Tabby in the Tub

Animal Ark [GB Order] #41

by Ben M. Baglio, Jenny Gregory (Illustrator), Linda Chapman (Ghostwriter)

This newest Animal Ark title will provide cozy reading for animal lovers everywhere. With sales of over 6 million books worldwide, the Animal Ark franchise is a hit with young readers.

A wild tabby cat has turned up in Welford and Mandy is worried. The poor cat is about to have kittens, and she has no one to look after her. Bill Ward, the postman, comes to the rescue, allowing her to live in his garden shed. But the tabby isn't the only cat in the neighborhood having kittens -- and some of the kittens need extra-special care.

Will Mandy be able to help the kittens -- and their mothers?

Genres: Animals, Childrens, Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Middle Grade, Cats, Kids

139 pages, Paperback

First published November 11, 1999

About the author

Ben M. Baglio created the brief for two series of children's books - Dolphin Diaries and Animal Ark. Dolphin Diaries features a girl and her family from Florida, who travel around the world as marine biologists and study dolphins. Animal Ark features two children who work together to help animals and solve animal-related mysteries. The books were written by commissioned writers in the UK under Baglio's instruction using the pseudonym Lucy Daniels. Each ghostwriter is named with a 'Special Thanks' on the copyright page.

Using his real name he also wrote the book series The Pet Finders Club, featuring a group of three children who search for peoples lost pets.

Reviews

[Christine · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is where I got my cats name!!! (Blossom)

[Rena Sherwood · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a review of the UK Hodder edition, credited to the fake author name of Lucy Daniels, but was really written by veteran Animal Ark Universe ghostwriter Linda Chapman. In America, this would be published by Scholastic under the fake author name of Ben Baglio. The illustrator was Jenny Gregory.

There is a school of thought about wild rabbits, which could also be applied to cats. It is said that when the critter hits a certain level of consciousness, it immediately runs in front of a speeding car. Now, I'm not sure if this is what happens to a family of white Persians in Welford, but it's as good an explanation as any. That, or the ghostwriters just can't come up with anything original plot.

Dutchess is, I believe, one of the only animals that appears in Animal Ark, Little Animal Ark and Animal Ark Pets. When pregnant, she wandered out onto the road and got hit by a car. Her daughter Delilah DOES THE SAME EXACT DAMN THING, even though this time the owners really were trying to keep her inside. She also gets hit after having the kittens, but before they are weaned. Still, just about the same plot.

Jenny Gregory has a great line drawing of Delilah on the examining table at Animal Ark, looking absolutely pissed (in the American sense). Kinda wonder what exactly she's pissed at -- having kittens, not dying, or being treated shabby by Linda Chapman.

The cover to this book is a major plot spoiler, as is the back cover blurb. So, there really isn't much in the way of dramatic tension. It's basically nice people and nicer cats doing nice things -- except for the unknown twat driver who apparently has it in for white Persians. Could the driver be Linda Chapman? We'll never know.

There are just too many pregnant cats in this book. It would've been nice if there was some discussion of their getting spayed. There is a good little piece about microchipping your pet, though.

[Katt Hansen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mandy loves every animal, especially those she sees are in need. When she spots a stray cat who is clearly expecting kittens she has a new mission for everyone at Animal Ark - somehow help this poor kitty before the kittens come. What she doesn't expect is how much this particular cat will come to help her.

I love the books of Animal ARk. They don't shy away from the hard discussions (of which this book has a few). Not every solution for strays OR kittens is one an animal lover enjoys, but they do need to be discussed. Thankfully the tragedy isn't too traumatic and while things look tense for a bit, everything comes through fine in the end. Really loved this book and can't wait to find more from the series!

[Jacque · Rating 5 out of 5]

The target audience for this book is elementary aged children, so I am rating it 5 stars per my 7-yr old daughter's opinion. She is very interested in cats and kittens so this was a nice book for us to read together. I am a 41 yr-old adult with a vast knowledge of cats so there was nothing new for me to learn in this book, but it was nice to talk about some new-to-her facts that came up in the story; things like blue-eyed white cats having a higher risk of being deaf, Persian cats having a higher risk of birthing complications, the use of rat poison affecting non-target animals by mistake, etc. I did find the story a bit boring and I would never have read it myself as an adult (non-target audience), but I highly recommend it for kids.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

My cat-obsessed 8-year-old picked this story about 2 pregnant cats for us to read together. He thoroughly enjoyed it and I probably would have if I were an 8-year-old, too. Unfortunately I'm 37, and am well acquainted with the ways of cats, so the excruciating detail of mundane experiences that's perfect for the target audience, drove me a bit nuts. That being said, the rest of the story was fine. Kids obsessed with animals would learn a lot about animals while reading a decent story featuring them.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really do enjoy the animal ark series. This is one of my favorites from the series because cats have kittens in this book! But with that comes challenges as the mother cat gets injured, and Mandy and James need to find homes for the kittens. This is a quick, easy read geared towards elementary age readers. However, I do still enjoy looking through these books now that I am older as I have many fond memories of these stories.

[Lianna Kendig · Rating 4 out of 5]

(LL)
This one was another good story. Highly predictable, and the ending was a bit too convenient. (They remembered about a potential microchip months after finding the cat.) Even with the negatives in this book it was good.

[eloise (2026 winter volleyball version) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is probably the best book in the entire series! I've read it over and over more times than I can count! I love animals, particularly cats, and this was a great story, beautifully written, and full of heart-warming moments. I will cherish this story forever!!

[Mari Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the book. It was a quick easy read. This is the first book that I read in the series. It makes me want to read more of Ben’s books.

[Walle]

stupid

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read with Evelyn. :) She enjoyed it.

[Canola Hilley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love it I'm ?? (I'm not telling my age) but anyways I'm doing A.R in school and as soon as I saw this I instantly fell in LOVE❤ with it but anyways bye!

[jessi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I audibly said "awwwwww" multiple times while reading this one. So sweet.

I wouldn't give this one to younger kids, as there is a scene where a cat is injured, but she ends up being okay!

[Noelani · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reviewed by 7 year old.

[Kasi Cruz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this one for my 8 y.o. daughter and we absolutely loved it.

[Cobygirl517]

I love the education regarding microchipping, but maybe we work in some education regarding spaying and neutering as well. Otherwise, great story!

[Shannon Rickert · Rating 5 out of 5]

this was so cute. I left my books at work and Shane brought this to me and said here read this one 2night. lolol I just might have 2 look for more Animal Ark books.

[Alex Bradford · Rating 5 out of 5]

Huge staple of my childhood. These books shaped me as a person and this one holds a special place in my heart.

[Alanna Reinstedler · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. It was such a cute story about cats, which I love. It had a well written story all together. I loved the ending and the cats. I’m happy I read this and I can’t wait to read more animal books like this. 10/10 would recommend this book to anyone who loves cats or animals in general. I would not recommend this book to those who hate cats or animals in general. I could relate with the main girl character. She’s a child who wants to be a vet and she loves animals. When I was a kid, I wanted to be a vet. I have and always will love animals. I think that it is really cool that her parents are both vets. She would be a very successful vet as an adult. She already gets experience helping out, and she’d get all the help from them to make her better. In the book you can really tell how she cares for animals. Her love for animals shows through the whole time. When a cat got hit by a car while she was pregnant, she made sure that the kittens were taken care of whenever she was being fixed up. A homeless cat was also pregnant, and she helped care for that cat as well. She took care of the cats and kittens. She made sure to find the homeless cat and kittens homes. She was just such a kind hearted soul. I really liked her as a character and I could defiantly see myself in her. I did not have any least favorite characters. This book was a fun and easy read. I’m not a huge book reader, but I liked this book. I could probably read it again.

[Richardhd96 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mandy loved animals and her parents were veterinarians. One day, she was riding her bike with her friend James. They stopped at the Ward's house. Mrs. Ward told them that her cat Dandelion was going to have kittens. Mandy had also just seen another cat that was going to have kittens. This cat was a stray. They named her Blossom. A few weeks later the cats had their kittens. There were 7 kittens in all. Mandy and James named all of the kittens. Then the kittens had to get their check ups. Dandelion got hit by a car. She would be in the hospital for a few weeks. Now it was up to James, Mandy and Blossom to take care of the kittens. Blossom cared for Dandelion's kittens like they were her own. Someone called and it ended up being Blossom's owner. She was going to pick up Blossom at 5 pm that day. When they met Blossom's owner they said that she had kitties. They also told her that they need to keep Blossom to take care of the kittens for a few more weeks and the owner was happy to help.
I thought the book "Tabby in the Tub" was an okay book. It had some suspense and a little bit of action. This book just wasn't exciting enough. It didn't have a huge climax to tie it all together. I thought it was interesting when Blossom took care of Dandelion's kitties. The book had a few parts that were exciting, but the book was too realistic. I liked that Mandy and James had to take care of the kittens while Dandelion was in the hospital. It wasn't my favorite book, but it was readable. If you like cats and kittens then read "Tabby in the Tub".

[Olgaod96 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tabby in the Tub is about a girl named Mandy Hope, who helps out her parents that veterinarians at the Animal Ark. Around her town, Welford, a tabby cat that is unfed is wandering around, and she is about to have kittens. Her friend James try to find a home for the homeless cat. Bill Ward, the mailman, allows the cat to live in his garden shed. Jane Ward, his wife, has a cat named Delilah, who is also about to give birth to kittens. One day Delilah gets hit by a car when she is walking across the road. Thankfully, Dr. Emily Hope, Mandy's mom is over at the Ward's house when Mandy spots Delilah crossing the road. After Delilah gets hit, she's still breathing, but she has to be taken down to the animal clinic. At that time, James finds the tabby in Mr. Ward's shed, and one of her kittens is stuck. Mandy rushes over with Dr. Emily who helps the cat, but she's not feeling well. Can Dr. Emily and Mandy save Delilah and the tabby before it's too late?

I liked this book because it's about animals and I love animals. I liked the rescue part and I felt bad for Delilah when she got hit by the car. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes animal stories, and their are many books about many types of animals. It was a good story and I enjoyed it.

[Ali · Rating 5 out of 5]

Deilah is a cat, and she's having baby kittens! Mandy and James find a lonesome cat, and find out that she's also having kittens soon! They name the new cat Blossom. Very soon, Deilah and Blossom have their kittens. They are so cute!
Soon after Deilah has her kittens, she gets hit by a car. Somebody has to look after her kittens before Deilah gets better. Who will look after them? Read the book to find out!

This book is a great book! I love it! This book is the best book in the whole entire world! You have got to read this book because it is super, duper, interesting!

[Alexandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was definite 5 stars. A persian cat escaped from her owners and Mandy returns her. Delilah (the cat)is going to have babies soon. But a stray tabby is having kittens as well. Delilah's kittens will be able to easily get good homes but what about the tabby and her kittens? Can Mandy find them homes or will they have to be sent to the animal sanctuary?

[Mariah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wonder what is going to happen to tabby ?this book is so good it's real insting to read .What scared me is when the boy was going to CRASH in to the liltte cat .And cute whenthe dog licked the girl !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
love ,MARIAH YEVTTE ELIAS

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

i love this book because.....it is all about animals.i think you should read this book because...you could actually learn a thing or two about animals.i learned that you should always keep an eye on your pets.

[Brittany Vinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

i thought it was really good because they got a girl who never liked cats to actually love cats and they looked after a stray cat that was pregnant and the stray was very useful when a cat got hit by a car

[Anne Cole · Rating 5 out of 5]

goodio

[Ioana · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like that book very mach. It was a little cat named tabby.I loved that book.It was a graet book i seen

[Kayla · Rating 5 out of 5]

very cute!!

[Jessie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mandy helps care for two cats and their kittens.