THE FIRE CAT by Esther Averill was #4 Daughter’s favorite book when she was wee, or one of her favorites. One of my favorites to read to her, too. I was sorry when she grew up enough to read it to herself (it’s an early-reader book), but sometimes I read it to myself!

Pickles is a spotted cat who lives in a barrel. He has no inner resources, so he fills his days being mean to other cats. The house cats don’t like him, for obvious reasons. Through an impeccable and ironic chain of circumstances, he’s adopted by a fireman and achieves his potential.

What’s not to love? Strong characterization, internal growth and change, air-tight plotting…. This book has it all! And the pictures are great, too! Note, on the cover, the clear dichotomy between the bricks and the sky, the imprisonment of feline wickedness and the freedom of feline altruism, with the firepole as the dividing line! Very striking.

THE FIRE CAT is available at Amazon, practically for free. But I don’t have any deals with Amazon, so look for it elsewhere, if you’d rather.

A WRITING PROMPT FOR YOU: Write a scene in which a character has a major turning point.

MA