The Fire Cat [Paperback]

This is the first "real" book with chapters and full pages of text that my ds has read by himself. The story of a troublesome homeless cat who finds a home and a purpose at the firehouse after he is rescued from a tree in a rain storm. His life comes full circle when he rescues a cat too far out on a thin branch during his duty as fire cat.

A classic children's easy reader. A wonderful, wholesome story that does not show any signs of ageing. One has a feeling that the story is not happening today but rather than feeling old-fashioned it has the air of a very small town about it. Averill's artwork is a joy. Done in red, yellow and black they suit the text wonderfully. I always find it very satisfying when the author has also done the illustrations. Again, the illustrations feel more small town-ish than they do old-fashioned except for that little black corded phone which turns up in a few pictures near the end. Ds enjoyed reading the book, often wanting to read more than his required number of daily pages. He's very fond of animal stories and this one didn't disappoint.

The "An I Can Read Book" series has been around since the mid to late fifties and has in recent times started to be reprinted under the name of "I Can Read!". Many of the old titles are being reprinted under the new series name as of course are new ones, but it is the old titles, one should seek out. The reading level is much more consistent and the authors are some of the greats in children's literature. Esther Averill's The Fire Cat is a book that will never go out of print and is highly recommended as a read aloud to preschool children and as a first reader for children of any age (it is not too babyish for older struggling readers) who are ready to read at this level.

This book was read to me every single time I would visit my grandparents as a child. I would insist upon it, in fact. The story is brilliant, the writing is simple but enjoyable and the artwork is fabulous. As a kid, I thought "Pickles" was a pretty neat name for a cat, and decided that my very first cat would be named after the cat in this book.

I own the copy that belonged to my Uncle and every now and then I take it out and read it. My cat, is even named Pickles, although she's not yellow with spots. But she does have big paws.

I had a most unusual experience recently with this book. I was browsing at a local children's bookstore (sorry, Amazon!) when I saw this book on the shelf. A thrill of recognition shot through me like a bolt of lightning! This book had been one of my favorites (...).

I immediately purchased it, and read it to my kids. Have you ever had fond memories of something from your childhood, but found out when you revisited it as an adult that it didn't hold up over the years? Luckily, that is NOT the case with The Fire Cat--this book is every bit as wonderful today as it was 40 years ago.

The illustrations deserve comment. Esther Averill was amazingly deft in her illustrations of cats; anyone who has owned a cat will appreciate the subtle perfection of the way she captures the poses of the cat in various situations. Yet her illustrations of the people and objects in the story are pretty crude. They don't have the obvious charm of Maurice Sendak's work, or the zany energy of Dr. Seuss. But I assure you the illustrations will captivate any young reader as the perfect companions for the text.

And what a text! It is elegant and beautifully structured, yet it's so simple and straightforward that any preschooler can easily follow along. Pickles, the main character, starts off as a bit of a bully, but by the end he has completely redeemed himself and is a hero. I especially like that the good things that happen to Pickles don't just happen by chance, as they do in so many other children's stories--Pickles actually works hard to better himself.

This book is truly a classic. If your budget permits, spring for the library binding. I guarantee that if you get it for your kids, they will someday be reading it to their own kids!