Walker Katje The Windmill Cat

This heroic tale was inspired by a true story that took place over 500 years ago. It tells of Katje the windmill cat who lives happily with Nico, the miller, in a Dutch village by the sea. But when Nico brings home his new bride, everything changes. Katje is shooed away by Lena as she sweeps the house or when she finds Katje playing with the new baby. Eventually poor Katje leaves her home and moves into the windmill. But when a storm breaks the dike that holds back the sea, Katje performs a feat of extraordinary courage that makes her forever welcome in the house. Editorial Reviews From Publishers Weekly Woelfle (The Wind at Work: An Activity Guide to Windmills) transforms a historical account of the 15th-century St. Elizabeth's Day flood in Holland into an engaging story in terms that children will understand; the facts never intrude upon the seamless narrative. Katje the cat belongs to Niko the miller, but when he marries and Anneke is born, the feline is no longer the center of the household. Even though Katje moves into the windmill, she loves playing with Anneke and rocking her cradle. When the town's dike breaks and Anneke and the cat are swept into dangerous floodwaters, Katje keeps the baby's cradle level until they are rescued. The epilogue describes the Kinderdijk (Children's Dike) built to honor the baby saved by a cat. Like the text, Bayley's (The Necessary Cat) richly detailed artwork not only chronicles the events, but also captures the cat's uncannily human emotions. The panel illustrations, like miniature Dutch paintings, glow with a patina of amber light and parallel the excitement of the text; early scenes show the serene town and domestic life while later paintings chronicle the rising floodwaters, culminating in a wordless spread of cat and baby bobbing precariously in the cradle. Delft tiles in traditional patterns as well as those incorporating images from the story decorate each page. Both art and text infuse this little-known piece of history with warmth and imagination. Ages 4-up. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title. From School Library Journal K-Gr 3-Katje has an easy life. She keeps Nico's mill free of mice during the week, chases seagulls on Sundays, and sleeps on her owner's pillow at night. All that changes when he brings home a wife, who scolds the cat for her dusty paws and banishes her from the bedroom. When their baby arrives, the feline loves playing with her and gently rocking her cradle. Lena scolds again, saying that the cat will make the baby sneeze or tip the cradle, and a forlorn Katje takes up residence in the mill instead of the house. However, when a violent storm breaks through the dike and floodwaters wash the cradle out of the house, it is Katje who rescues Anneke by leaping from side to side to keep the cradle upright. Her place of honor in the family secure, she returns to the house, although she now remembers to lick her paws before entering. An author's note indicates that the book is based on a true event that occurred in 1421 in South Holland. Woelfle's simple, graceful prose is a pleasure to read aloud. Bayley's lovely watercolors with their borders inspired by delft tiles are a delight for the eye. The soft blues and browns coupled with meticulous attention to detail are a perfect match for this gentle, charming tale. Pair it with Norma Green's The Hole in the Dike (Scholastic, 1974) for a discussion both of Holland's vulnerability and the courage to be found in small packages. Grace Oliff, Ann Blanche Smith School, Hillsdale, NJ Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.