Book

Whittington / by Alan Armstrong ; illustrated by S.D. Schindler.

Armstrong, Alan W., 1939- (Author). Schindler, S. D., (ill.).

Summary:

Whittington, a feline descendant of Dick Whittington's famous cat of English folklore, appears at a rundown barnyard plagued by rats and restores harmony while telling his ancestor's story.

A retelling of the English folktale Dick Whittington and His Cat. A battered tomcat named Whittington arrives one late Fall day at a rundown New England barn full of animals the rest of the world had no use for. He stays at the insistence of the barn's animal residents to solve their rat problem. Abby and Ben, two orphaned grandkids come to the farm daily to help feed the animals. In exchange for giving a daily reading tutorial to 8-year old Ben, Whittington tells in tantalizing installments, the story handed down to him from his nameless forebear, Dick Whittington's cat. It is the legend of a lad born to poverty in rural England during the Black Death, who runs away to London, where he has heard the streets are paved with gold. In London he discovers a world of excitemnet and opportunity --and the cat who brings him fortune and riches beyond his wildest imagingings. The narrative weaves back and forth between the domestic details of the barn and the rousing and exotic adventures of Dick Whittington and his cat.