Review by Booklist Review
Gr. 3-5, younger for reading aloud. Recapturing the quiet charm of the original Catwings [BKL Ag 88], Le Guin answers the age-old question, ``What happened next?'' Now full- grown, two of the four winged kittens, who found a happy home in the country at the end of the first book, decide to visit their mother in the city. Guided by instinct and beset by perils, they fly back to their old alley, where they discover and befriend a fierce, frightened kitten with wings like their own. Soothing her with an old lullaby, they keep her safe while searching for their mother. When they find her, they discover that the kitten is their sister and vow to fly her away to the safety of the farm. Le Guin's precise prose keeps the fantasy so securely rooted in reality that the magic is all the more convincing. Similar to the earlier book in format, this small, well-designed volume will please young readers with its many illustrations. Few artists use full-color washes with as much restraint as Schindler or to such good effect. Subtle tints enhance his fine-line ink drawings. A convincing fantasy and a worthy sequel. -- Carolyn Phelan
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Identical in format and length to its predecessor, Catwings , this new book picks up where that one left off. The four winged catsThelma, Roger, Harriet and Jamesare content in the country barn where they live, secretly cared for by humans Hank and Susan. But they would like to see their mother, and the dumpster where they were born. Only James and Harriet make the trip, and learn that the slums are being destroyed by demolition crews. Their mother and the dumpster have moved; instead, they find a winged kitten. After a brief reunion with their mother, who now lives amidst flower pots on an apartment roof, all three felines go to the farm. Some of this repeats the first book, such as the absence of a father, the mother who bravely, and perhaps somewhat curiously, sends the children away to a better life, and the rather dull goodness of the human boy and girl. Le Guin's graceful writingespecially of the adventurous rescue of the new member of the family and in the roof sceneis sweetly illuminated by Schindler's delicately tinted drawings. A Richard Jackson Book. Ages 7-10. (Mar.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 2-4-- James and Harriet, the youngest and most adventurous of four winged cats, return from the country refuge that they found in Catwings (Orchard, 1988) to the inner-city slum where they were born, to see their mother again. They find a frightened winged kitten before finding their mother, the genteel Mrs. Jane Tabby. She is delighted to see her grown children and grateful that they've brought back her lost kitten. She insists that they take the kitten to safety in the country. This may grate on those who criticized as unfeeling Mrs. Jane's decision, in the first book, to send her older children off to a new life so that she could begin a new liaison unfettered, but it seems in character. Although characterization is slight, there is enough to win readers' sympathy. This gently appealing story will mean more to those who enjoyed the more vigorous first book, but it is hard to resist a story that brings a terrified, lonely kitten home to a loving family. The illustrations are engaging pen-and-ink drawings with watercolor wash. A handsome little book for middle readers. --Marilyn Iarusso, New York Public Library (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
Read by the author. (Primary, Intermediate)Le Guin's tales about a quartet of winged tabby cats land on their feet in these audio versions. The inaugural story follows the kittens' daunting journey from the city slums to the country, where they settle with two kind children; the sequel returns the youngest siblings, Harriet and James, to the city, where danger abounds as they rescue their half-sister Jane and are reunited with their mother. Le Guin's assured, steadfast performance will quell young listeners' fears when the kittens set out on their own; on their return, her heightened use of inflection and pacing appropriately mirrors the kittens' suspenseful, harrowing search for their missing mother.[Review covers these audiobook titles: Catwings and Catwings Returns]From HORN BOOK, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
In a sequel to Catwings (p. 975/C-162), two of the four winged kittens--who now live happily in the country with children who love them too much to exploit them--return to the city to visit their mother, only to find that their birthplace--a slum--is in the midst of demolition, their dumpster home gone. They hear a tiny voice wail ""Me!"" and discover a black, winged kitten (their younger sibling) trapped in an attic, so terrified that it spits and shouts, ""HATE! HATE!"" Cleverly, they gain its trust and rescue it; then they find Mother before taking the kitten back to the farm, where it will be sate. Like its predecessor, this is a rather mild little story made interesting by its beguiling subject, the author's wit and felicitous use of language, and the illustrator's fine, splendidly detailed drawings. Again, the small format is unusually attractive and appealing, marred only by the printer's inexcusable use of letter spacing. Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
