Synopsis: Christy has always wanted his own horse and strives to achieve his dream – even though he lives on a Dublin housing estate. This story tells of how he achieves this and the realities he has to face to do so. The illustrations are evocative, detailed and realistic.

Review: Jonathan Allen’s cartoon style illustrations will appeal to young readers in this story of poor ‘innocent Cat who falls foul of Mrs. Prout the farmer’s wife. Clever use of font size and style plus speech bubbles linked to the farmyard animals enhance this fast-moving narrative. Children will quickly realise that Cat isn’t quite as innocent as he suggests. That he ‘only drank a little milk’ can be forgiven but when we learn that he also (alliteratively) ‘nibbled Baby’s breakfast’, ‘paddled in the pudding mix’, ‘wandered over the washing’, ‘climbed up the curtains’, ‘went fishing for the goldfish’ etc, we soon lose sympathy with the maligned feline.

Repetition of the phrases ‘That’s so unfair!’ and ‘Mrs. Prout said ‘Out, Cat Out!’ and swept him out of the door’ provide opportunities for joining in, and one can envisage children making their own similar books with misdemeanours of their own choice for Cat, or another creature, to commit.

A successful book which would repay re-reading. Children will love this one.  To be shared with youngsters from around age 5 and to read alone by any reader as soon as they are able.

2006-10-07