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Catwings #2
Catwings Return
Wishing to visit their mother, the winged cats leave their new country home to return to the city, where they discover a winged kitten in a building imminently to be demolished.
54 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1989
26 people are currently reading
1875 people want to read
About the author
Ursula K. Le Guin
1,043 books30.1k followersUrsula 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 326 reviews
June 13, 2025
Holy flying felines!
Domestic cats are responsible for an estimated 2.4 billion bird deaths annually, and that’s just in the contiguous United States. Now, imagine cats were capable of taking flight. It’s all well and good for a cute little fantasy with a message about family, but in reality, it would be an ecological CATastrophe!
Swathes of avian species would be extinct within months and the skies would resemble the aerial invasion of Europe during WWII on a daily basis.
This is the second book in a series of these abominations. I don’t know if they are genetic mutants in origin, or if their normal cat mother mated with a falcon, but perhaps it’s explained elsewhere.
One winged cat is named Harriet, another Thelma. These make sense as cat names. (I can guarantee there is more than one spinster/divorcee/cat mom out there with a pair of cats named Thelma and Louise). The name that amused me most was the brother, James. Something about pets with common monosyllabic male human names just cracks me up. (e.g. Paul, Keith, Bill).
Anyway, the story was kind of cute. I liked the lost black kitten (my favorite cats, of course) who screamed ‘Hate! Hate!’ when it was scared.
Domestic cats are responsible for an estimated 2.4 billion bird deaths annually, and that’s just in the contiguous United States. Now, imagine cats were capable of taking flight. It’s all well and good for a cute little fantasy with a message about family, but in reality, it would be an ecological CATastrophe!
Swathes of avian species would be extinct within months and the skies would resemble the aerial invasion of Europe during WWII on a daily basis.
This is the second book in a series of these abominations. I don’t know if they are genetic mutants in origin, or if their normal cat mother mated with a falcon, but perhaps it’s explained elsewhere.
One winged cat is named Harriet, another Thelma. These make sense as cat names. (I can guarantee there is more than one spinster/divorcee/cat mom out there with a pair of cats named Thelma and Louise). The name that amused me most was the brother, James. Something about pets with common monosyllabic male human names just cracks me up. (e.g. Paul, Keith, Bill).
Anyway, the story was kind of cute. I liked the lost black kitten (my favorite cats, of course) who screamed ‘Hate! Hate!’ when it was scared.
March 2, 2024
Το ίδιο απογοητευτικό όσο και το πρώτο βιβλίο, πάντα μέσα από τα μάτια ενός παιδιού 10 ετών που αισθάνεται να προσβάλλουν τη νοημοσύνη του όταν αυτό το βιβλίο προτείνεται για την ηλικία του, ενώ για άλλη μια φορά, η μητέρα γάτα... ΠΡΟΣΠΑΘΕΙ να ξεφορτωθεί ένα ακόμα γατάκι και να μην έχει τη φροντίδα του.
Δεν ξέρω γιατί λαμβάνει τόσο υψηλές κριτικές αυτή η σειρά, ειλικρινά... (τώρα μιλάει ο μπαμπάς του 10χρονου παιδιου: Είναι ανέμπνευστη, άνευρη, χωρίς κανένα ενδιαφέρον από πλευράς πλοκής).
Ίσως, αν απευθυνόταν σε παιδιά 3-5 ετών, να ήταν ανεκτά αυτά τα πονήματα της Le Guin.
Δεν ξέρω γιατί λαμβάνει τόσο υψηλές κριτικές αυτή η σειρά, ειλικρινά... (τώρα μιλάει ο μπαμπάς του 10χρονου παιδιου: Είναι ανέμπνευστη, άνευρη, χωρίς κανένα ενδιαφέρον από πλευράς πλοκής).
Ίσως, αν απευθυνόταν σε παιδιά 3-5 ετών, να ήταν ανεκτά αυτά τα πονήματα της Le Guin.
May 7, 2023
This was even better than the first one. It’s even exciting.
2nd or 3rd reading as audio book read by the author was, as to be expected, delightful.
2nd or 3rd reading as audio book read by the author was, as to be expected, delightful.
June 2, 2025
The second book in Ursula K. Le Guin's wonderful Catwings series, "Catwings Return", tells the story of how the Catwings siblings flew back to the city and discovered their little black Catwing stepsister and the adventure that they had.
I love this series, and I hope Ms. Le Guin continues to write more. If anything, this book series proves one is never too young or too old to love a story about cats with wings...
I love this series, and I hope Ms. Le Guin continues to write more. If anything, this book series proves one is never too young or too old to love a story about cats with wings...
September 3, 2017
A cute little book for young readers starting on a chapter book. Good for ages 6-8. It's a book about cats who can fly. It is good writing and young readers will enjoy it.
August 17, 2025
minha porta de entrada para os livros da ursula sendo seus livros infantis sobre gatos alados, simplesmente amo.
September 29, 2024
de longe uma das coisas mais fofas que eu já li!!! esse livro, assim como o primeiro, tira (parte d)os gatinhos da zona de conforto e os leva pra um lugar ~diferente! conhecer essa personagem nova foi bom demais, espero que ela continue na história <3
October 8, 2016
The little cats with wings are thriving in their new home in the country with their human children to love and care for them. Homesickness for their mother sets in, and two of the siblings fly off to visit her. What they find instead is their old neighborhood under attack by a wrecking ball and no mother in sight. What they do find is a scared tiny kitten with wings.
These short, sweet books are perfect for a quick read, a lovely message, and cats with wings. All good things. The lessons I take away from book 2 are follow your instincts, let go because it's the right thing to do, and love and kindness are sometimes all you need.
Love these catwings!
***
" ' Did you ever see a bird that had whiskers? And front feet?'
'Nope,' said the other man. 'Can't say I ever did. Want a dill pickle?' "
These short, sweet books are perfect for a quick read, a lovely message, and cats with wings. All good things. The lessons I take away from book 2 are follow your instincts, let go because it's the right thing to do, and love and kindness are sometimes all you need.
Love these catwings!
***
" ' Did you ever see a bird that had whiskers? And front feet?'
'Nope,' said the other man. 'Can't say I ever did. Want a dill pickle?' "
February 6, 2024
This is even better than the first one!
Oh dear Jane, you brought back good memories of a black, small cat, just like you.
Oh dear Jane, you brought back good memories of a black, small cat, just like you.
November 5, 2025
A sweet story about 2 of the 4 cats decide to fly home to visit their mother. Things have happened since they left home and they can not find their mother, but they do find and rescue a kitten. Happy ending.
September 1, 2021
I know now the queen, Ursula K. Le Guin, writes early-reader chapter books about FLYING CATS (thanks to my lovely best friends who gifted me this series). Loved it.
September 19, 2025
Πάρα πολύ όμορφο παραμύθι για παιδιά και με ενδιαφέροντα στοιχεία και για ενήλικο αναγνώστη. Είναι το δεύτερο από τα τρία παραμύθια με πρωταγωνίστριες τις φτερόγατες που έγραψε η Ούρσουλα λε Γκεν και καλό είναι να έχει διαβάσει κανείς και το πρώτο. Πάντως, στέκεται και μόνο του. Σαν τις τέσσερις φτερόγατες που πλέον ζουν χωρίς την μαμά τους: τις φροντίζουν δυο νέοι σε ένα σπίτι στην εξοχή.
Οι δυο απ' αυτές αποφασίζουν μια επιστροφή στο παρελθόν τους, να βρουν δηλαδή τη μητέρα τους και την παλιά τους γειτονιά. Οι άλλες δυο φοβούνται το ταξίδι. Αυτές χάνουν! Γιατί μπορεί η γειτονιά τους να καταστρέφεται για να χτίσουν καινούργια σπίτια, μπορεί ο σκουπιδότοπός που μεγάλωσαν να έχει μεταφερθεί κάπου που δεν ξέρουν, μπορεί η μητέρα τους να μην βρίσκεται εκεί, αλλά ανακαλύπτουν ένα αδερφάκι! Μια μικρή μαύρη φτερόγατα σε ημιάγρια κατάσταση που καμπουριάζει και φουντώνει την ουρά σαν τους βλέπει, αλλά τους συνηθίζει. Φτερόγατα κι αυτή, άρα ποια το γέννησε; Μα η Μητέρα! Κάπου θα είναι. Πράγματι, κάπου είναι.
Η λε Γκεν φτιάχνει μια γατοϊστορία χωρίς τις αγαπησιάρικες υπερβολές των σύγχρονων ιστοριών: οι γάτες τρώνε ποντίκια, δεν είναι φίλοι με τα ποντίκια. Οι σκύλοι είναι εχθροί, δεν είναι συνεργάτες. Οι μητέρες διώχνουν τα παιδιά τους, γιατί έτσι κάνουν οι γάτες. Σκληρό, όμως η λε Γκεν δείχνει ότι τα διώχνουν με αγάπη, γιατί έτσι πρέπει. Οι γάτες πάνε σ' όποιον τις ταΐζει και δεν έχουν πρόβλημα να αλλάξουν ζωή. Απογοήτευση ε; Θυμούνται πάντα όμως την παλιά ζωή. Οι άνθρωποι δεν παρουσιάζονται καλοί (ταΐζουν) ή κακοί (γκρεμίζουν). Είναι αυτοί που είναι.
Οι δυο απ' αυτές αποφασίζουν μια επιστροφή στο παρελθόν τους, να βρουν δηλαδή τη μητέρα τους και την παλιά τους γειτονιά. Οι άλλες δυο φοβούνται το ταξίδι. Αυτές χάνουν! Γιατί μπορεί η γειτονιά τους να καταστρέφεται για να χτίσουν καινούργια σπίτια, μπορεί ο σκουπιδότοπός που μεγάλωσαν να έχει μεταφερθεί κάπου που δεν ξέρουν, μπορεί η μητέρα τους να μην βρίσκεται εκεί, αλλά ανακαλύπτουν ένα αδερφάκι! Μια μικρή μαύρη φτερόγατα σε ημιάγρια κατάσταση που καμπουριάζει και φουντώνει την ουρά σαν τους βλέπει, αλλά τους συνηθίζει. Φτερόγατα κι αυτή, άρα ποια το γέννησε; Μα η Μητέρα! Κάπου θα είναι. Πράγματι, κάπου είναι.
Η λε Γκεν φτιάχνει μια γατοϊστορία χωρίς τις αγαπησιάρικες υπερβολές των σύγχρονων ιστοριών: οι γάτες τρώνε ποντίκια, δεν είναι φίλοι με τα ποντίκια. Οι σκύλοι είναι εχθροί, δεν είναι συνεργάτες. Οι μητέρες διώχνουν τα παιδιά τους, γιατί έτσι κάνουν οι γάτες. Σκληρό, όμως η λε Γκεν δείχνει ότι τα διώχνουν με αγάπη, γιατί έτσι πρέπει. Οι γάτες πάνε σ' όποιον τις ταΐζει και δεν έχουν πρόβλημα να αλλάξουν ζωή. Απογοήτευση ε; Θυμούνται πάντα όμως την παλιά ζωή. Οι άνθρωποι δεν παρουσιάζονται καλοί (ταΐζουν) ή κακοί (γκρεμίζουν). Είναι αυτοί που είναι.
August 27, 2025
Yuvaya Dönüş, Suzan ve Henri kardeşlerin bakımını üstlendiği uçan tekir kardeşler Telma, Robin, Hena ve Ceymi’nin özelliklerini öğrendiğimiz serinin ikinci kitabı.
Ceymi ve Hera kentteki annelerini görmek için yola çıkarlar ve kentsel dönüşümle yerle bir edilmek üzere olan yuvalarına varırlar. Anneleri yoktur ama onlar gibi kanatlı siyah bir yavru vardır. Yavruya annelerinin öğrettiği gibi bakarak ve bir yandan anneleri Bayan Emma Tekir nerede diye aramaya başlayarak maceraya atılırlar.
Ceymi ve Hera kentteki annelerini görmek için yola çıkarlar ve kentsel dönüşümle yerle bir edilmek üzere olan yuvalarına varırlar. Anneleri yoktur ama onlar gibi kanatlı siyah bir yavru vardır. Yavruya annelerinin öğrettiği gibi bakarak ve bir yandan anneleri Bayan Emma Tekir nerede diye aramaya başlayarak maceraya atılırlar.
February 6, 2019
Yaşam zorluklarına direnen bir kedi ailesinin sımsıcak bir masalı...
May 14, 2007
After recently reading what I at first considered to be my first Ursula K. Le Guin work, I was reminded of the fact that I was quite wrong... and that as a child, I had actually loved two Le Guin books, though that may have been because they included the young-Alana prerequisite for any good book: cats.
Catwings focuses on the Tabby family, or rather, the four children of Mrs. Jane Tabby. Without a father and with their home in a neighborhood that was growing worse, Mrs. Jane Tabby has her paws full and so there was no real time to worry much about the fact that her children had wings. There comes a point when Mrs. Tabby believes that her children need to leave and find a better life for themselves, and so she insists that they use their wings to fly away and do just that. She is left behind, newly engaged to a good tomcat, and while her words are a bit brusque, no one doubts that all Mrs. Tabby wants is the best life possible for her children. So Thelma, Roger, James, and Harriet fly into the country, where they make a life for themselves, but learn that life can be just as dangerous there as it was in the city. Ultimately, they befriend two human children who understand that they can never tell anyone about the flying cats or everyone would try to trap them. Instead, they give the cats a home in the top of their family's barn and the story ends happily with the semi-domestication of the flying cats.
Catwings Returns focuses primarily on James and Harriet, who decide that they wish to visit their mother in the old neighborhood, and so they leave their siblings in the country for what is supposed to be a simple visit. (Roger and Thelma believe the children they have befriended would be far too worried if everyone left, so they stay behind.) Of course, when James and Harrier arrive, they find that construction crews are demolishing the neighborhood, their mother is nowhere to be found, and their attention is caught by a mewing sound -- which turns out to be a black winged kitten in a condemned building. With patience, they befriend the kitten (who clearly must be their mother's kitten, they believe, given the wings) and manage to save him in the knick of time from the encroaching bulldozers. They find Mrs. Jane Tabby in a rooftop garden, their mother having recently been taken in by an old woman after the first bulldozers drove her from the neighborhood. Her husband was away on business (and she seems little concerned with his loss) and she cannot get down from the rooftop garden, but now that she knows her kitten is safe, Mrs. Jane Tabby is perfectly content to stay right where she is -- provided James and Harriet take her kitten with them to the country. They do so and the kitten is named Jane, happy in her new country surroundings with her older siblings.
There were two other books in the Catwings Collection -- named Marvelous Alexander and the Catwings and Jane on her Own -- but they never really captured me the way the first two did. At the time, I was charmed by the drawings and, let's face it, any story that featured kitties. Now that I'm older and know a bit more about Le Guin's work, I find them to be embedded with deeper concepts about parenthood, survival, independence, and trust. With Le Guin's interest in gender roles, it's unsurprising that we have a strong single mother and a similarly strong female leader in Thelma. The dangers of the world are quite present, both in the city and the country, and Le Guin is not afraid to make those manifest in attacks on the individuals and long-term repercussions.
I hadn't been that keen on picking up another Le Guin book after reading a series of her stories for adults, but this re-read of Catwings may have actually won her another chance. It's all a bit deeper than the simple story of flying cats and touches upon ideas of growing up and finding one's own way in the world (though there's still a healthy reliance on family). Catwings: not just for kitty-obsessed kids anymore. Though if you have one of those, then you should definitely introduce them to Mrs. Tabby and her children.
Catwings focuses on the Tabby family, or rather, the four children of Mrs. Jane Tabby. Without a father and with their home in a neighborhood that was growing worse, Mrs. Jane Tabby has her paws full and so there was no real time to worry much about the fact that her children had wings. There comes a point when Mrs. Tabby believes that her children need to leave and find a better life for themselves, and so she insists that they use their wings to fly away and do just that. She is left behind, newly engaged to a good tomcat, and while her words are a bit brusque, no one doubts that all Mrs. Tabby wants is the best life possible for her children. So Thelma, Roger, James, and Harriet fly into the country, where they make a life for themselves, but learn that life can be just as dangerous there as it was in the city. Ultimately, they befriend two human children who understand that they can never tell anyone about the flying cats or everyone would try to trap them. Instead, they give the cats a home in the top of their family's barn and the story ends happily with the semi-domestication of the flying cats.
Catwings Returns focuses primarily on James and Harriet, who decide that they wish to visit their mother in the old neighborhood, and so they leave their siblings in the country for what is supposed to be a simple visit. (Roger and Thelma believe the children they have befriended would be far too worried if everyone left, so they stay behind.) Of course, when James and Harrier arrive, they find that construction crews are demolishing the neighborhood, their mother is nowhere to be found, and their attention is caught by a mewing sound -- which turns out to be a black winged kitten in a condemned building. With patience, they befriend the kitten (who clearly must be their mother's kitten, they believe, given the wings) and manage to save him in the knick of time from the encroaching bulldozers. They find Mrs. Jane Tabby in a rooftop garden, their mother having recently been taken in by an old woman after the first bulldozers drove her from the neighborhood. Her husband was away on business (and she seems little concerned with his loss) and she cannot get down from the rooftop garden, but now that she knows her kitten is safe, Mrs. Jane Tabby is perfectly content to stay right where she is -- provided James and Harriet take her kitten with them to the country. They do so and the kitten is named Jane, happy in her new country surroundings with her older siblings.
There were two other books in the Catwings Collection -- named Marvelous Alexander and the Catwings and Jane on her Own -- but they never really captured me the way the first two did. At the time, I was charmed by the drawings and, let's face it, any story that featured kitties. Now that I'm older and know a bit more about Le Guin's work, I find them to be embedded with deeper concepts about parenthood, survival, independence, and trust. With Le Guin's interest in gender roles, it's unsurprising that we have a strong single mother and a similarly strong female leader in Thelma. The dangers of the world are quite present, both in the city and the country, and Le Guin is not afraid to make those manifest in attacks on the individuals and long-term repercussions.
I hadn't been that keen on picking up another Le Guin book after reading a series of her stories for adults, but this re-read of Catwings may have actually won her another chance. It's all a bit deeper than the simple story of flying cats and touches upon ideas of growing up and finding one's own way in the world (though there's still a healthy reliance on family). Catwings: not just for kitty-obsessed kids anymore. Though if you have one of those, then you should definitely introduce them to Mrs. Tabby and her children.
November 27, 2019
What do you do when you're sick with the flu (or something very much like the flu perhaps)? Well, I decided to read the second Catwings adventure. Another delightfully charming children's adventure story. This time the catwings, or at least a couple of them, return home to see their mother and a surprise. Le Guin certainly has a knack for making this type of fable engaging and entertaining. I'm looking forward to the 3rd installment of the series.
September 15, 2020
Good grief I love these books.
In this glorious little sequel a couple of the catwings decide to go back to the city to visit their alley cat mother and discover their adorable little flying feral sister who they coax into not being quite so feral (thought she can still only say "me!" and "hate, hate, hate" when she gets scared). Their mother asks them to take her back to the country so she can be safe from the people who would only exploit her and so they do! And everyone's happy! And mice get eaten and cats fly and wash each other affectionately and have adorable names! And no one worries about why they fly or how they know their names or whether they can only talk to each other or if people can hear them like they can see them fly. Its enough that there are flying adorable catwings who love each other.
In this glorious little sequel a couple of the catwings decide to go back to the city to visit their alley cat mother and discover their adorable little flying feral sister who they coax into not being quite so feral (thought she can still only say "me!" and "hate, hate, hate" when she gets scared). Their mother asks them to take her back to the country so she can be safe from the people who would only exploit her and so they do! And everyone's happy! And mice get eaten and cats fly and wash each other affectionately and have adorable names! And no one worries about why they fly or how they know their names or whether they can only talk to each other or if people can hear them like they can see them fly. Its enough that there are flying adorable catwings who love each other.
January 13, 2024
This second book is as good as the first one. Plenty of action for a bunch of fluffy, winged cats.
Hope all the cats find good Hands!
Hope all the cats find good Hands!
May 13, 2019
Kanatlı kediler masalı 2 çok güzeldi.Eğer birinci kitabını okuduysanız 2’de yuvaya donduklerini anlatıyor tavsiye ediyorum.-Ada
August 13, 2022
NOT THEM NAMING THE LITTLE BLACK KITTEN AFTER THEIR MOTHER I'LL CRY REAL TEARS
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 21, 2018
So adorable. I firmly believe that Ursula K. Le Guin could do anything she set her mind to. The more I see of her work the more I miss her very much.
March 23, 2011
I like when Harriet and James flew away from the barn to the city to meet their mother for a visit. And I like when they had a little nap and then a very loud noise woke them and it was a crane and a metal ball bashing down buildings. And I like when everything was quiet and no noise at all came. And I like when there was a tiny quiet sound, "Me." I like when it bashed a metal ball in there and James saw the little kitten and then it bashed a hole in the building. And the kitten had wings and the other ones had wings -- that's why it's called "catwings." And then Harriet closed her jaws right on the tip of the little kitten's neck and carried her off. First the kitten was very gentle but then the kitten started twisting. I like when the kitten twisted right off under a street filled with whizzing cars. And I like when the kitten spread out its wings and soared out into the sky. And I like when they flew and then the kitten got a little bit tired. And then James flew under the kitten and let it land on his wings. I like when they got home in a garden filled with flowers and the mother cat was waiting. And I like when the mother curled up next to its kitten. And I like when she told a story about when her kitten had started jumping off things, trying to fly down. And I like when they flew at night but that was the hardest because then they all got tired and they had to rest lots of times - even more than day because nighttime is so when you sleep. And I like when they got to the barn again and I like when the little kitten fell on its side and wriggled. And I like when two nice human children got some milk for the kitten and I like when one little sister said, "What do you think that kitten's name is?" "Me?" that's what the kitten said. "Mimi," is what one human said. But the other human said, "I don't think Mimi; I think Jane." And I like when it splattered milk all over its little black face and then it had a bath.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 7, 2012
I finished reading "Catwings collection" yesterday. They are my second to fifth books to read in English in this year. The books have four volumes. Each title is " Catwings", " Catwings Return", " Wonderful Alexander And The Catwings" and " Jane On Her Own". I figured out " Catwings" first at a book store. I turned some pages, and I loved the illustration at first sight. Those were awesome! I bought first book and read it. Since the book was written for kids, it was easy to understand. In addition to that, the illustrations helped me to imagine the strange world where cats have wings.
In my case I was attracted by the illustrations to buy them.
However, while I was continuing to read, I realized that catwings are kind of metaphor of people who are different from others. That means the people who are great deal of their personalities. It is occasionally hard for them to be accepted toward normal people.
That's because people don't like admiring their strong personalities. In the story catwings traveled around to find their own place and discovered their place to live peacefully.
The place was the houses where kids live or old woman lives.
Both kids and old woman didn't care the difference of the cats. They were rather willing to admire their difference easily. They were written as symbols of unselfish or affectionate objects.
After I read the books, I thought catwings might be kind of phantoms which only people who have pure harts can look at. Anyway, the story is very simple, but you can enjoy both wonderful illustrations and beautiful stories. I especially recommend the books to the people who are cats lover.
In my case I was attracted by the illustrations to buy them.
However, while I was continuing to read, I realized that catwings are kind of metaphor of people who are different from others. That means the people who are great deal of their personalities. It is occasionally hard for them to be accepted toward normal people.
That's because people don't like admiring their strong personalities. In the story catwings traveled around to find their own place and discovered their place to live peacefully.
The place was the houses where kids live or old woman lives.
Both kids and old woman didn't care the difference of the cats. They were rather willing to admire their difference easily. They were written as symbols of unselfish or affectionate objects.
After I read the books, I thought catwings might be kind of phantoms which only people who have pure harts can look at. Anyway, the story is very simple, but you can enjoy both wonderful illustrations and beautiful stories. I especially recommend the books to the people who are cats lover.
August 3, 2010
After I posted my review of Minifred Goes to School by Mordicai Gerstein, Little Willow recommended that I read the Catwings series by Ursula K. Le Guin. At the library I only found the second book in the series, Catwings Return. So in keeping with my record of reading the second book first, I checked it out.
Catwings Return begins on a farm where young children have a special looking pigeon coupe. Except it doesn't house pigeons; it houses cats with wings. The kittens decide they need to go back to the city to visit their non winged mother.
While looking for their mother in a neighborhood about to be demolished they find a winged kitten. She must be a sibling. The little kitten is too scared to listen to reason. The catwings have to find a way to save their sister and find their mother.
The book is short, only five chapters. I fell in love with it on the first couple of pages. First of all it has the delightful illustrations by S. D. Schindler, who also illustrated Le Guin's Cat Dreams. Next, one of the kittens is named Harriet. My Harriet adores cats and she's now old enough to sit through short chapter books if I read them to her.
Since reading Catwings Returns I've found Catwings at a different branch. I plan to read it to her before I read Catwings Returns. I'm looking forward to starting the series with my daughter.
Catwings Return begins on a farm where young children have a special looking pigeon coupe. Except it doesn't house pigeons; it houses cats with wings. The kittens decide they need to go back to the city to visit their non winged mother.
While looking for their mother in a neighborhood about to be demolished they find a winged kitten. She must be a sibling. The little kitten is too scared to listen to reason. The catwings have to find a way to save their sister and find their mother.
The book is short, only five chapters. I fell in love with it on the first couple of pages. First of all it has the delightful illustrations by S. D. Schindler, who also illustrated Le Guin's Cat Dreams. Next, one of the kittens is named Harriet. My Harriet adores cats and she's now old enough to sit through short chapter books if I read them to her.
Since reading Catwings Returns I've found Catwings at a different branch. I plan to read it to her before I read Catwings Returns. I'm looking forward to starting the series with my daughter.
November 15, 2023
Although this Catwings sequel isn't as spectacular as the original, it is still quite delightful.
Favorite Passages:
"I know. And families do get separated in bad times. But they find each other again."
_________
"Birds," he said. "They had to be birds."
. . . .
"Did you ever see a bird that had whiskers? And front feet?"
"Nope," said the other man. "Can't say I ever did. Want a dill pickle?"
_________
"I will lie in the sun in my roof-garden and dream of her flying with you, in freedom. And that will be my happiness."
________
Thelma sat on the high ridgepole of the old barn at Overhill. It was after sunset. The western sky was gold above the hills. But Thelma looked eastward.
Roger sat on the highest branch of a great oak on the hill behind the barn. Anyone seeing him would have thought he was an owl, waiting motionless for the dark.
Favorite Passages:
"I know. And families do get separated in bad times. But they find each other again."
_________
"Birds," he said. "They had to be birds."
. . . .
"Did you ever see a bird that had whiskers? And front feet?"
"Nope," said the other man. "Can't say I ever did. Want a dill pickle?"
_________
"I will lie in the sun in my roof-garden and dream of her flying with you, in freedom. And that will be my happiness."
________
Thelma sat on the high ridgepole of the old barn at Overhill. It was after sunset. The western sky was gold above the hills. But Thelma looked eastward.
Roger sat on the highest branch of a great oak on the hill behind the barn. Anyone seeing him would have thought he was an owl, waiting motionless for the dark.
March 31, 2016
Catwings continue to be adorable little picture books. In this one, two of the cats decide to visit their old home to find it in the middle of being destroyed! They can't leave, however, until they save a poor little black kitten with wings who is hiding terrified in an attic. They coax her out, find their mother, and discover that the tiny little Jane is actually their sister! As usual, the art is adorable, and the cats' travel to the city is exciting for the age group these books are geared at. Plus now we get to see Jane who looks just like my kitty :D
January 31, 2018
After Le Guin's death, I decided to share some of her work with my lads. Earthsea is still a year or so beyond them, but we had these Catwings stories. I'd not bothered to pick them up before, so it was a new piece of Le Guin for me, too. They are tiny treasures. The skillful prose of her larger works are here on sweet, small pages, perfect for my boys.
April 18, 2015
This is the story of how the Catwings found their sister, Jane, and reunited with their mother before returning home. They take Jane with them, and she is well-accepted and well-treated at the barn, but she cannot say anything except "Me" and "HATE!".
July 11, 2017
This was the first Catwings book I read. I found it so poignant that I had to stop for 6 months before I could read the other I had, "Jane on her Own".
Loses one star for a lazy sort of a Midcentury America "whitebread" vibe to the human bits. LeGuin should know better.
Loses one star for a lazy sort of a Midcentury America "whitebread" vibe to the human bits. LeGuin should know better.
March 27, 2015
I cried.
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