It has the true magical quality that makes a memorable, classic, children's book.

5.0 out of 5 stars More magical Catwings, July 15, 2008

By 

Renate Simon "Ares" (Lindsay, Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Wonderful Alexander and the Catwings: A Catwings Tale (Hardcover)

This is the 3rd installment in noted author Ursula K. LeGuin's excellent Catwings series. It is as good as the others. The Catwings stories are the adventures of 5 young winged cats that were born to a normal alley cat in a gritty, realistic city. They find their way to an old barn in the country and 2 kind children who look after them, and keep their secret . Alexander is a normal cat who is sure he is destined to do something wonderful. As a kitten, he goes exploring, gets lost, and finds his way to the Catwings and their humans. There he finds friendship, a home, and does indeed something wonderful by helping the youngest Catwing, Jane. A bad experience while a kitten caused her to lose the ability to speak, she can only say 'me' and 'hate'. Alexander helps her overcome her trauma and speak again. This book would be perhaps useful for children with a trauma in their lives. These slender little books with great illustrations can be read by adults, and do not talk down to children. They are warm, and firmly rooted in our world, but have the feel of a magical fairy tale with the winged cats and talking animals. They leave you wanting more. LeGuin is a well known science fiction and fantasy author, who hopefully will write more young children's stories of this caliber.