Customer Reviews

Wonderful Alexander and the Catwings

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

The Catwings books are little treasures. Ursula LeGuin's skilled, poignant, humorous writings and her sensitive insights on genuine, deep emotions combine to entertain, create suspense, and tug at the reader's heartstrings all at the same time. S.D. Schindler's beautiful pen-and-ink illustrations capture the delightful personalities of the cats without becoming cartoons. He makes us believe that cats with wings are entirely possible and real. This amazing illustrator should have received more recognition over the years, for he is a master.

The Catwings books are not only for children. Adults who love cats and who can believe that all things are possible will revere these wonderful stories, as well.

The Catwings books are great, so they make fantastic gifts. My 8YO godson agrees!

Ursula K. LeGuin, Wonderful Alexander and the Catwings (Orchard, 1994)

Five years after the first two books in the series, LeGuin released the third, Wonderful Alexander and the Catwings. It's the best of the series so far, mostly because it actually feels like a self-contained story. Alexander is a wingless kitten from a normal kitten family who goes out exploring one day, gets lost, and is taken in by the catwings. He develops a friendship with Jane, and goes to work unraveling the trauma that has kept her from speaking for most of her life.

Now, remember when reading that synopsis that the Catwings books are short (forty-two pages, in this case). That's some pretty complex stuff for what is, essentially, a kids' picture book. It's certainly light-years removed from the simple, rather bucolic tales found in the first two. This is where LeGuin takes the series and turns it into something special; if you're fan, and you passed these over because they're for young readers, go back and give them a spin. *** ½

This is the first in the catwings series my 4-year old and I have read together. We plan to read the 4-volume set! The plot and characters are highly imaginative; and LeGuin's keen observations of animal behavior bring the story to life. The detailed, realistic drawings that appear on nearly every page are beautiful and enjoyable, and keep my pre-school daughter's interest in the story, even though she may not grasp some of the more complex prose. LeGuin does not spare the reader realism--this is not a candy-coated story--but I believe even very young children appreciate honest portrayals of life's challenges. My daughter asks that I tell her the catwings story after lights out--we have even made up our own chapters.

Alexander Furby is a young kitten who is curious about the world around him. Venturing beyond the garden fence, Alexander finds a world of trees and other creatures, like dogs. Alexander is brave, but not brave enough to claw at the dogs. He scrambles up a tree and waits for help. In the morning, strange help comes from a kitten with wings, one that does not talk. She takes him back to a barn where other cats with wings, her brothers and sisters, live. Alexander finds out from them that her name is Jane. He decides that he wants to do something special for his friend. But what can an ordinary cat do for one with wings?
I thought that this was a cute book, but one for younger people. I gave it three stars because it is really at the reading level of an 7-9 year old.

I thought this book was good and kind of exciting. My favorite part was when Alexander got Jane to finally talk words beside HATE! and Me. I would recommend this book to people who like quick to read, short books or people who like cool stories about cat(wing)s.