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A Circle of Cats
Lillian is an orphan who lives with her aunt on a homestead miles from anyone, surrounded by uncharted forest. She wanders the woods, chasing squirrels and rabbits and climbing trees. Free-spirited and independent Lillian is a kindred spirit to the many wild cats who gather around the ancient beech tree. One day, while she is under the beech, Lillian is bitten by a poisonous snake. The cats refuse to let her die, and use their magic to turn her into one of their own. How she becomes a girl again is a lyrical, original folktale.
Set in the countryside north of de Lint's fictional Newford, with some of the same characters as the duo's recent, acclaimed "Seven Wild Sisters," "A Circle of Cats" is the long-awaited first picture book by long-time friends Charles de Lint and Charles Vess, whose masterful art is as magical as the story.
Set in the countryside north of de Lint's fictional Newford, with some of the same characters as the duo's recent, acclaimed "Seven Wild Sisters," "A Circle of Cats" is the long-awaited first picture book by long-time friends Charles de Lint and Charles Vess, whose masterful art is as magical as the story.
48 pages, Hardcover
First published June 23, 2003
About the author
Charles de Lint
452 books4,071 followersCharles de Lint is the much beloved author of more than seventy adult, young adult, and children's books. Renowned as one of the trailblazers of the modern fantasy genre, he is the recipient of the World Fantasy, Aurora, Sunburst, and White Pine awards, among others. Modern Library's Top 100 Books of the 20th Century poll, conducted by Random House and voted on by readers, put eight of de Lint's books among the top 100.
De Lint is a poet, folklorist, artist, songwriter and performer. He has written critical essays, music reviews, opinion columns and entries to encyclopedias, and he's been the main book reviewer for The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction since 1987. De Lint served as Writer-in-residence for two public libraries in Ottawa and has taught creative writing workshops for adults and children in Canada and the United States. He's been a judge for several prominent awards, including the Nebula, World Fantasy, Theodore Sturgeon and Bram Stoker.
Born in the Netherlands in 1951, de Lint immigrated to Canada with his family as an infant. The family moved often during de Lint's childhood because of his father's job with an international surveying company, but by the time Charles was twelve—having lived in Western Canada, Turkey and Lebanon—they had settled in Lucerne, Quebec, not far from where he now resides in Ottawa, Ontario.
In 1980, de Lint married the love of his life, MaryAnn Harris, who works closely with him as his first editor, business manager and creative partner. They share their love and home with a cheery little dog named Johnny Cash.
Charles de Lint is best described as a romantic: a believer in compassion, hope and human potential. His skilled portrayal of character and settings has earned him a loyal readership and glowing praise from peers, reviewers and readers.
Charles de Lint writes like a magician. He draws out the strange inside our own world, weaving stories that feel more real than we are when we read them. He is, simply put, the best.
—Holly Black (bestselling author)
Charles de Lint is the modern master of urban fantasy. Folktale, myth, fairy tale, dreams, urban legend—all of it adds up to pure magic in de Lint's vivid, original world. No one does it better.
—Alice Hoffman (bestselling author)
To read de Lint is to fall under the spell of a master storyteller, to be reminded of the greatness of life, of the beauty and majesty lurking in shadows and empty doorways.
—Quill & Quire
His Newford books, which make up most of de Lint's body of work between 1993 and 2009, confirmed his reputation for bringing a vivid setting and repertory cast of characters to life on the page. Though not a consecutive series, the twenty-five standalone books set in (or connected to) Newford give readers a feeling of visiting a favourite city and seeing old friends.
More recently, his young adult Wildlings trilogy—Under My Skin, Over My Head, and Out of This World—came out from Penguin Canada and Triskell Press in 2012, 2013 and 2014. Under My Skin won 2013 Aurora Award. A novel for middle-grade readers, The Cats of Tanglewood Forest, published by Little Brown in 2013, won the Sunburst Award, earned starred reviews in both Publishers Weekly and Quill & Quire, and was chosen by the New York Times Editors as one of the top six children's books for 2013. His most recent adult novel, The Mystery of Grace (2009), is a fascinating ghost story about love, passion and faith. It was a finalist for both the Sunburst and Evergreen awards.
De Lint is presently writing a new adult novel. His storytelling skills also shine in his original songs. He and MaryAnn (also a musician) recently released companion CDs of their original songs, samples of which can be heard on de Lin
De Lint is a poet, folklorist, artist, songwriter and performer. He has written critical essays, music reviews, opinion columns and entries to encyclopedias, and he's been the main book reviewer for The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction since 1987. De Lint served as Writer-in-residence for two public libraries in Ottawa and has taught creative writing workshops for adults and children in Canada and the United States. He's been a judge for several prominent awards, including the Nebula, World Fantasy, Theodore Sturgeon and Bram Stoker.
Born in the Netherlands in 1951, de Lint immigrated to Canada with his family as an infant. The family moved often during de Lint's childhood because of his father's job with an international surveying company, but by the time Charles was twelve—having lived in Western Canada, Turkey and Lebanon—they had settled in Lucerne, Quebec, not far from where he now resides in Ottawa, Ontario.
In 1980, de Lint married the love of his life, MaryAnn Harris, who works closely with him as his first editor, business manager and creative partner. They share their love and home with a cheery little dog named Johnny Cash.
Charles de Lint is best described as a romantic: a believer in compassion, hope and human potential. His skilled portrayal of character and settings has earned him a loyal readership and glowing praise from peers, reviewers and readers.
Charles de Lint writes like a magician. He draws out the strange inside our own world, weaving stories that feel more real than we are when we read them. He is, simply put, the best.
—Holly Black (bestselling author)
Charles de Lint is the modern master of urban fantasy. Folktale, myth, fairy tale, dreams, urban legend—all of it adds up to pure magic in de Lint's vivid, original world. No one does it better.
—Alice Hoffman (bestselling author)
To read de Lint is to fall under the spell of a master storyteller, to be reminded of the greatness of life, of the beauty and majesty lurking in shadows and empty doorways.
—Quill & Quire
His Newford books, which make up most of de Lint's body of work between 1993 and 2009, confirmed his reputation for bringing a vivid setting and repertory cast of characters to life on the page. Though not a consecutive series, the twenty-five standalone books set in (or connected to) Newford give readers a feeling of visiting a favourite city and seeing old friends.
More recently, his young adult Wildlings trilogy—Under My Skin, Over My Head, and Out of This World—came out from Penguin Canada and Triskell Press in 2012, 2013 and 2014. Under My Skin won 2013 Aurora Award. A novel for middle-grade readers, The Cats of Tanglewood Forest, published by Little Brown in 2013, won the Sunburst Award, earned starred reviews in both Publishers Weekly and Quill & Quire, and was chosen by the New York Times Editors as one of the top six children's books for 2013. His most recent adult novel, The Mystery of Grace (2009), is a fascinating ghost story about love, passion and faith. It was a finalist for both the Sunburst and Evergreen awards.
De Lint is presently writing a new adult novel. His storytelling skills also shine in his original songs. He and MaryAnn (also a musician) recently released companion CDs of their original songs, samples of which can be heard on de Lin
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews
March 12, 2014
A wonderful, sweet fairy-tale of a book, beautifully illustrated. I've been reading the expanded version - The Cats of Tanglewood Forest - which is even better, if that's possible, with more story and many more of Charles Vess' gorgeous illustrations. Circle of Cats is long out of print, but if you've got kids of a fairy-tale reading age and you're looking for a satisfying little story, you can't go wrong.
May 9, 2020
Fabulous illustrations . This could easily be one of those wordless books where the reader makes up their own story by looking at the pictures : )
December 9, 2008
This is certainly a de Lint book geared toward the younger set, but I could tell while reading it that I would have loved it when I was a little girl. Charles Vess' illustrations make it perfect...no surprise there. :)
September 5, 2009
This book combines one of the leading living folklorists with one of the top living artists/illustrators...a children's book experience that crosses all generations. It is gorgeous and touching and wonderful.
July 20, 2022
This was found on the shelves of my library in what I considered their older classic YA section instead of with the other graphic novels, which is unusual. Given its name and the illustrations I chose to give it a chance even though I am not normally a fan of graphic novels.
A Circle of Cats is basically a fantasy story that fits the formula for so many others of the genre that it is stereotypical. The main protagonist is an orphan of course and as a result she lives far away with an aunt who cannot do much to restrict her wild free ways thus allowing her free range of the mysterious forest, which is rumored to be magical. She is a kind spirit who favors the stray cats thus feeding them and also the old tree spirit in the orchard even though not a magical being has chosen to favor her with her heart's wish to see them. Unlike many other fantasy-based novels I just cannot forgive this book for these tropes or look over them since there was nothing compelling enough in the story to make me set it up for its own merits after all my jaded reading and writing of good or mediocre fantasy. Instead I felt like I was being fed Cat Woman mixed with Pan's Labyrinth and LOTR plus a dash of fairytales to get this novel.
The only saving grace for this book I would have to say is its artwork. The colors were mostly bright when the book needed it and the details were rich enough that this graphic novel may have made for a better picture book instead of a graphic novel.
In the end I think I may have enjoyed this book a lot more if I had come upon it when I was the intended audience's age instead of the age that I am now. But given the age I am also not sure if there would be any younger audiences who may be intrigued by what this graphic novel has to offer either.
A Circle of Cats is basically a fantasy story that fits the formula for so many others of the genre that it is stereotypical. The main protagonist is an orphan of course and as a result she lives far away with an aunt who cannot do much to restrict her wild free ways thus allowing her free range of the mysterious forest, which is rumored to be magical. She is a kind spirit who favors the stray cats thus feeding them and also the old tree spirit in the orchard even though not a magical being has chosen to favor her with her heart's wish to see them. Unlike many other fantasy-based novels I just cannot forgive this book for these tropes or look over them since there was nothing compelling enough in the story to make me set it up for its own merits after all my jaded reading and writing of good or mediocre fantasy. Instead I felt like I was being fed Cat Woman mixed with Pan's Labyrinth and LOTR plus a dash of fairytales to get this novel.
The only saving grace for this book I would have to say is its artwork. The colors were mostly bright when the book needed it and the details were rich enough that this graphic novel may have made for a better picture book instead of a graphic novel.
In the end I think I may have enjoyed this book a lot more if I had come upon it when I was the intended audience's age instead of the age that I am now. But given the age I am also not sure if there would be any younger audiences who may be intrigued by what this graphic novel has to offer either.
May 9, 2020
I read this again last night. But it was my first time to read it to my granddaughter. She was enthralled from the start both from the story and the art. My adult son who was across the room half listening while on his phone even asked to see some of the pics as the story was unfolding. It’s just a magical book and led to fun discussions about cat magic and whether or not she thought our old cat had cat magic too.
July 17, 2020
This short story is a wonderfully typical de Lint offering, but this time for children and the young at heart. Vess’ illustrations are delightful and accompany the text well. I certainly see myself as the young protagonist with a similar imagination. If there is a moral to this tale, it is about the kindness of strangers and being thoughtful towards all forms of life, not just the human ones.
July 30, 2017
The gorgeous Charles Vess illustrations are met and matched with the wonderful story crafted by Charles de Lint. Cats are, in fact, magical, and magic, as well.
September 6, 2017
such an absolutely wonderful read
January 13, 2019
As usual Charles has written a wonderful book. A story I enjoyed greatly.
October 4, 2021
Interesting fairy tale with gorgeous illustrations!
December 9, 2021
Beautiful fairy tale, made even more amazing by the lovely illustrations!
January 12, 2022
Wonderfully sweet childrens' fantasy later expanded into Cats of Tanglewood Forest. Illustrated by Charles Vess.
July 17, 2023
This short story was nominated for the World Fantasy award in 2004 and is beautifully illustrated by Charles Vess.
February 28, 2019
This beautifully illustrated short story is about the magic of cats, of trees, and of small kindnesses repaid. It has one of the best lines I have ever read in a book: “On a quiet day, when the wind was still, the creek could be heard all the way up to where the old beech stood. Under its branches, cats would come to dream and be dreamed.” As wonderful as the writing is, the artwork by Charles Vess is even more evocative.
I would say to rush out and buy this except that I understand this first edition was subsequently repackaged with additional material as the Cats of Tanglewood Valley. I did not know this when I bought the book but I’m going to read the second book now and see what the differences are. If you have access to this book in the library or can attain one without paying a premium, I highly recommend it.
Edit: Having now read the Cats of Tanglewood Valley, I can honestly say that both books have something to recommend them but I far prefer the children’s book over the more detailed edition. The expanded story might be more satisfying to fans of the author who will go on to read out the books by him, as I did. The one other advantage of the Cats of Tanglewood Valley is that it has even more artwork by Charles Vess.
Both are excellent, but the shorter story is just the right touch of simple magic. I wish it were still available as a new book.
I would say to rush out and buy this except that I understand this first edition was subsequently repackaged with additional material as the Cats of Tanglewood Valley. I did not know this when I bought the book but I’m going to read the second book now and see what the differences are. If you have access to this book in the library or can attain one without paying a premium, I highly recommend it.
Edit: Having now read the Cats of Tanglewood Valley, I can honestly say that both books have something to recommend them but I far prefer the children’s book over the more detailed edition. The expanded story might be more satisfying to fans of the author who will go on to read out the books by him, as I did. The one other advantage of the Cats of Tanglewood Valley is that it has even more artwork by Charles Vess.
Both are excellent, but the shorter story is just the right touch of simple magic. I wish it were still available as a new book.
January 19, 2012
I've been wanting to read something by Charles de Lint for some time, and what better book that one that is paired with the artistic genius of Charles Vess. This probably isn't his best book - so I'll have to read on and do afew more before I put out a firm decision on his writing - but all in all it wasn't a bad book either. The illustrations certainly helped make the story more magical, or at least made the words seem more so. Especially since the message is of magic anyways.
It's a simple story and one that we would all like to believe - that there would be an intervention in the face of tragedy so that it could be averted and changed, even if you have to pay a price at some point to atone for it. But I also believe it's a story with the lesson of 'what comes around, goes around' - that how you act and treat others and other things in your life will catch up to you in one form or another - whether it's bad or good, and it will influence the outcomes of many things. It's that do unto others philosophy that comes to mind when you need to make a choice on what you do and how you do it.
Anyways, that may be just me reading waaaay too far into it all, but it really fits the story and makes for a good happy ending. I like happy endings!!
It's a simple story and one that we would all like to believe - that there would be an intervention in the face of tragedy so that it could be averted and changed, even if you have to pay a price at some point to atone for it. But I also believe it's a story with the lesson of 'what comes around, goes around' - that how you act and treat others and other things in your life will catch up to you in one form or another - whether it's bad or good, and it will influence the outcomes of many things. It's that do unto others philosophy that comes to mind when you need to make a choice on what you do and how you do it.
Anyways, that may be just me reading waaaay too far into it all, but it really fits the story and makes for a good happy ending. I like happy endings!!
September 22, 2011
This is a picture book intended for kids older than 8. However, like many other illustrated classics, I can see parents picking this up because they enjoy it. The illustrations, done by Charles Vess, are rich, colorful, and each a small masterpiece. The story is engaging, though not too complex for a child to follow.
A Circle of Cats is about a girl names Lillian who leaves food for various wild creatures, from stray cats to the mythological man who lives in the twisty apple tree. She falls asleep under a tree where cats meet, and is bitten by a poisonous snake. The cats save her life by transforming her into a cat, and she has to face the Father of Cats to try to be turned back into a little girl.
Lillian is kind to wild and magical creatures for the sake of kindness, and there are underlying themes of doing things because they're right, drawing goodness to oneself by simply being good, and how good deeds are their own reward.
Sadly, this book appears to be out of print. But, if you're the parent of an 8-year-old (or so), I'd recommend getting your hands on a copy, perhaps at your local library. It's a delightful introduction to Charles de Lint's magical worlds.
A Circle of Cats is about a girl names Lillian who leaves food for various wild creatures, from stray cats to the mythological man who lives in the twisty apple tree. She falls asleep under a tree where cats meet, and is bitten by a poisonous snake. The cats save her life by transforming her into a cat, and she has to face the Father of Cats to try to be turned back into a little girl.
Lillian is kind to wild and magical creatures for the sake of kindness, and there are underlying themes of doing things because they're right, drawing goodness to oneself by simply being good, and how good deeds are their own reward.
Sadly, this book appears to be out of print. But, if you're the parent of an 8-year-old (or so), I'd recommend getting your hands on a copy, perhaps at your local library. It's a delightful introduction to Charles de Lint's magical worlds.
January 13, 2012
A Circle of Cats is a quick, delightful read for adults. The book is intended for 8 years and older. Illustrated by the enchanting Charles Vess and written by Charles de Lint, the story follows the tale of Lillian, an orphan who enjoys playing in the forest. Lillian is bitten by a venomous snake one day and falls asleep under the ancient beech tree where cats go to dream. The cats take pity on her and save her life by making her one of them, but Lillian longs to be a little girl again so she can go home to her aunt. She seeks the help of the Apple Tree Man. Will she get her wish? Read and find out. You won't be disappointed!
October 12, 2012
A nice fairy tale story suitable for young children who seek a thrill from a fantastic adventure. The story is about a head-strong girl who has an accident and is saved when she is turned into a kitten by a magical bunch of cats. It's a very short story, ideal as a read-to-me for young children. The artwork is both mysterious and soothing at the same time. In a way, the story reminds me a bit of the animated film My Neighbour Totoro, for its theme of magical innocence. I wish there was a big-kid version of this story by the author so we could learn more about the magic of this forest.
September 2, 2010
I liked this one a lot better than Vess's works with Neil Gaiman. The story had a nice rolling feel that went well with the illustrations. The larger quantity of words also seemed to help Vess be more selective about where his pictures went and how they were formatted. It has a nice dark brooding quality with some adorably fuzzy cats. My only problem was the occaisonally the heroine girl sometimes just looked funny or that the style of the illustrations didn't seem consistent.
March 23, 2011
What a beautiful fairy tale![return][return]The power of cats is revealed when a young girl gets bit and poisoned by a snake. They join together to save the girl's life and afterwards many magical secrets are learned and shared as the young girl goes in search of the Father of Cats for help.[return][return]The story is truly wonderful and with Charles Vess' loving artwork, it becomes an instant classic that I passed onto my daughter the minute I finished the last page.
February 17, 2013
I don't know whether this is just an excerpt from The Cats of Tanglewood Forest, or this short story became that. I suspect the former. It's a fun short story, beautifully illustrated by Charles Vess. It feels like it should be longer, but I always feel that way with illustrated books.
March 16, 2013
I started this a long long time ago. But it was basically the same story I had read relatively recently but in a simpler form. And that was distracting and made it hard to focus and I put this book down. Now 37 renewals later, I finally got back to the book. Beautiful but simple art, well written text of a good length. Basically a modern fairytale of a young girl who gets saved from a snake-bite by being turned into a kitten for awhile.
March 19, 2015
I read The Cats of Tanglewood before I read A Circle of Cats and I wish I'd done it the other way around. The Cats of Tanglewood is certainly a more fleshed-out version of this book, but it felt over-indulgent on the author's part, and rambled on when it needn't have. A Circle of Cats is much more cohesive and enjoyable. The story is lovely and charming beginning to end.
March 5, 2009
Lillian lives with her aunt in the middle of nowhere by the woods. As she is playing in the woods one day, she is bitten by a snake. Because Lillian has been nice to and fed the cats who live out here, they come to help...
It was a cute book. The illustrations were fabulous, the cats were beautiful. It's a cute, quick read.
It was a cute book. The illustrations were fabulous, the cats were beautiful. It's a cute, quick read.
May 22, 2011
A young girl loves the forest. She sleeps one day at the base of a giant tree where she is bitten by a snake. In order to save her life, the cats of the forest work their magic to transform her. Only she wants to be a girl again and searches for help to make it happen. A charming story with the forest magical beings and beautifully illustrated by Charles Vess.
August 6, 2012
I enjoyed the interaction between mystical characters of Apple Tree Man and the Father of Cats with young Lillian.
This is a very sweet story with a good message or two.
- Doing something nice for others without expecting anything in return.
- Power is available but should not be abused or overused.
Definitely a worthy addition to a library - personal or public.
This is a very sweet story with a good message or two.
- Doing something nice for others without expecting anything in return.
- Power is available but should not be abused or overused.
Definitely a worthy addition to a library - personal or public.
August 13, 2012
Upon a recommendation from a Facebook friend, I read Circle of Cats by Charles de Lint (illustrated by Charles Vess.) I'm so glad I did!
This is a wonderful, heart warming children's picture book about an imaginative twelve year girl and all the wonder she finds living at the edge of a wilderness. This story is truly a fantasy fest for children and adults alike.
This is a wonderful, heart warming children's picture book about an imaginative twelve year girl and all the wonder she finds living at the edge of a wilderness. This story is truly a fantasy fest for children and adults alike.
November 2, 2012
Yes, I admit, I'm more of a Charles Vess fan than a Charles de Lint one. I will go out of my way to buy a book with Vess' illustrations, whereas I've hardly read any of DeLint's works.
However this was a fun book to read. The story is more aimed towards young(er) children, but I found myself enjoying it even though I'm 5 times older than my ten year old niece :-)
However this was a fun book to read. The story is more aimed towards young(er) children, but I found myself enjoying it even though I'm 5 times older than my ten year old niece :-)
January 21, 2016
4 out of 5 stars I have to agree with the previous reviews of this book. I loved the story and the illustrations. There is great potential for good book discussion regarding the choices the kitten girl has to make to return to her true self. I'll have to try to get Seven Wild Sisters, but at first attempt my library didn't have it.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews