The Catwings Series by Ursula K Le Guin and S.D. Schindler

   

Ursula K Le Guin is one of the authors I consider one of my favourites. Her Earthsea series is absolutely amazing and I particularly love her lesser known series ‘The Annals from the Western Shore’. Something about those sweeping fantasies moves me incredibly.

But this review isn’t about those books. This is about a little series called Catwings that I discovered in my bookshop days. I bought them on the spot (well three of the four – all that was in available at the time) and sat them proudly next to her young adult books on my shelf. At that time, while I wanted to own these little chapter books, I didn’t read that sort of thing very much, so they have sat, untouched, for 6 or 7 years now. These days, I know the joy a well written chapter book can bring, so one night when I finished reading a more substantial sci-fi, I got out of bed and went and got them and read all three in a row.

What are they about? Cats with wings. Couldn’t you tell?

Why do they have wings?

“Mrs Jane Tabby could not explain why all four of her children had wings.” - The first sentence of the first book. But, it is unimportant. We grow with the kittens, learning to use their wings, trying to survive in the city. Then Jane sends her children away to find a safer place to live. That’s when the adventures begin.

These are gentle fantasy chapter books for imaginative children, especially if they like cats.

In each book we meet a new friend and come up against a new challenge.

I must admit I wasn’t as profoundly moved by them as I have been by her other writings, but I believe she achieved her goal with these books. They really are charming.

3.5 Silver Stars

Find them on Goodreads:

Catwings

Catwings Return

Wonderful Alexander and the Catwings

Jane On Her Own

 9, 10, 11/40