A Cat Called Penguin

by Holly Webb, Polly Dunbar (Illustrator)

Alfie has always loved playing in the overgrown garden next door. It is here he plays with Penguin, an enormous black-and-white ct, a stray who Alfie has claimed as his own. But when his next door neighbour's granddaughter, Grace, comes to live with her, she decides Penguin belongs to her.

Genres: Childrens

160 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2011

About the author

Holly Webb is one of Britain's best-loved children's writers. She has written over a hundred books for children, and her work has been translated into over thirty languages. Holly lives in Tilehurst, just outside of Reading, Berkshire, with her husband, three children and several cats.

Reviews

[Stef Rozitis · Rating 3 out of 5]

A kids book about a cat, a tree and two kids competing for both of those. I liked aspects of the book though there was the fat cat cliche with some fat-shaming. I did like the gentle twist with the grandmother at the end.

The puctures are cute too.

An easy attractive book for young readers.

[Nina · Rating 3 out of 5]

I always like stories with animals and cute children in it. This book gives a warming feeling to the reader.

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Cat Called Penguin is a book for kids, by Holly Webb, and it is illustrated by Polly Dunbar. It is about a boy named Alfie and the goings on in the neighbouring house. Penguin was found as a kitten. In adulthood, during a check-up, the vet suggests that Penguin ought to go on a diet. Hower, a girl Alfie’s age (Grace) has just moved in next door. Alfie finds that she has claimed Penguin as her own, and has now renamed him as Harry.

The general aim of the book is to teach kids a bit more about feeding their pets and making sure that it’s the appropriate amount for them, and the appropriate type of food. In this case, it’s a cat. However, I’m sure the lesson is somewhat suitable for other pets, too. There’s also the importance that pets oughtn’t be eating human food because it’s not good for them. And I think many kids can learn a reasonable bit about it. But also, I think it can begin a lot of important topics with parents (, carers, guardians, etc) who can use it as a conversation starter on how to take care of pets. There’s also a storyline about Grace’s grandmother, who has had trouble remembering things and hasn’t been very well. I think a lot of kids will definitely be able to relate to these plot lines, and to learn a bit more about these important things.

There are wonderful illustrations. They provide a good feel for the book. Though the book is mostly text, the imagery provides a few nice moments to show readers what is happening. There are images of kids playing, or the cat. I think the art is quite lovely, and it is fairly simplistic. Which I think is important because I think it’s the type of art that readers could try drawing for themselves, if they feel inspired by the illustrator’s work. I think the artist did well.

Overall, it’s an alright book. I think it has some important lessons that people can learn from, and it could indeed encourage them to think more of how they treat their own pets. I think many kids will like the book.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Standard kid’s fare about hating the new neighbour and then learning better. However it’s really well written, the cat is excellent and it even covers the subject of dementia nicely for those who need a book to be more than just a good story.

[Darcie bookworm · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked the book it was a simple but fun book it was cute with the cats and the little kids

[Pınar Aydoğdu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tatlı bir sürtüşmeyle geçen bir arkadaşlık hikayesi! Tabii bir de ortada kedi var: Penguen!

[Betül · Rating 4 out of 5]

3,5

[Brie Lau · Rating 4 out of 5]

Penguin is a good name for a cat! I never thought about it before. I really like that he eats human food.

[David O'Callaghan · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s a great book with good stuff and pictures

[Subhiksha Kannan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Feel-good, innocent and a happy read.

[Jodie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Cat Called Penguin by Holly Webb
Scholastic Children’s Books 2011

Alfie enjoys a quiet life with his family and his cat Penguin whom the family took in several years ago as a stray. Frequently venturing into his elderly neighbour’s garden accompanied by Penguin to use the tree house, Alfie's biggest worry was getting caught. However, when his neighbour’s grown up daughter moves in with her mother, bringing her own daughter Grace with her, their presence threatens to disrupt both Alfie’s favourite spying spot and his relationship with Penguin: no sooner does Grace eject Alfie from the treehouse, then she befriends Penguin, bribing him with treats!

Alfie is so upset that Penguin is no longer a constant presence by his side, that he ignores Grace during school and shuns her after school. However, when the cat goes missing for several days, and the children discover that he is not staying with either of them, they set out to look for him together. They eventually find him in an old shed and work together to rescue him! From then onwards, the children are friends and even Penguin is pleased, vowing to attempt to get three breakfasts every day!

I very much enjoyed this book because it portrays a young boy’s point of view with honesty and humour. I would say that the ideal age range for the book would be years 2-4, because of the book’s childlike narration, linear plot progression and simple subject matter, which children of this age would be able to relate to. Due to the uncomplicated nature of this book, it would be ideal on a lower KS2 bookshelf for the children to be able to read independently, or for year 2 guided reading. The thoughtful tone of this book could be a useful prompt for empathetic creative writing. SEAL would also be a really good cross curricular link; children could learn a lot from the way in which Alfie challenges his own preconceptions about Grace, and learns to work together with her both inside and outside the classroom.

[Mar Dixon · Rating 3 out of 5]

** Review from my 9 YO daughter Charlotte

I like the characters personalities and it also shows that animals understand your feelings but sometimes animals mistake your intentions. The boy has tree, but this is in his elderly neighbours garden and it is difficult for him to get to it he goes through brambles and nettles and under the loose floorboard behind the shed to get to the tree which is his retreat when his mom shouts at him and he always takes his cat with him. The elderly neighbour has her daughter and granddaughter to live with her and the granddaughter claims the tree and the cat as hers, which makes them enemies from the start. The boy and the granddaughter eventually make friends but the cat disappears and the two children search together for the boy’s cat. Read on to find out more. Do you think that they stayed friends? Did they find the cat? Did they have adventures together?

At first I was not too keen on this book, but when I read on I really enjoyed it and it teaches that you should share.

I think that this book would suit six to eight year olds

[Kateryna Pinchuk]

A Cat Called Penguin is a book written by Holly Webb. This is a fiction, relatively realistic fiction book mostly for juvenile audiences. I decided to read this book because when I was younger I used to read a lot of books by Holly Webb and even though I knew this book might not be ideal for my age I still decided to give it a try.

This book is about a black and white stray cat who Alfie had claimed as his own and given him the name Penguin. Him and Alfie love playing in the overgrown garden next door, but then the neighbour 19s granddaughter Grace moves in and decides Penguin belongs to her! While the two are fighting over him, thinking the cat is with the other, Penguin disappears.

From this book I have learned that sometimes your feelings can be understood, but your intentions mistaken. The plot and characters did seem very real, it wasn 19t very exciting for me though but that is probably because of my age. I would however recommend it to younger children from the ages of 7 to 10.

[Tiffany · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this to my 7 1/2 year old son. We loved this story. The story was not predictable as is the case with so many books in this age range.
There were emotive topics such as aging grandparents and friendship development that were handled well.

We are thinking of buying a copy we liked it so much!

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked it because the cat is called Penguin, which makes me laugh. It was a very good story.