Dick Whittington and His Cat - Hardcover

Hodges, Margaret

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0823419878 ISBN 13: 9780823419876

Publisher: Holiday House, 2006

Synopsis

Retells the legend of the poor boy in medieval England who trades his beloved cat for a fortune in gold and jewels and eventually becomes Lord Mayor of London.

About this title

About the Author:

Melisande Potter is active in many artistic fields. She has been a ballet dancer and pianist, and established her own tiny theater company with her family. An avid traveler, she has illustrated children's books set around the world, including Pizza For the Queen by Nancy Castaldo. She divides her time between New York, Jamaica, and Europe.

From Booklist:

PreS-Gr. 2. From Marcia Brown's Caldecott Honor Book, Dick Whittington and His Cat (1950), to Alan Armstrong's Newbery Honor Book Whittington (2005), the legend of an orphan whose pet cat brings him fortune (the British equivalent of a Horatio Alger parable) has been fodder for numerous retellings. Seasoned folklorist Hodges, who passed away last year, based this version on an eighteenth-century chapbook housed at the University of Pittsburgh. Though some adults will prefer the gold-and-mustard linocuts in Brown's classic picture book, Potter's spry ink-and-gouache paintings, teeming with Elizabethan ambience, apply a fresh coat of paint to the tale that will surely bring its enduring qualities to new listeners. As always, Dick's pluck and serendipitous good fortune will resonate with children--even if young cat fanciers object to the ending, in which the bond between Dick and his beloved tabby is sacrificed in the name of commerce and social advancement. An endnote reveals that Dick Whittington was a real historical figure and offers history on both chapbooks and the church bells that figure into the story. Jennifer Mattson
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About this edition

• Publisher: Holiday House
• Publication date: 2006
• ISBN 10: 0823419878
• ISBN 13: 9780823419876
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 32
• Illustrator: Potter Melisande