Dick is an orphan who goes to London because he has heard there are streets of gold there. London is not the way he imagines it, and he very quickly begins to starve. He collapses on the doorstep of a merchant, and the cook does not treat him well. However, the merchant feels bad for him. He feeds Dick and gives him a job in his kitchen. He stays in a small room in the house where there are mice, so he saves up for a special cat. This cat is good at catching mice, so it takes care of the problem. One day the merchant goes on a voyage to sell things to make money. Dick gives him his cat, and the merchant sells the cat to the king and queen. The merchant gives Dick all the gold he got for the cat, and Dick marries the merchant's daughter. This would be a good book to read to children because it teaches them that just because life is bad now doesn't mean it will be bad forever. Dick was patient, and he never gave up. In the end, he had a happy life because of it.

Genre: Historical Fiction
Age: Primary
Review:
Dick Whittington is an orphan growing up on the streets of London. A rich merchant brought him into his house to serve him. He had so many rats in his room that he got a cat to watch over him. When a voyage took place he had to give his cat to trade with the people in a far away land. unknown to them the king there had a rat problem and bought the cat for a lot of goods. This is how Dick Whittington got his riches and became famous.
This is historical fiction because it takes place in the history of London. Back when it was ruled by a king and wooden merchant ships were sent out to trade with other places. The story itself is most likely untrue but the historical timing is accurate.
Use:
1) Talk about how working hard can be beneficial
2) Talk about animals and prey and why humans decided to dominate certain pets over others.
Ill. Media: Pencil? ( )

"Dick Whittington and His Cat" is a good book about a young and poor orphan. Dick is too young and weak to work after the death of both of his parents. He finds himself in search of work and food when a man offers to take him to London. In London, he is stopped by a gentleman who offered work for the boy. After the hay was made, Dick wondered back to London but passed out in-front of a rich merchants house, Mr. Fitzwarren. Mr. Fitzwarren offered Dick food, a job and a place to sleep. At night, Dick was haunted by the mice running in his room. Dick finds a cat on the streets that he bought, which fixed the mice problem. To make money, Dick had to sell his cat and the cat was very helpful to the King by catching all the mice in his land. Dick is rewarded with treasures from the king that made him very rich. Dick was married and became the Lord Mayor of London. The story is an interesting story of a poor boy who was lost in the world. The story shows hope for the future and the journey of going from poor to rich. ( )

recommended by Lisa Vegan, and Gundula, indirectly, for Marcia Brown's ability to retell folk tales with clarity and warmth
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Read. ?áThe woodcuts are delightful and do help tell the story and show the characters. ?áI've always wondered, though, what the Moorish king will do with just one cat, no breeding stock. ?áAnd besides, did they really not have cats, or terriers, or such? ( )

My son loves cats. A couple weeks ago we found a whole bunch of childrens books about cats at the library that were being discarded. We liked this one for the bold illustrations. ( )