Paul Gallico Books

This novel is great for a cat lover of any age. The attention to detail of what cats do and why is clever and entertaining. The love story is very well done.

The author of "The Silent Miaow" bats a home run again with this hugely imaginative fantasy novel about a boy who wishes he was a cat and then wakes up to find he has become one, and his adventures in cat form are captivating and enthralling. You will lose your heart to Jennie, his mentor in the ways of the feline, and you will keep this book to read over again. It's been on my bookshelf for decades now and I won't part with it.

A MUST READ for any cat lover or anyone who even LIKES felines. Paul Gallico definitely knows these wonderful animals and brings them to life on the pages of this book. You will get much pleasure from reading it.

Although not a cat lover I read Jennie as a ten year old boy living and growing up in Glasgow during the late 60's. I remember borrowing a copy for the Castlemilk public library and read it several time during that summer. I now have two daughters who recently joined their local library, and during the summer holidays the youngest brought back a book called "Abandoned" and started getting really excited about a boy called Peter and a cat called Jennie, almost instantly I recognised it as Jennie. Well we bought a copy and one Sunday I read it again for the first time in 35 years, the memories came flooding back, Peter getting knocked down, the fight with the ginger tom, just wash, a wonderful book and an enduring story for all ages

I read this book after it was recommended by a fellow teacher-librarian. I read it aloud to my daughter (then 10 years old), who loved it! Years later, I read it to my Grade 4 class. Events intervened over the month of June, and it was the LAST day of school before summer vacation. After a long assembly we had about 20 minutes left to finish the final two chapters. Alas, the bell rang and all the children were free to go for the summer. No one moved. They all wanted to hear the end of the story. I still see former students who recall that book as a formative one for them.

As one of the two humans claimed by three cats (and one dog), I can wholeheartedly endorse this book - at one point or another, we've had every one of the techniques set forth here by Momma Cat practiced on us. She's an excellent teacher, this cat, and evidently an awful lot of kittens have read this or have had it read to them :) If you love cats or would just like an insight into the mind of these often mysterious creatures, you will thoroughly enjoy reading this "manual for kittens"!

I purchased this for a friend who loves cats. I had read this book many years ago and still have fond memories. I purchased two, one as a gift and one to loan out. From a cats view point, it is very enjoyable. My hardback copy is somewhere. So the two that I purchased were bought used.

Bought it for a gift and was reluctant to part with it! Amusing, entertaining, for anyone who likes cats. My nephew has 14, and he loved the book. I probably will look for another copy. Of course, the author was a first class writer of his day, so how could you miss?

This manual for kittens, strays, and homeless cats was translated by the gifted writer, Paul Gallico, after it was typed by a wise cat. The result is alternately uncanny and heartwarming. Uncanny because I recognized every ploy that my cat, Duchess, uses to wheedle from me a life of incredible comfort, and heartwarming because it portrays the wonderfully affectionate nature of cats. After you read this, you will never again view a cat in the same manner. They are calculating creatures, but they are also full of love for you. The lessons in this manual are enhanced wonderfully by dozens of terrific photographs of a cat named Cica. Don't miss this splendid book.

Of all the books and booklets I have read about cats, this is my absolute favorite and has been since I got it the year it came out. Every cat should read it*. First you have Paul Gallico, who also wrote "Thomasina", "The Snow Goose" and "The Poseidon Adventure", among others. Add Suzanne Szasz, a truly great animal photographer and you have a winner. It's charm will captivate anyone lucky enough to read it.
*When you do read it, you'll know why I said that.

Paul Gallico knew and loved cats like few others. I have this book under its US title ("The Abandoned")and it's a fantastic, touching tale of life from a cat's eye view, as told by a little boy who becomes a cat (you'll have to read the book to see how). I've loved this book for years and it will never leave my bookshelf.

My mom read me this book when I was around six and I recently reread it. Paul Gallico is a genius when it comes to capturing the soul and nature of a cat. To this day I watch my cats licking themselves and think about what Jennie would say they are thinking.

An amazing book about a boy who turned into a cat. The boy's hardships as a cat and his friendship with a cat named Jenni are portrayed wonderfuly.

Not only for cat lovers - everyone will like this book. I don't like cats very much yet I adore it.

I read this book recently while hunting out from the depths of an old garage. I was entranced by the writing, the capturing of true cat nature. I reccommend this book to anyone who's ever wished they could turn into an animal, be it a cat or not. I was amazed at how Gallico caught the ways in such detail, and still write an invigorating, heartening story about a small boy.

This book earned a place on my top ten list immediately upon my reading it. I can't believe I did not know about this wonderful classic earlier! It made me laugh, cry -- and sit up all night, as I could not possibly put the thing down until I finished every last delicious line. Here I sit, at work the next day, staring at the cover, hoping I can steal a glance at that last chapter at lunchtime. This book is about life. And cats. And Paul Gallico. I always knew Gallico was a sports writer, and that he actually got into the ring with fighter Jack Dempsey -- a rather nervy move for a writer. In Jennie, Peter the cat fights a brawling tom named Dempsey. That's as much information as I'll give you. Read the book. You will forever be glad you did.

This book was the most touching story I had ever read. I actually felt deep sorrow and almost cried when Thomasina was going to be destroyed. This is a great book. It may be long, and slow reading, but I recommend it to any one who likes cats, and exciting page-turning stories!

I first encountered "Thomasina, The Cat Who Thought She Was God" in the library of my parochial grade-school, almost 40 years ago. I imagine the deacons were utterly unaware of what a "subversive", shamanic book they were providing their 2nd-grade student! Perhaps they were lulled by the innocuous Disney film version. Certainly they could not suppose that Paul Gallico would write "merely" a simple cat-story? For it is the combined power of Christianity and Paganism, interwoven with the ancient Egyptian cat-magick of Bubastis, which saves the souls of all the characters of this story. Set in rural Scotland in the early 50's, this is the tale of hard-hearted widowed veterinarian Andrew McDhui, his little daughter, and her beloved cat Thomasina. Resentful of his daughter's affection for her pet, he callously orders Thomasina destroyed. When his child falls ill from grief, it takes all the love of the village bairns, the Protestant vicar, the feared and misunderstood Red Witch of the Glen -- and the interference of the Divine Feline, Bast Herself -- to bring about a miracle and restore McDhui's faith in God. This is an inspired story about the many Paths which can be taken to that faith, and the varied and equally-legitimate aspects of God/dess. Bast has walked beside me since I first met Her through "Thomasina". Even now, as I reread the book every few years, I find it an emotionally-draining but spiritually-uplifting experience. And yes, it is also a good cat-story.

I don't like all Paul Gallico's work, but this one is charming and beautifully written. Tomasina gives as a true cat's view of hunans and the world, and is loveable for all her conceit. Everyone who loves a cat will recognise her.

I love cats and dogs, always have. So after 40 years of loving them, I've read almost everything by everyone about them. I'd seen Disney's Thomasina as a child, so when I saw the book for sale used I grabbed it.
I am enthralled by its beauty, depth and charm. The story wound its way around my heart and never let go.

I also recommend THE UGLY DACHSUND - a funny out-of-print story about dogs and TAILCHASER'S SONG, a watership-down type story, but wonderful. And two of my all-time favorites, THE INCREDIBLE JOURNEY and WHERE THE RED FERN GROWS.
Nothing I've read in the last 15 years, no fiction at least, can touch these beloved stories.
If you enjoy non-fiction and enjoyed Thomasina, read THE DOG WHO RESCUES CATS about an adoreable little mutt Ginny who finds and rescues injured and needy stray cats. It will melt your heart.

This has long been a great favorite and it continues to touch my heart. I've now been able to start sharing my classic favorites with my teenage granddaughter, a gift for both of us.

I first read this story as a child but never had my own copy. It was wonderful to re-read this again and still find it a lovely and poignant story. I loved my beautifully illustrated new hardback version. This famous book is a must in anyone's library.

I had borrowed this book from the library when I was reading William Fiennes' book, The Snow Geese. He mentioned that the story had inspired him to embark on his epic journey to follow the snow geese from their wintering grounds in Texas to their breeding grounds in the Foxe Peninsula. I was so moved by this story that I had to have a copy for myself. Get this book - I know you'll be glad you did! And when you read it, you'll see why it is still being published, 66 years after it was first published in 1941. That it has stood the test of time is a testament to the masterpiece that it is.

This book is really not written for children. I don't know why they keep saying that it's for kids. I suppose it's because of the lovely illustrations in it. However, the reading level is for young adults and adults. There's another book titled THE SNOW GOOSE AND OTHER STORIES. That book is written for young children and it's the same story, just rewritten for junior readers.

This book is packed with beautiful kitty photographs and poetry. It is configured with a photo on one page and a poem (based on the photo)on the opposite page. The beginning of the book takes a unique look at the cat from a respectful and appreciative perspective. The authors writing style tends to be "old english" (compared to what I'm used to) But it quickly grows on you. I've read and re-read the book many times...In fact, I find the words drifting into my mind when riding the bus or trolley..It's truly a special book for the cat lover. A+++

Honorable Cat is my "most favorite" cat book. The poetry is unique, the photographs are terrific... this book is so SPECIAL it's hard to sum up in a few words. I try to keep one on hand at all times to use as a special gift. It makes a wonderful coffee table book. My favorite poems include "The Dandelion" and an absolutely priceless ballad about "Tough Tom, the King of the Car Park." I tell you the truth, you can't buy this book fast enough.

Paul Gallico (mostly known now for The Snow Goose) was known in his own time greatly because of this little wonder of a book. If you ask me, this book is more about love than faith and determination, although all three of those qualities work side by side throughout this story about a little orphaned boy named Pepino who decides to go to any and all means necessary to save the only friend he has in the world, a donkey named Violetta. He tends to her the way any parent would tend for a child, the way any loving sibling would care for an ailing brother or sister, the way any pure-hearted and uncorrupted child would care for another in difficult times. It is also a story about the realities of the world and how even those who make a profession by acknowledging miracles sometimes have to be lovingly shocked into seeing them. It's really a story about the knowledge that if we say we love someone, then we are compelled by that love to make unselfish and ultimate sacrifices for them no matter what obstacles are in our way. It's also about how undeniably powerful seeing someone truly love someone else can be. Although this book has an undeniable Christian context, the lessons learned from this story transcend mere religion. It's about the human heart. And although Bob Barton's retelling is well done and Carolyn Croll's illustrations are beautiful, I much prefer Paul Gallico's own original text and David Knight's illustrations (Michael Joseph publishers, London, 1951, sometimes listed as 1953). But this story is so wonderful, I think any exposure to the story is worth experiencing. I'm glad this edition is available to toddlers and younger readers, especially.

My little ones loved this book so much I ordered 2...one to give away. The pictures were done so well and the story is a good one for faith and trust.Beautiful Beautiful!!

The Silent Miaow, Translated from the Feline and Edited by Paul W. Gallico.

It's just exactly as fun as it sounds. The author writes about how he "found" the manuscript, then translated it. The book itself is a first-person "how-to" book from the perspective of a cat.

There are chapters like "Tidbits at the Table" (go for the man first, then everyone will give in), "Take Over" and "Doors" (if you learn to open them, never let on, or they'll stop waiting on you). Some of it's a bit much, such as the way to butter up men. (And the "Food" chapter is positively Machivellian.)

Since it's all in good fun (and occasionally quite sweet), I enjoy this kind of thing. There is some actual facts, but they never get in the way of the flavor: pure fun.

Lots of black and white photos complete this funny jaunt. This book would be enjoyed even by people who believe cats _are_ controlling like this.

A sweet little book which will have some cat owners squirming, as they realise just exactly how far their beloved "pet" has them twisted around their little finger - er, paw. It's supposedly a manual for young cats on how to select their family and train their humans, and most cat lovers will recognise themselves as the "trainees"! The illustrations set off the text perfectly. I've found this an ideal book to give as gifts to my cat-loving friends, so sorry it's out of print. If you can track one down, grab it!

I first read this story in probably 1937 or 1938, so I was 12 or 13 years old. It was published as a six-part serial in a magazine, probably Cosmopolitan or perhaps Redbook under the title "A Tale of Six Cities". (What's a 12-year-old doing reading Cosmo? Believe me, it was not like today's Cosmo)There were only three chapters in the library magazines. It was the Methodist Church Ladies Aid Library in a little town in Kansas (real little - less than 800 people) and my mother tended the library every Saturday afternoon. I found the full book in 1946 in the Naval Air Station Library in Pensacola.
Hiram Holiday was a newspaper copy editor, a mundane, totally unadventurous job. My family has been in the newspaper business since 1904 and I could set my name in type before I could write it, so that attracted me at the start. I won't give away the story, but the international maneuverings and desperation of those pre-World War II days is masterfully covered, with Hiram, with his totally unexpected skills and insight, in the thick of it. It should be a movie - directed by Alfred Hitchcock.

The alone-in-this-world boy really did invent a bubble-gun. This is the adventure of getting it patented and the wild bus ride to D.C. with various unique characters that ensues.