Title: Whittington
Review: Whittington, a Newbery Honor book, is the story of a cat who comes to live in a barnyard of down-and-out animals given a home by Bernie who with his wife cares for Abby and Ben, his orphaned grandchildren. The cat Whittington is the namesake of Dick Whittington, a London merchant and advocate for the poor during the mid 1300's. As Whittington tells the barnyard menagerie of his ancestor who was the companion of Dick Whittington we also find that Ben is struggling from the embarrassment and problems of dyslexia. Ben's struggles are interwoven with Whittington's storytelling. While this is a good story which imparts history and science through the words of the animals, the transition from real time to storytelling does not always flow well. The accounts of the merchant trade slows the story down at times and seems rather textbook-like. Until the very end, the characters lack the three-dimensionality that allows the reader to empathize with them. An enjoyable read nontheless.
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