The Cat Who Walked Across France (by Kate Banks)

The cat?s longing to be home is so strong that he sets out on a long, solitary trek across France. He travels through cities and in the countryside, occasionally encountering kindhearted people, but no one takes him in. His strong instincts and memories of life by the sea draw him on toward the south. He makes it back home at last to the stone house at the edge of the sea. Thin but healthy, he is taken in by the children who have moved into the house.

The story's emotional range is wide. From the cat's contentment in his home by the sea with the old woman, to his loss of both woman and home, and then to his sometimes harrowing experiences as he travels across France, and finally the intense pleasure of finding his home welcoming once again, the reader is by the cat's side for it all. Reading stories is for children, like adults, a way to experience life and feelings that might not be available to us otherwise. This story has much to offer in that regard.

With full-color paintings in beautifully bold Mediterranean hues, the contrast between the huge expanse of the country with the smallness of the cat emphasizes the power of a strong spirit in search of its proper place. For the determined cat there is a tremendous difference between home and not home, one worth risking everything for. After his long trip, readers will share his relief and satisfaction to be home again.