Cat Up a Tree

Here's a counting book that brings in the community, a whole lot of cats and handles it all with a zany sense of humor. Nana Quimby sees a cat up a tree. She calls the fire department to come and get it down. The person at the firehouse says that they don't do that anymore -- she should call back if the cat starts playing with matches. Now there are five cats in the tree. Nana Quimby calls the police. They won't help unless the cats rob a bank. The cats increase and so do the phone calls. No one will help. In frustration, Nana throws the phone out the window. It lands in the tree and the forty cats cross the wire to her house. The spindly and angular art adds to the comedy.

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• Catwings by Ursula Le Guin. Illustrated by S. D. Schindler. (1992, Scholastic. ISBN 9780613708425. Order Info.) Chapter Book. 48 pages. Gr 1-5.
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