Whittington

by Alan Armstrong

Hardcover, 2005

Status

Available

Local notes

Fic Arm

Barcode

13

Collection

Publication

Random House Books for Young Readers (2005), Edition: First Edition, Hardcover, 208 pages

Description

Whittington, a feline descendant of Dick Whittington's famous cat of English folklore, appears at a rundown barnyard plagued by rats and restores harmony while telling his ancestor's story.

Awards

Nebraska Golden Sower Award (Nominee — 2009)
Sequoyah Book Award (Nominee — Children's — 2008)
Triple Crown Awards (Nominee — 2008)
Sasquatch Book Award (Nominee — 2008)
Newbery Medal (Honor Book — 2006)

Original publication date

2005

Physical description

208 p.; 8.66 inches

User reviews

LibraryThing member MSLMC
More than the retelling of of a classic fable, this story interweaves the original story with modern family issues and unforgettable characters in the barnyard.
LibraryThing member fingerpost
This is one of those Newbery Honor books that just makes me say, "Why?"
There are three stories in this book. One is the story of a stray cat, Whittington, who joins a bunch of barnyard animals in a barn. The second is the story of two children, grandchildren of the owner of the barn and the
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animals. The children go to the barn regularly and talk to the animals. (The children can understand the animals talking and vice versa.) The boy struggles with dyslexia and is fighting to pass his grade. The third story is a tale that Whittington tells to the other animals and the children - the story of Dick Whittington, a boy who lived in medieval England, and had a cat, who was Whittington's great-great ever so great grandmother.
The Dick Whittington tale the cat tells is OK, though nothing spectacular. The dyslexic boy story and the talking barnyard animals stories are just rather dull. And worst of all, the three stories have virtually nothing to do with each other. There is a little smidge of Dick inspiring the boy to learn to read, but it's a stretch to be sure.
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LibraryThing member auntieknickers
A battle-scarred tomcat named Whittington moves into a barn full of rescued farm animals. The barn belongs to an old filling-station owner and his wife, who are raising their two grandchildren; the children's mother is dead and their father absent and uninvolved. Moreover, the boy is dyslexic and
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angry about it and almost everything else. The cat, meanwhile, claims to be a descendant of the famous Dick Whittington's cat, and he begins to tell Whittington's story to the assembled animals and the children.

So, a barn full of talking animals,children with modern problems, and a legendary story from medieval England. Who would think such disparate elements could be combined into such a good book?

Armstrong doesn't sugarcoat the animals just because he makes them capable of speech. Cats get in fights, killing rats and even other cats; predators attack the farm animals; a neighboring cat in heat attracts Whittington's attentions. In short, the animals behave like animals. The human characters, as well, are realistically drawn and not too good to be true. Through much research, detailed in a note at the end, Armstrong has fleshed out the story of Dick Whittington into a tale that held my interest, as well as that of the book's characters.

I think any middle-grade reader would like this book, and it would be useful in sensitizing children to the problems of dyslexia without being overly didactic.
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LibraryThing member Whisper1
Thwack...(The sound of this book as it hits the floor) after my brave, stubborn attempt to like it.

What in the world were the Newbery award panel of judges thinking in nominating this as one of the 2006 honor books? Ok, I concede that I'm not an expert, but geesh, this book is bad, bad, bad.

Unlike
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so many other Newbery winners, the plot (what plot?) is dull. The writing is trite. And, it is boring beyond belief.

A stray cat, some barnyard animals, including two horses, some rats, a bossy duck and some chickens, unite to help a little boy who has reading difficulties.

Whittington -- the cat -- weaves a yarn about how he obtained his name.

Ugh..
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LibraryThing member LyndaHuntley
This is a Newberry award winner book about a legendary storytelling cat who explains to some unfortunate castaway farm animals how he came to be called Whittington. The other characters are animals who were rescued and two children who are trying to help Ben who has dyslexia to read. There are two
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stories that intertwine that explain the past of Whittington, the cat and his present adventures.
This is a very interesting and easy way to get students to learn of Whittington who was a real person. It mixes the legend of a cat that helped a young boy to overcome odds despite some very hard situations.
Students can explore where Whittington traveled, spices that were important, merchants, pirates, The Black Plague as extensions.
I really enjoyed reading this book. The settings are masterfully written. The imagery is clear throughout the chapter book. Humor balances the drama. The use of foreshadowing plays an important part of understanding why some events take place. This book is a very fun and easy read!
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LibraryThing member abbylibrarian
Whittington the cat has been through a lot and he has stories to tell. After joining the other animals on Bernie's farm, he tells them the story of the person he was named after. Dick Whittington was a poor, half-starved child when he set off for London. By the time he died, he was lord mayor of
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London and rich beyond his wildest dreams. He owed all his success to his cat. Whittington's story is interspersed with the modern-day story of young Ben, Bernie's grandson who is dyslexic and having trouble learning to read. The barn animals and Ben's sister rally to help him.

Beautiful writing really help set the tone in this book. Alan Armstrong's description of life in the barn really brings you in to the story. It's not action-packed. It's a more relaxed book and I don't think it will appeal to everyone, but to those kids looking for a quiet read that will take them away, I recommend this book.
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LibraryThing member cshaw
This is a story about a stray cat named Whittington who joins several other animals which society has no use for in Grandfather Bernie's barn. He appeals to Lady the duck in charge who has her wings clipped, but wants to fly. He wants to be part of "the talking" with the other animals in the barn.
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Meanwhile, Bernie's two orphaned grandchildren, Abby and Ben are also adopted by big hearted Bernie. They all care for the animals. The children are fortunate to hear Whittington's tales of the story (which is told like an English folktale) handed down to him by his nameless forebear, Dick Whittington's cat. This is a story of a boy who goes from rags to riches by traveling from London to exotic places on a ship. The storytelling of Whittington the cat acts as a reward and a healing process for Ben who is having trouble learning how to read. I loved this book. I think that kids will like the fact that learning to read saves a boy from anger and humiliation. They will also like the wonderful animal characters who can talk to each other. Equally fascinating is the story of Dick Whittington which takes place in rural, England, London, and other far off lands.
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LibraryThing member EdenSteffey
I really liked the story about Dick Whittington and his cat, but thought that there were parts in the story that unnecessary and moved kind of slow.
LibraryThing member AlbertPascal
This is a fun tale filled with adventure about a merchant boy from medieval times named Dick Wittington and his famous cat--a ratter of high repute--and their voyages together from London to North Africa to the Near East, told by the cat's descendant. It's also the tale of some current-day barnyard
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friends and how they give courage to a young boy named Ben for how to overcome challenges with learning how to read.

Fifth graders might read this and make their own decisions about the choices Dick Wittington is faced with. Might they choose the same path as he did? or would they be less adventurous and more cautious?

An enjoyable book for sure, and one that brings some history alive too.
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LibraryThing member ljhliesl
This has everything a book could want: animals, adventure, the importance of reading. Its only flaw is that the dogs are minor and mute.
LibraryThing member kkcrossley
This is a story that the cat tells that weaves the present reading troubles of young Ben with the story of Whittington the cat and the barnyard pals working together for survival and medieval England. Taken from folklore.
LibraryThing member mirrani
Whittington isn't a long or complicated book, it's a quick read and it is very simple. The plot is split between Whittington the cat living in his barn and Whittington the person, who is the man the cat is named after. The cat and the person are intertwined and the cat tells the story of how the
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human grew up many, many years ago and how he found and befriended a cat, who is a many-great relative of the Whittington of today. The human has adventures, the cat lives the life of a cat, settled happily in a barn, sharing time and space with fellow animals and two young children.

There is some adventure in the story from the past and there is a lesson to be learned in the story from the barn, as Whittington and his animal friends help a dyslexic child learn to cope with his difficulties and settle into reading. Neither story is really spellbinding, but they are written in the lazy sort of way that a cat would think or behave, at least that was the feeling I got as I read through the book, which makes it somewhat unique. I honestly came away feeling as if I'd spent a day in the barn with the animals, listening to a good story on a lazy afternoon.
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LibraryThing member oapostrophe
A descendant of Dick Whittington's cat shows up at Bernie's barn of misfit animals. Each one has a story. The cat tells the story of Dick Whittington's adventures. The other story being told is that of Bernie's grandson and his struggles learning to read. A sweet story, but surprisingly dull.
LibraryThing member judychadwick
A wonderful book about a stray cat, a menagerie of barnyard animals, two orphan children and a boy with resourcefulness and determination. The barnyard is ruled by a duck with a will of iron. Whittington the cat tells his tale about his ancestor to encourage Ben to learn to read. Ben is dyslexic
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and with the help of his sister and the animals in the barn he is able to read.
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LibraryThing member Michelle930
Good book for struggling readers and those who likes animals. It's a story within a story. Animals can talk to humans. Main boy character, Ben has trouble reading, cat in barn tells story about Whittington and his cat, the man he named himself after, to support Ben in his reading efforts.
LibraryThing member DragonLibrary8
This is a fun story. I enjoyed the story that the cat told as well as the intertwined story of the children and their grandparents. The author makes it a page turner by switching between the two.
LibraryThing member electrascaife
There are two parallel stories here: one is about a stray cat who finds a new home in the barn of a kindly farmer, and how the cat and the other animals help the farmer's grandson learn how to read. The other is a story-within-a-story, told by the cat about his ancestor, who was the pet of Dick
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Whittington, the famous London trader.
Both tales are well told and complement each other nicely, and all the characters are the root-for-from-the-start sort. Recommended.
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Pages

208

Rating

½ (124 ratings; 3.6)
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