Wonderful Alexander and the Catwings

Catwings #3

by Ursula K. Le Guin, S.D. Schindler (Illustrator)

Jane meets a new friend in this third book in legendary author Ursula K. Le Guin’s bestselling Catwings chapter book series, now with a new look!

Fluffy, orange Alexander is the oldest, biggest, loudest, and strongest of all the Furby kittens. Everyone in his family thinks he’s so remarkable that they call him “Wonderful Alexander” and spoil him to pieces. But one morning, when Alexander bravely sets out to explore the world on his own, he finds himself stuck in a tree and unable to get down. It’s up to Jane, the youngest of the Catwings, to rescue him! Now if only Alexander could do something wonderful for her in return…

Genres: Fantasy, Childrens, Fiction, Cats, Animals, Middle Grade, Juvenile

48 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1994

About the author

Ursula K. Le Guin published twenty-two novels, eleven volumes of short stories, four collections of essays, twelve books for children, six volumes of poetry and four of translation, and has received many awards: Hugo, Nebula, National Book Award, PEN-Malamud, etc. Her recent publications include the novel Lavinia, an essay collection, Cheek by Jowl, and The Wild Girls. She lived in Portland, Oregon.

She was known for her treatment of gender (The Left Hand of Darkness, The Matter of Seggri), political systems (The Telling, The Dispossessed) and difference/otherness in any other form. Her interest in non-Western philosophies was reflected in works such as "Solitude" and The Telling but even more interesting are her imagined societies, often mixing traits extracted from her profound knowledge of anthropology acquired from growing up with her father, the famous anthropologist, Alfred Kroeber. The Hainish Cycle reflects the anthropologist's experience of immersing themselves in new strange cultures since most of their main characters and narrators (Le Guin favoured the first-person narration) are envoys from a humanitarian organization, the Ekumen, sent to investigate or ally themselves with the people of a different world and learn their ways.

Reviews

[Scott Rhee · Rating 5 out of 5]

A chubby orange housecat named Alexander (he calls himself "Wonderful" Alexander because that's what his Owner calls him) gets lost in the woods and stuck in a tall tree. It's there that he meets one of the Catwings, Jane, who can't speak. She takes him back to her comfy stable where she and her four other siblings live happily with their friendly humans. Wonderful Alexander, being a curious boy, wants to know why Jane can't speak. Eventually, he finds out her story...

This series by Ursula K. Le Guin is so amazingly fun and adorable, it will make you purr. You kind of just want to hug the book after reading it.

[DivaDiane SM · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another brilliant story with the Catwings. This one about helping each other, even if it seems we aren’t equipped to do so.

Reread May 2024: the most interesting thing about this book comes at the very end, when Alexander convinces Jane to talk, and talk about what happened to her that she won’t talk. Today we might take a gentler approach, he doesn’t give up, when she balks at telling him. But it is his warmth and love and comfort that helps her.

[Alec Costa · Rating 5 out of 5]

simplesmente o MELHOR da série!!! apesar de estar amando, eu não tinha mt expectativa pra esses livros, mas o terceiro me surpreendeu MUITO! ter um ponto d vista inicial q não é d um dos irmãos enriqueceu d+ a história! sem contar com a ~lição de moral do final, q tb é adorável! ameiameiamei! o melhor e meu favorito!!!

[Sara the Librarian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good heavens I do love these books.

In the third tale in the catwings series we are introduced to wonderful Alexander, a fat, fluffy, house kitten who decides that since he is regarded as "wonderful" by his parents and sisters that he must DO something wonderful with his life. Through frightening misadventure he's introduced to the catwings and becomes best friends with the youngest catwing sibling, the still mute (save for the words "me" and "hate") Jane. Though he find a very happy life with his new friends he still needs to find a way to become truly wonderful.

Ursula K. Le Guin is just the most magical writer. I've returned to her Earthsea books again and again and again throughout my life, reading certain passages over and over till I have them almost memorized. There's something ancient and permanent about her writing. Like you've gotten your hands on some ancient manuscript written by the survivors of great and glorious adventures.

Then she writes something like this series that's all gentle and cozy but still has a fierce fire to it. There's a real thread of darkness in these stories, darkness that is ultimately conquered by light and love, but darkness nonetheless. Jane's voice has been stolen by trauma and fear that she has to confront if she wants to find it again. That's a frightening prospect in an of itself. Conquering a fear often means looking it full in the face but Le Guin's message, that you don't have to face that kind of thing alone, is so comforting.

These books take about five minutes to read and they're truly lovely. One more to go!

[oliv · Rating 5 out of 5]

ownnn.

[Jennie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is about another cat that’s involved with the cat wings. This is about Alexander who gets lost and Jane the little black kitten brings him back to the farm. At the farm, he meets the cat wings, and they all become friendly.

[Josiah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not every cat is born with wings. There's "Wonderful" Alexander Furby, for one, a kitten raised by a rich owner to feel entitled to every advantage of wealth. Alexander is convinced that no one can resist his charm and bravery; that is, until the day curiosity prompts him to slip out through the garden fence and explore. The world isn't all as friendly as his owner's place: trucks nearly run over Alexander on the road, and dogs chase him up a tree so tall that the cold, tired cat can't find his way down. Real life is an eye-opening experience.

Just as Alexander despairs of surviving his trip to the treetops, a black kitten with wings joins him on his perch. She wordlessly guides Alexander down the tree, then to Overhill Farm, where she lives with her siblings Roger, Thelma, James, and Harriet, the winged cats from Catwings. The black kitten is Jane, the younger sister James and Harriet discovered in Catwings Return when they traveled back to the city of their birth. The Catwings' young human friends Hank and Susan take care of them at Overhill Farm, offering plenty of food and the affection of gentle hands. Alexander is welcome to join the family.

Unlike her siblings, Jane doesn't speak in sentences. She only uses the words "Me" and "Hate", and only when expressing intense emotion. The Catwings don't know what happened between when Jane was separated from their mother and they found the lonesome kitten, but it must have been awful to render her mute. Alexander was often called wonderful by his rich owner without deserving it, but if he could coax Jane to speak, the compliment would fit. Can he perform a miracle that not even four winged cats are capable of?

The Catwings stories are so simple that complex emotion has no chance to build, but I like them. It's easy to identify with these special felines sent away from their birthplace by their mother because she knew they'd never be viewed on the mean streets as anything but freaks. I rate Wonderful Alexander and the Catwings one and a half stars because there isn't much to it, but I don't doubt the book's value in teaching kids to read on their own. For that reason, I commend Ursula K. Le Guin for this series.

[Rachel Sawyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am loving these books. If I have kids I am reading these books to them.

[küb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Seriye dört kanatlı kardeş olarak başlayıp ikinci kitapla siyah kanatlı yavru Emma’yla tanışmıştık. Bu kitapta ise en küçük kardeş Emma ve Yumak Ailesi’nden Aleks’in kurtarıcısı olmuştur.
Ben seriye aşık oldum, aşık.

[Dustin the wind Crazy little brown owl · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this third volume is a significant improvement over the second. In this story, friendships are developed, rescues both from physical and mental trauma take place.

Favorite Passages:

He liked to think of himself as Wonderful Alexander. And he intended to do wonderful things.
So one winter day when all the other Furbies were sleeping in a warm pile on a feather bed, Alexander went out the cat door all by himself and set off to explore the world.
He believe that the world ended at the garden fence. He was surprised to discover that there was another side to the fence.
________

"I'm not afraid of dogs!" Alexander thought. "I'll scratch their noses!"
________

The forest was silent. Nobody answered him. Only out of the darkness came a great, silent shape on silent wings. The Owl had heard him crying. She flew around him, saying nothing.
Alexander saw her beak and her terrible talons. He knew it was no use trying to scratch her nose. But he puffed himself up as big as he could and hissed at her. "Go away!" he said fiercely. "Scram!"
The Owl gave a low chuckle and flew off.
________

He knew that a cat shouldn't be afraid of a bird. But last night he had seen the Owl.
Alexander made himself as small as he could, and said nothing.
But the bird kept coming straight at him, looking at him, and its eyes were round and golden, like the Owl's eyes. Alexander shut his own eyes and tried as hard as he could to look like a pinecone.
The branch jiggled a little.
Alexander opened one eye.
On the very end of the branch sat a strange, black bird. A strange, black bird with whiskers, and four paws, and a long tail. A bird that purred.
________

Beside him sat a handsome young tabby cat with tabby wings. "I'm Roger," the cat said, "and we are the Catwings. Don't be afraid!"
"I'm not afraid," Alexander said fiercely. "I am Alexander Furby."
________

There the children's mother greeted him. "Oh," she said, "what a wonderful tail! What a wonderful kitten!" And she scratched him under the chin.
"What an intelligent woman," Alexander thought.

[eva ⚘ · Rating 5 out of 5]

STAHP THIS WAS SO WHOLESOME DEFINITELY MY FAVE BOOK IN THE SERIES

[Pınar Aydoğdu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bu serinin, şu ana kadar okuduğum en güzel kitabıydı! Tek kelimeyle harika bir kurgusu var! Çizimler de muhteşem!

[Javier Viruete · Rating 4 out of 5]

Otro precioso cuento de los catwings con maravillosas ilustraciones gatunas. La única pega, que solo sean 4, y no 400

[Berfin Kanat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Çok ama çok tatlı ^_^

[Bill · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wonderful Alexander and the Catwings is the 3rd book in the Catwings series (4 books in total) by Ursula K. Le Guin. It's a lovely, fun book for children.

The Catwings are a family of 5 cats who, yes, you guessed it, have wings. They were sent into the woods in previous stories by their mother to protect them from humans in the city. Her mother feared, and probably rightly so, that if a human in the city captured them they would spend their lives in cages and being put on show.

In this story we meet wingless cat, Alexander, who lives a comfortable life with his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Furby and his sisters. Alexander is the oldest and the favorite. He considers himself to be 'Wonderful' Alexander (yes, a typical male) and that he is destined for great things. One night he sneaks out to explore the outside world. It turns out that this outside world is a bit scarier place than he thought. He's endangered by huge trucks on a highway. When he seeks safety in the forest, he's chased up a tree by big dogs. He spends a cold night in the tree, afraid to leave it.

The next morning, a flying black cat arrives. This is Jane, the newest member of the Catwings clan. She was rescued by them in the previous story. She still suffers from some trauma, so can't speak. But she is able to help Alexander leave the tree and then takes him to meet the rest of the Catwings.

The rest of this very short story will show what happens to Alexander and also to Jane. It's a wonderful, entertaining story, written perfectly by Le Guin and illustrated beautifully by S.D. Schindler. Great story for kids. Now to finish it with Jane on Her Own. (3.5 stars)

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

A charming bildungsroman for a cat, compressed into a chapter book, but with expected subtleties from Le Guin.

Alexander the vanilla cat (no wings) is the apple of his mother's eye, and as such he's grown a big head, so big that he thinks fences are beneath him, so one day he escapes his sheltered life and ventures into the wild beyond, whereupon he soon gets treed and stuck. Enter Jane from book #2, the enigmatic, rescued Catwing, whose vocabulary consists entirely of "me" and "HATE", but who nevertheless coaxes Alexander down the tree and leads him to Overhill Farm.

What follows is an accelerated arc for Alexander, in which he returns Jane's kindness with a gift of his own. Along the way, we learn about childhood trauma and how it has affected Jane (if not how properly to address such trauma---this is a kids' book, after all). And thankfully, though Alexander ultimately finds a new life and broadens his perspective, he remains, to his core, charmingly full of himself.

Throughout, I found some golden nuggets from Le Guin:

"I climbed this tree yesterday. I spent the night here. I'm not quite sure which way is the right way down." The strange bird pointed a paw down at the ground. "I know," Alexander said.

"Oh, what a wonderful tail! What a wonderful kitten!" And she scratched him under the chin. "What an intelligent woman," Alexander thought.

"Alexander," said Roger very solemnly, "you are wonderful." [...] "I know," said Alexander.

[Juushika · Rating 2 out of 5]

A brave and handsome kitten finds himself overwhelmed by the dangers of the wider world when he goes on walkabout. This is easily my least favorite in the series so far, despite that I love wingèd baby Jane as a character & as Alexander's rescuer. I adore this bit:

"Can't you talk?"

The stranger lashed her tail a little, looking sad.

"Well," said Alexander, "I can't fly."

--a very social-model framing of disability which is humorous and honest and compassionate; so I don't like that Alexander then turns around and insta-cures Jane's mutism. There's value in children's books depicting trauma and imagining that trauma can be processed and healed, but to tackle it in the last ten pages still rushes and simplifies the issue in a way that doesn't sit well as an adult reader.

[superawesomekt · Rating 4 out of 5]

My son and daughter (5 and 3 1/2 years old respectively) love this series. I was a little concerned that it might be too scary. Jane doesn't speak because she's been scared by rats. I read it with a light tone, however, and they took it in stride. They liked that Alexander helped Jane in return.

[Jasmine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Slightly unbelievable story about curing selective mutism with telling people to talk, but it's also about cats with wings so *wobbly it is what it is noise*

CATS WITH WINGS CATS WITH WINGS.

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aw, this is my favorite one so far. But what is with people and their cats in this universe? Nobody drives cats to visit other cats.

[Nil Deniz Tufekci · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anne kedi ve yavrularının öyküsü.. ama kanatları var. tavsiye ederim. 2019 yılında okumuştum

[Eric · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delightful with much cat joy. Going to see if book 4 is at the library.

[Nader Nate · Rating 4 out of 5]

8/10
I love Wonderful Alexander🐈❤️

[Cienna · Rating 5 out of 5]

So lovely. These stories are special.

[Kelly {SpaceOnTheBookcase] · Rating 4 out of 5]

Little Jane has a panic attack over talking with the help of their new friend Alexander. Another cute and short story in the Catwings story.

Thank you Simon Kids for gifting me a copy to review.

[Ro · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love that.

[May L · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ele é incrível! E como todo bom gato, ele sabe disso!
É uma história muito linda sobre abrir o coração para nossos amigos para que possamos aceitar ajuda. Ninguém solta a pata de ninguém!

[nomi]

i love that we get more cats every time

[Fernanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

tem uma ilustração do alexander na árvore e nossa, essa ai me pegou legal, nunca quis tanto abraçar um gatinho

"O que um gato comum poderia fazer para um gato com assa?"

[DiTh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Στο οπισθόφυλλο γράφει ότι είναι ως 10 ετών, αλλά στην πραγματικότητα είναι ως 5.