Independent Reading Level 1-3
Awards and Honors:n/a

was published in 1952, two years before I was born, five years before the Space Age began, and 17 years before the first landing on the moon. How I loved reading library copies when I was a child! Alas, this was not one of my old library favorites that I was able to buy a used copy of when I was grown. Then another fan of the book recently mentioned how glad he was when he'd learned that Dover had reprinted it. I ordered myself a copy and, for the first time in probably over 50 years, I was able to reread it.

One thing I had not remembered was that Flyball is described as a gray cat in the text, but the illustrations show him as a gray tabby. No matter. It's obvious that the author was familiar with cats. I particularly enjoyed Flyball's belief that there is a Cat in the moon, and that dogs howl at it because there's no dog in the moon.

adventurous kitten manages to stow away for a couple of rides, one of which introduces him to his future slave [as he thinks of pilot Captain Fred Stone], who gives him his name.

Captain Stone lives and works at an experimental station in a desert. Flyball is quite a favorite with the station personnel. He enjoys letting the station dogs imagine they'll catch him when they chase him. He inspects everywhere except the large rocket, which is always closed off. Flyball is not pleased.

Anyone who has ever tried to keep a cat out of some place that cat wants to go will not be surprised that Flyball manages to stow away on the rocket test flight. This gives Captain Stone the idea to have a pressure suit made for Flyball. A General shows up to growl about Stone insisting on taking his lucky cat to the moon, but Stone's Colonel and Flyball himself soon win the General over.

The trip to the moon is quite an adventure for man and cat. Indeed, without Flyball, Stone would not have survived.

Even though science has taught us that the cave of moon creatures is fiction, this is still a charming story. I would recommend it to any cat lover, but particularly readers who love science fantasy and cats. The illustrations are good. Mr. Galdone really captured cat expressions. ( )

First sentence: The little gray kitten had always been the most adventurous member of his family. He had been the first to explore the roof of the apartment building where he lived with his brothers and sisters. There he had sat for hours admiring the face of the Cat in the Moon until his mother had dragged him in by the scruff of his neck. The next day he had managed to maroon himself on top of the flagpole on the roof and the Fire Department had had to be called to take him down.

Premise/plot: When a [cute, adorable, super-curious] gray kitten befriends Captain Fred Stone, he gets a new name, "Flyball," a new home, and new adventures. Flyball accompanies his human to the moon and back. Their adventure on the moon isn't without some peril--good thing Flyball is there to save the day.

My thoughts: This charming little book was written in 1952. It is always interesting/intriguing to see how the public [writers, readers] imagined space exploration to be like. This one was written, published, and enjoyed long before NASA sent anyone to the moon--or even into orbit. This qualifies both as science fiction and fantasy. It is told through the perspective of the cat. There are plenty of men [military men] talking rockets, rockets, and more rockets.

I enjoyed this one. The illustrations are wonderful. ( )

A silly story about a cat that hitchhikes onto a rocket and proves himself useful and so the scientist takes him with him, and the cat saves the day. ( )