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Post by Claire on Feb 12, 2010 14:22:43 GMT 1
As most of us on here also love dogs and cats as well as horses I thought it would be interesting to see what our fav dog and cat novels/stories are, and also if there are any you would recommend to other people. I must admit I haven't read that many as there seems to be a tendancy to make stories about cats and dogs sad. My favourite cat novels are the childrens fantasy Carbonel series by Barbara Sleigh. I know, I know I am always harping on about them  but they are just superb. Also nice are the younger children's Gobbolino series by Ursula Moray Williams. Both sets of books feature witch's cats! There's also another really good cat story by Ursula called The Nine Lives of Island Mackenzie. I like the Skipper and Taff dog stories by Judith Berrisford as they are quite easy going with nothing too terrible happening. But I like JMB anyway so I read all of her stuff. Has anyone read her cat books? They are pretty hard to find. K M Peyton also wrote a nice tho slightly odd story about a giant dog called Froggets Revenge. I like some of Joyce Stranger's cat and dog stories. Casey is prob my fav although I couldn't read some of them as they are too upsetting. I also really like James Herriots anecdotes featuring cats and dogs (there is a collected book of dog stories by him and also I think cats too) altho some of the stories are poignant they are somehow less sad and more uplifting. |
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Post by susanb on Feb 12, 2010 16:04:18 GMT 1
Great idea for a thread, Claire! I have to admit, I'm not generally someone who likes really sad animal books either....I can state right here that none of the books I'm about to list is a tear-jerker! Champion Dog Prince Tom by Jean Fritz and Tom Clute.....true story of a cocker spaniel, the runt of the litter, who goes on to become a champion field dog. Out of print, but very easy to find used. Lad: a Dog by Albert Payson Terhune....looks like a novel, but really reads like a series of short stories about one dog and the family, time and place in which he lives. Based, like the rest of Terhune's collie stories, on his dogs and home: www.sunnybankcollies.us/and its still in print: search.barnesandnoble.com/Lad/Albert-Payson-Terhune/e/9780140364743/?itm=1&usri=lad+a+dogBig Red by Jim Kjelgaard - lovely story about a champion Irish Setter and the French Canadian boy who loves him...still in print, this link has a "look inside the book" feature that allows you to read an excerpt: search.barnesandnoble.com/Big-Red/Jim-A-Kjelgaard/e/9780553154344/?itm=1&usri=jim+kjelgaardSilver Chief, Dog of the North by Jack O'Brien - another Canadian book, this time about a dog who has run with wolves but now belongs to a member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. First of a series, all very good...out of print, but fairly easy to find used. |
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Post by susanb on Feb 12, 2010 16:10:47 GMT 1
Oh, and a note.....all of the Carbonel books are out again in hardcover from the New York Review of Books: www.nybooks.com/nyrb/authors/10617I checked Amazon UK, and for some weird reason, they're stocking Carbonel and Calidor, but the other two are only available used. |
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Feb 12, 2010 19:04:41 GMT 1
I've only read one dog story and that's Taff and the stolen ponies. I can thoroughly recommend that one. On my TBR pile is Joyce Strangers A walk in the Dark, supposed to be about a guide dog I think. Has anyone read it?
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Post by susanb on Feb 12, 2010 19:39:54 GMT 1
Almost forgot my cat book faves! The Cat and Mrs. Cary by Doris Gates, who also wrote pony books Morgan for Melinda (UK title Horse for Melinda), Filly for Melinda and Little Vic. Excellent book, a touch of fantasy, illustrated by the wonderful Peggy Bacon.
Silently, the Cat and Miss Theodosia by Felice Holman....hard to describe, eccentric, fun, for a slightly younger reader than Mrs. Cary.
And I have to put in a plug for the lovely Esther Averill, who wrote one of my favorite early reader books, The Fire Cat, still in print after all these years:
search.barnesandnoble.com/Fire-Cat/Esther-Averill/e/9780760781494/?itm=1&usri=the+fire+cat+averill
Somehow I missed her famous Jenny books as a child...will have to get to them soon! Like the Carbonel books, they're back in print in hardcover from the New York Review of Books:
www.nybooks.com/nyrb/authors/10014
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Post by Claire on Feb 12, 2010 22:49:36 GMT 1
Thanks for those titles susan. I am always nervous about reading new cat or dog stories (or animal ones in general) in case they are sad but I know I'm safe with the ones you suggested! Re. the Carbonel books, the first two are in print in the UK in paperback but not Carbonel and Calidor, so maybe thats why they are only stocking the Calidor in hardback new. Actually the first two are the best, the Calidor one is a bit of an afterthought (it was written much later) and not of the same standard. It used to be really really rare. I remember when I was first selling books a few years ago I sold a hardback copy for about £100! Rosie, kunuma might have read the Joyce Stranger one as I know she likes the dog ones. If she doesn't come on the thread PM her and ask her. |
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Post by garej on Feb 13, 2010 15:45:57 GMT 1
I like the Skipper and Taff dog stories by Judith Berrisford as they are quite easy going with nothing too terrible happening. But I like JMB anyway so I read all of her stuff. Has anyone read her cat books? They are pretty hard to find. I have read one of the books (she wrote two, the other I am looking for) which is The Cats of Winkle Bay (actually I own 2 copies: one with and one without a dj). It is quite a decent enough read, about a cat who decides to leave home on a boat because he is badly treated by some kids who have come to visit the owner (the girl ties him up in a frilly hat and wheels him around in a pram). |
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Post by kunuma on Feb 13, 2010 21:25:14 GMT 1
My favourites would have to be the Joseph Chipperfield books - you can tell he actually lived with dogs!
For an interesting and slightly different account of life with a dog, (but be warned with a horribly sad ending), I will never forget Moobli, by Mike Tomkies.
Rosie - Walk in the Dark is the second of two books in a mini series, the first being Never Count Apples They are OK, (based on guide dog training) as is Walk a Lonely Road (based on Police Dog training).
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Post by garej on Feb 13, 2010 22:09:26 GMT 1
Thinking about it, I have not read many (fictional) cat or dog stories, though as a kiddie I had The Christmas Day Kitten (James Herriot). Oh and I do own the Jessie series by CPT which is about a dog (called Jessie ironically enough) but have not yet read them.
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Post by Claire on Feb 13, 2010 22:53:12 GMT 1
Kunuma I have never actually read any of Joseph C's non-horse books but they are supposed to be better than the horsy ones as he knew more about dogs than horses apparently! I havent read the Jessie series, I did read the Secret Dog by Diana but I think its put me off reading anything about dogs by the PTs!  |
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Post by garej on Feb 13, 2010 23:08:33 GMT 1
I havent read the Jessie series, I did read the Secret Dog by Diana but I think its put me off reading anything about dogs by the PTs! Dear Pup: Letters to a Young Dog (DPT) is quite funny, but I am not sure if it is fictional or not. It is definitely based on a real dog (there is a picture on the flap of the dj) though. What was wrong with the Secret Dog? |
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Post by Claire on Feb 13, 2010 23:17:22 GMT 1
It was very depressing. It was like CPT on a very bad day. And I normally like DPT. This one was quite grim. Strange that the other dog one she wrote was funny!
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Post by garej on Feb 13, 2010 23:25:13 GMT 1
I am still after The Secret Dog so I will keep that in mind when I do eventually read it.
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vera
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Post by vera on Feb 14, 2010 2:50:22 GMT 1
One of my favourite cat stories is Paul Gallico's "Jennie". Also "Thomasina" and "The Silent Miaow". The last is best for a totally happy read.
One good dog book is "The Proving of Paragon" by Mary Gervaise.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 14, 2010 7:47:35 GMT 1
Thanks Kunuma.  I didn't realise it was in a series. |
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Post by Claire on Feb 14, 2010 15:43:50 GMT 1
I didnt realise Mary Gervaise wrote a dog book - thanks for that info vera |
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Post by Claire on Feb 17, 2010 14:20:16 GMT 1
Just thought I had better add - what with a new edition being published shortly - that Monica Edward's The Wild One, is a great read for cat lovers. Its about a wild cat (puma) but there's also a great Siamese cat character in it too. In fact as I am sure we have said before a lot of cats appear in the author's books, epecially in her autobiographical ones.
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Post by garej on Feb 19, 2010 20:19:03 GMT 1
I recieved this week The Far From Home Cats by Judith Berrisford, which is a cat themed book. It is a sequel to (which I did not realise this until I read it) The Cats of Winkle Bay, though both could be read individually, if you could only get hold of one. It is a quite decent enough story, though I do prefer this one to The Cats of Winkle Bay. There is nothing especially nasty and it makes a decent enough change to her Jackie books, and you dont want to shout at the cats! (Especially poor old Nobody's Cat - one of the main characters).
Strangely The Cats of Winkle Bay was published in 1959 and The Far From Home was published in 1967 - almost a 10 year gap. There has been a change of illustrator, and I think the ones in The Cats of Winkle Bay are far more superior. The Cats of Winkle Bay (what a lot to type out!) was illustrated by Maurice Wilson and the Far from Home Cats was illustrated by Mary Shilabeer (who illustrated Primrose Cumming's The Deep Sea Horse). Also in The Far From Home Cats, there is in the front an list of the characters (feline and human) which feature in the book, which is not present (and really not necessary) in The Cats of Winkle Bay.
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Post by garej on Feb 21, 2010 13:25:26 GMT 1
Oh and here is the scans of both books   |
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Post by Claire on Feb 21, 2010 14:12:15 GMT 1
Thanks for the info Garej. I will certainly look out for the books in the future. They look and sound nice. Surprised that the Mary Shilabeer illustrations aren't up to scratch as she is a nice illustrator normally, but maybe she doesnt do cats as well as ponies.
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Post by garej on Feb 21, 2010 14:26:11 GMT 1
Surprised that the Mary Shilabeer illustrations aren't up to scratch as she is a nice illustrator normally, but maybe she doesnt do cats as well as ponies. Yeah, the first one sort of captures Marmaduke Mittens (the black and white cat on both books) spirit whereas I dont. They are not that bad, just when you compare Maurice Wilson's his is much better. Shame that they could not (as it is the same publisher) use the same illustrator. I do have a spare copy of The Cats of Winkle Bay if someone wants to buy it (no dj, but I could try and photocopy the dj of mine) though. |
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Post by Deleted on Mar 22, 2010 21:23:12 GMT 1
And I've just read A Walk in the Dark...it was O.K. no sad ending or anything but not one I'd read again.
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chris
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Post by chris on Jul 18, 2012 19:54:04 GMT 1
Thank you, whoever suggested "Cats of Winkle Bay" and "The Far From Home Cats." Unfortunately here in the US the prices seem to be up in the stratosphere. (Hey--maybe we could get a supply chain going? American readers post their wish lists, British readers find the books cheaper than we can, then we pay for shipping and they're sent?)
I love Doreen Tovey's books about her cats. And "Lassie Come-Home," of course. And Shirley Rousseau Murphy's wonderful mysteries about that tireless talking (yes, TALKING) tomcat (and police-department auxiliary) Joe Grey.
I remember the Carbonel books fondly, at least the first two. Never managed to find #3 and #4, however. (I *think* I may have #1 and #2, but most of my library's still in storage, blast it.)
Not a fiction book but delightful for cat-lovers: Oliver Hereford's (or Herford's) "The Rubaiyat of a Persian Kitten." He also wrote "A Kitten's Garden of Verses," which I haven't seen but is on my wish list (yeah, along with about 5000 other things...so many books, so little money...)
I'm also hoping to collect Grosset & Dunlap's "Famous Dog Stories." I'd recommend anything by Thomas C. Hinkle, Albert Payson Terhune, or Jack O'Brien (the Silver Chief man). Also Charles J. Finger: so far I've only read one, but I thought it was magnificent.
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chris
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Post by chris on Jul 18, 2012 20:00:33 GMT 1
Oh, yes--Eliza Orne White's "I: The Autobiography of a Cat." Another wish.
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chris
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Post by chris on Jul 18, 2012 20:06:11 GMT 1
And Frances Bacon's sweet and delightful "Kitty Come Down," about a kitten stuck up a tree (don't worry, he gets down).
I'd love to get my hands on Magdalen Eldon's "Bumble" and "Snow Bumble" (he's a Peke) and see if they're as good as I remember--another author whose prices are unreasonably high.
How did I forget Mary Calhoun's Henry series! "Cross-Country Cat," "Hot-Air Henry," "High-Wire Henry," et al.
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Post by fizz on May 13, 2013 21:14:18 GMT 1
I read my Nana's copy of The Incredible Journey when I was about eight. Very sad, but happy in the end.
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Post by Claire on May 13, 2013 23:06:44 GMT 1
I don't think I ever read the book, tho I saw the film of course (who didnt?!!)
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Post by darenc1 on May 14, 2013 8:48:57 GMT 1
I've not read many cat/dog stories, either, with the possible exception of Flash the Sheepdog by Kathleen Fidler and Blitzcat by Robert Westall. However, I have read: A Street Cat Named Bob - James Bowen Cleo - Helen Brown Casper the Commuting Cat (although I couldn't get past the chapter about Rainbow Bridge!  ) Dewey - Vicki Byron |
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Post by kunuma on May 14, 2013 19:22:28 GMT 1
I read my Nana's copy of The Incredible Journey when I was about eight. Very sad, but happy in the end. The first film is done VERY well, the animals are right and they stick very closely to the story - no comment about the silly remake! The book is worth reading, lovely ending! |
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Post by fizz on May 14, 2013 20:32:47 GMT 1
Yes I loved the book when I read it. Had quite an effect on me at the time. Seem to remember good pencil illustrations too.
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but they are just superb. Also nice are the younger children's Gobbolino series by Ursula Moray Williams. Both sets of books feature witch's cats! There's also another really good cat story by Ursula called The Nine Lives of Island Mackenzie.
I didn't realise it was in a series.
)