Blue Cat of Castle Town

Rating:
Summary: Old virtues made timeless
Review: I read this book as a child and still love it at 60. The book speaks about what it means to be an authentic human being through a parable about a special kitten who must find his way in the world on his own and triumphs over loss, disappointment, and exploitation to find self-realization. "'Sing your own song,' said the River, 'sing well.'" It is never too late to sing your own song, if your heart will let you. How the cat learned to do this is worth learning at any age. Now this is how I interpret what goes on in the story in today's vocabulary, not how the author puts it, but my point is the book is just as relevant today as when originally written. The experiences of this cat will hit home with all too many people today, both children and adults. The book is beautifully written by Catherine Coblentz, a lady who by the way spearheaded the establishment of the Cleveland Park branch of the D.C. Library, where there are etched glass drawings from the book. If kids today would buy in to a book like this and Wordsworth's Happy Warrior, they would have a better chance of growing up whole.

Rating:
Summary: Old virtues made timeless
Review: I read this book as a child and still love it at 60. The book speaks about what it means to be an authentic human being through a parable about a special kitten who must find his way in the world on his own and triumphs over loss, disappointment, and exploitation to find self-realization. "'Sing your own song,' said the River, 'sing well.'" It is never too late to sing your own song, if your heart will let you. How the cat learned to do this is worth learning at any age. Now this is how I interpret what goes on in the story in today's vocabulary, not how the author puts it, but my point is the book is just as relevant today as when originally written. The experiences of this cat will hit home with all too many people today, both children and adults. The book is beautifully written by Catherine Coblentz, a lady who by the way spearheaded the establishment of the Cleveland Park branch of the D.C. Library, where there are etched glass drawings from the book. If kids today would buy in to a book like this and Wordsworth's Happy Warrior, they would have a better chance of growing up whole.

Rating:
Summary: Not for Babies
Review: I read this book in 4th grade. The reading level is about 5-7th grade, not for babies or toddlers. The plot of the book is based on a number of items in the Metropolitan Museum of Art which all hale from a town in Vermont called Castleton. One of them is hand-woven carpet with a blue cat depicted on it. Another is a pewter teapot. Around these artifacts and the small amounts of information that could be gleaned on their history, the author has built a charming tale of a blue kitten in search of a home. Since he was born under a blue moon, the kitten can only find a home and a hearth in the house of a human who knows (or can be taught) the River's Song. The River's Song is the Song of Creation, of the making of beautiful things. The kitten encounters many inhabitants of Castletown in his quest and finds them falling under the dark spell of Arunah Hyde, whose whole interest is speed and wealth. The kitten himself nearly falls under the same spell, but escapes at the last minute. His quest seems doomed to fail, however, until he crosses the path of a lonely, ugly girl. This is a book that does not deserve to be out of print. It could easily be used in the classroom as a lesson in early American culture and history, but is also a just a very enjoyable and moving read.

Rating:
Summary: A special place in my heart
Review: I read this book when I was eight and it was one of my favorites--something magical and yet so real about this blue cat and its quest. Yet it was The River's Song that was the most compelling part of the book for me...the need to find one's own song, to create beauty in one's life and work, not directly to seek riches and power. I would credit it as one of the influences in my choosing writing children's books as a career. Over 60 published books later, I am stilll happily trying to sing my own song. Thank you dear spirit of Catherine Coblentz for your gentle guide to living. This book is a treasure for those who find it.

Rating:
Summary: blue cats are enlightening!
Review: This book made me laugh and made me cry. It also did something that very few books have done before, it gave me hope. The book demonstrates how a love of honesty and beauty affect the lives of different people in different ways. It never falters or leaves the reader hanging. The best read in a long time!