The Cat Who Came in Off the Roof

This is another of Pushkin Childrens Books beautifully presented works of fiction for children originally written in other languages. The book was first published in Dutch in 1970 .
Tibble is a reporter on a local newspaper who, rather than write about all the nasty things that go on, has taken to writing articles about cats. His boss is not best pleased and warns that he will lose his job if he does not come up with some real news stories. Poor Tibble is resigned to his fate, feeling that he could not possibly go up to total strangers and ask them impertinent questions in the manner of proper reporters, but then he happens upon a young woman stuck up a tree after a confrontation with some dogs.
From this point on, Tibbles whole life changes. The woman, who can communicate with cats and strangely seems to share many of their characteristics, sets out to help Tibble save his job and thus creates the Cat Press Agency, a loose collection of local cats who always seem to know exactly what is going on (and there is something fishy going on). In the course of the events that follow, Tibble finds the courage to overcome his shyness and saves the town and his job. This is a lovely story and will appeal to the confident young reader, especially if they like cats, as they feature prominently throughout the book and to those who enjoy a happy ending. 158 pages, ages 8+, Reviewed by June Hughes, school librarian

Suggested Reading Age 7+