Gobbolino, the Witch's Cat - Ursula Moray Williams

Advantages: sweet, classic, cat-based story of hope
Disadvantages: a little quaint, with some less-than-fascinating characters

...unusual settings and jobs for Gobbolino, from ship's cat to Toby in the Punch and Judy show! As for the age... I had this read to me when I was 3 or 4, around nursery age, and I think that's a good time to start acquainting children with it, especially, if, like me, they have something of a feline fixation. To read it by themselves, I would say you're looking at an advanced Year 4 and above (around 8 years old), although it may be difficult to involve ...
...want to say that boys and girls read the same books, my experience in schools so far tells me otherwise!). That's where an early familiarity of it may help. Reading together and reading alone are rendered infinitely more rewarding by the cute, sketchy illustrations, which serve as a great springboard for comprehension of the text, providing, as they do, little clues into the narrative. It's a worthwhile book to have as a favourite growing up, not ... Read review