Mary CalhounReseñas

Falinda the good witch is always accompanied her cat, Shadow. One morning Shadow does not return from his nightly adventures. Falinda searches everywhere with no success. The children bring her kittens, but Falinda has no interest in replacing her dear pet. That is, until a little kitten keeps appearing at her doorstep seeking attention and bringing gifts.

I first borrowed this book from the school library when I was a kid in the 1970s, and I fell in love with it. Years later, I looked it up online and found this original edition.

This book's premise is totally preposterous -- a cat on cross-country skis -- but it embraces it with verve and the result is a good story. Forms a nice diptych with North Country Night because you see a lot of the same wildlife, but it's hard to get the target age audience to sit through both in one session.

House of Thirty Cats was one of the first Chapter books I read in elementary school. I recently bought a used copy online because I wanted to read the book again. It was one of my favorite books as a child, probably because I love cats.

I first read this book in 3rd grade, just after adopting my first pet cat. The kitty was wandering around the grade school, homeless and getting thinner every day. I heard a teacher say that they were calling animal control to come pick her up. I couldn't let that happen. So I told a fib. I went inside and told my teacher that my kitty had followed me to school, asking if I could walk home (I only lived a couple blocks from the school) and take her back home before she got lost. My teacher gave me permission and I took this homeless kitty home with me. I rang the doorbell to my own house, because I knew better than to bring the cat in without asking permission first. I had practiced a good sob story during my walk from school. I had to talk my mother into letting me keep the cat. My mom opened the door and said no before I even got a word out. Then I begged.....I pulled the sad face and the "But mom, they are going to call animal control and she will be put to sleep if we don't give her a home.'' That worked. The kitty got to stay!!

I named her Tiger, which made no sense at all because she was a mostly white calico. I remember ordering this book from a school book order form soon after I got Tiger. I had a kitty of my own....and wanted to read a book about cats!

Mary Calhoun wrote many children's books, including the Henry Cat books and the Katie John series. The book was illustrated by Mary Chalmers. The pictures are simple black and white sketches, but I loved the drawings when I read the book as a child.

The plot is pretty basic. Sarah wants a kitten. She knows where she can get one, but she's afraid to ask. Miss Tabitha Henshaw has a lot of cats at her house. Sarah has even nicknamed the small old lady's home as The House of Thirty Cats. Miss Henshaw is a bit eccentric, so Sarah is afraid to ask if she might have a kitten. She finally works up the courage, and ends up making friends with Miss Henshaw and her cats. But then, a neighbor starts complaining that there are just too many cats. Miss Henshaw only has two weeks to get rid of most of her cats, or animal control will come in and remove them. Sarah agrees to help. Can she find homes for enough of the cats before time runs out?

I have loved cats since I was a little girl, so this story really tugged at my heartstrings back in the 70s when I read it the first time. As an adult, I still love the story, but found myself looking at the situation with grown-up concern. I foster for the local humane society. Mostly I foster orphan kittens who require bottle feeding. They take a lot of work and make a big mess. The most I've ever had was 7 fosters plus my 4 pets ...and the fosters only stayed til they were adopted. I can't imagine having 30 cats!! I sympathize with Miss Tabitha and with Sarah as a catlover.....but, as an adult, I also understand the neighbor's point. 30 cats is too many! Luckily Miss Tabitha had Sarah to help her find homes for most of her cats!

The cover shown above is the artwork I remember from my first copy of this book. The book has been reprinted several times since it was first published in 1965. The last time it was re-released was in 2002, so copies shouldn't be too hard to find.

My rating: 7/10
Ages 10

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Katie John is a great character, she makes me think of Grace from the Her Majesty, Grace Jones. She has spirit and heart and her scrapes are not the ones that just frustrate you. She does brave things and silly things and has an active imagination and I just really enjoyed reading this book.

So interesting, but be warned rotten eggs are thrown

This is the story of a cat whose Kid owner wanted him to ski. Henry the cat didn't want to ski, but he had to in the end when he was inadvertently left behind in the family's cabin after the family headed home in their car.

I couldn't really get into this story. What happened to Henry seemed unusually cruel. I know this is a kid's book and fantasy, but the pictures were very realistic of a Siamese cat. The cat was out in the cold. It had its hind feet stuck into tiny skis. The terrain over which Henry the cat traveled was extremely snowy and cold. Maybe I'm overthinking this story because I had feral cats who had to fend for themselves outside when it snowed.

I like the drawings in this book, but I would much rather read a cat story about a cat in a warm, snugly environment. I wasn't too impressed with the Man whose only two words in this book were "Idiotic cat!"

A sassy Siamese cat stows away on a hot air balloon and ends up taking a fur-raising flight across the mountains

Henry doesn’t understand why The Kid likes sliding around in the snow. The Kid made him a specialized pair of cat-sized skis, but Henry sank into the snow and yowled. He decided people were crazy for wanting to slide around on the snow.

As the family packs up to head for home, Henry realizes his favorite toy mouse, a fluff of purple yarn, is still in the ski lodge and he dashes in to retrieve it from beneath The Kid’s bed. But no one sees him go inside and the family drives away without Henry. What will Henry do? How can he get home?

This picture book, for children aged five through eight, will delight all cat-lovers of all ages. However, with a Lexile level of AD640L, it is a book for parents to read to young children. Beautifully illustrated, this charming tale of bravery, determination, and creative problem-solving is certain to become a favorite with young readers.

Recommended.

Henry wants to ride in the hot-air balloon, but the mean man won't let him get close. So Henry tries to stowaway but winds up soloing in the balloon, higher and higher. Fun story, great illustrations, and a good companion to this author's other works.½

I found this at a Little Library and was reminded that I read Mary Calhoun titles as a child, including Katie John, I am sure. This one is wholesome and not diverse but the alienation Katie John feels among her peers as they enter puberty is universal. Katie John goes through phases of reactive hatefulness and confused emotions. It's her exploration of an abandoned old house and clues to Netta, the former woman of the house that helps Katie John figure out she too can be true to herself while growing into womanhood.

I would have loved this when I was 8 or 9. I would have identified very strongly with Katie's friend Sue, who is more sensible & more feminine, but not a 'fraidy cat. The adventures are mostly pretty simple & tame, but Calhoun makes them sound exciting. Perhaps that's because this is a memoir, as the dedication implies?

I think that this could still be enjoyed today if re-packaged (think of the appeal of [b:The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy|266904|The Penderwicks A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy|Jeanne Birdsall|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1320508900s/266904.jpg|2564478]), and I would like to read the sequels.

What a character. ?áSometimes it's 'depend on' her to get herself into a scrape, sometimes it's 'depend on' her to come up with a clever solution. ?áSometimes her solutions even work! ?áAnd sometimes her impulsiveness and salesmanship skills remind the reader of the wildest of boy characters we've met.

Interestingly, issues of feminism are very subtly raised. ?áThere's one chapter in which we learn that the fifth-graders are starting to think about boy-girl things, and Katie realizes that tomboys aren't likely to get Valentines from all the boys who see her as a comrade. ?áBut her alter-persona, ladylike Cathy, is no fun, so Katie becomes herself again promptly. ?áOn the other hand, mother points out that all of Katie's hard work taking care of the renters and babysitting a little boy prepare her for more than a career as a housekeeper or nurse, they prepare her for being a woman. ?áOn the third hand, a rich & pretty classmate may seem to have smooth sailing ahead, but as mother says, she'll probably have a pretty boring life.

I think I liked this even better than the first Katie John book - and I wish I could find more.

Not bad, but just didn't do anything for me. Some children will love it. I tried two Henry books and have only this much to say about both.

3.5 stars. Reads like a tall tale, but most is almost plausible, including the end. I think some kids would get a big kick out of seeing everything get blown around, and predicting what will eventually tame the wind.

Not bad, but just didn't do anything for me. Some children will love it. I tried two Henry books and have only this much to say about both.

Hm. Well, it's clearly a fantasy, as Miss Tabitha' house *would* suffer from so many cats. And the ending was pretty much a Deus ex machina.

But I do like the idea of the girl Sarah getting to know people better by trying to find just the right cat to convince them to adopt. And the author does teach us quite a bit about the proper care of cats.

However, the characterization of the neighbor, well, hmpf. Nobody tries to see his point of view at all. He doesn't have to a bad person to be unsympathetic to cats eating his flowers and doing their business in his earth and yowling at night. I sympathize with him, even though I actually like cats.

Biggest problem - nobody even thinks about neutering the poor critters. Miss Tabitha is even proud of the ones that keep having litters!

I can imagine I would have loved this as a fantasy when I was a girl, but I'm too cynical now. And I can't think of any child nowadays wanting to read it.

A little long-winded, esp. for group story-time I think. And it's really more about the cats, imo, than about the witch. Perfect for those sensitive children, ages maybe 4-8, who don't feel as happy about Halloween as their peers.

I found this book to be a really interesting and unexpected story, as when I began reading it I had no idea what it was going to be about. I assumed a cat was going on a ski trip, but I found it was so much more than that! I love this story of the adventurous cat because I felt the emotions with the cat, such as when he was sad because he thought his family left him forever. I also felt the determination of the cat to ski home and away for safety. These range of emotions made me want to keep reading! The messages of this story are to never give up, and that family is always there for you. Definitely a great read!½

The river floods by their house the family go to the uncles house to be safe. The little girl is sad and mad about whats happening.

When the white witch Falinda, really more of a herbal healer, loses her beloved feline companion Shadow, she is inconsolable. Although the local children try to help, by offering her various kittens from their own homes, she refuses to be comforted, or to think of a replacement for the faithful black cat who followed her everywhere she went. Then a gray and black-striped kitten takes to haunting her doorstep, undeterred by her attempts to drive him off, and slowly begins to win her over. Although more of a stay-at-home cat than the wandering Shadow, this newcomer is full of love, and eventually wins her place - and her name, Homebody - at Falinda's side.

The third witchy picture-book I have read from Mary Calhoun - the previous two being The Witch of Hissing Hill, and Wobble, the Witch Cat - this book offers an appealing tale of loss and healing, as Falinda comes to terms with the disappearance of Shadow, and learns to accept Homebody into her heart. Published in 1979, The Witch Who Lost Her Shadow has a rather vintage feel to it, with illustrations that reminded me somewhat of the work of Margot Zemach. My favorite scene, visually speaking, was the one in which Shadow chases fireflies in the nighttime wood - it was just magical! - although the overall impression created by the artwork is appealing. Recommended to young children who are dealing with the loss of a pet, or who enjoy witchy fare.

Sarajean and her family try to save their home from an oncoming flood from the Mississippi River.

Recommended Age: Kindergarten +

a family deal with a floor in their midwest area. once the levee breaks the floor get ever worse.
source: ECE text book

heavy rains came and the river was rising everyone but sarajanes family started leaving. finally things were getting very unsafe so they decided to leave and go to her uncles place where they would be safe from the flood. she wasnt scared because her parents were calm through it . her grandma didnt want to leave because too mant memories but sarajean told her as long as they were together they would always be family no matter where they lived.