Paws and Whiskers
Authors: Jacqueline Wilson
CONTENTS
Leonie’s Pet Cat
by Jacqueline Wilson
The Theater Cat
by Noel Streatfeild
Through the Looking-Glass
by Lewis Carroll
Gobbolino the Witch’s Cat
by Ursula Moray Williams
The Cat That Walked by Himself
by Rudyard Kipling
Orlando’s Invisible Pyjamas
by Kathleen Hale
Soffrona and Her Cat Muff
by Mary Martha Sherwood
The Diary of a Killer Cat
by Anne Fine
My Animal Friends
– Dick King-Smith
The Incredible Journey
by Sheila Burnford
A Dog So Small
by Philippa Pearce
The Accidental Tourist
by Anne Tyler
The Hundred and One Dalmatians
by Dodie Smith
Just William
by Richmal Crompton
Born to Run
by Michael Morpurgo
David Copperfield
by Charles Dickens
Shadow, the Sheep-Dog
by Enid Blyton
The Knife of Never Letting Go
by Patrick Ness
Because of Winn-Dixie
by Kate DiCamillo
The Werepuppy
by Jacqueline Wilson
This special anthology features the very best stories about cats and dogs from the world of children’s literature, chosen by bestselling author and Battersea Dogs & Cats Home Ambassador, Jacqueline Wilson.
Alongside a brand-new story by Jacqueline herself, this beautiful collection includes extracts from treasured classics such as
The Hundred and One Dalmatians
and
The Incredible Journey
, modern favourites like
The Knife of Never Letting Go
and
The Killer Cat
, and specially written pieces from today’s best-loved children’s writers, including Michael Morpurgo, Malorie Blackman, Philip Pullman and lots more.
From the elegant cat who loves the ballet and the little witch’s kitten who doesn’t want to be bad, to the poodle who needs a haircut and the most famous spotty dogs of all, this is a book to treasure, share and return to for ever.
CATWINGS
From CATWINGS by Ursula K. Le Guin.
Scholastic Inc./Orchard Books. Copyright © 1988
by Ursula K. Le Guin. Reprinted by permission.
THE DAYDREAMER
By Ian McEwan, published by Vintage. Reprinted by
permission of the Random House Group Limited.
ICE LOLLY
Reprinted by permission of HarperCollins
Publishers Ltd, © Jean Ure, 2010
THE THEATER CAT
By Noel Streatfeild. Text © Noel Streatfeild, 1951.
Reprinted by permission of A. M. Heath & Co. Ltd.
GOBBOLINO THE WITCH’S CAT
First published 1942 by George G. Harrap & Co. Limited.
This edition first published 2001 by Kingfisher,
an imprint of Macmillan Children’s Books, a division
of Macmillan Publishers Limited. Text copyright
© Ursula Moray Williams 1942.
ORLANDO’S INVISIBLE PYJAMAS
By Kathleen Hale (Warne, 1947).
Copyright © Kathleen Hale, 1947.
VARJAK PAW
By S. F. Said, published by David Fickling Books.
Reprinted by permission of the Random House Group Limited.
THE DIARY OF A KILLER CAT
By Anne Fine (Puffin, 1994). Text © Anne Fine, 1994.
PEKINGESE
From THE BUTTERFLY LIONS. Reproduced with
permission of Curtis Brown Group Ltd, London
on behalf of Rumer Godden Literary Trust.
Copyright © Rumer Godden 1977
PETS I HAVE HAD
From THE STORY OF MY LIFE by Enid Blyton.
Permission granted by Hodder & Stoughton Ltd
(Enid Blyton Estate), 338 Euston Road, London, NW1 3BH.
MY ANIMAL FRIENDS
By Dick King-Smith. First published by Walker,
2013. Reprinted by permission of A P Watt at
United Agents on behalf of Foxbusters Ltd.
CATS
Joan Aiken’s introduction to GOBBOLINO
THE WITCH’S CAT by Ursula Moray Williams.
By Joan Aiken, text © Joan Aiken. Reprinted by
permission of A. M. Heath & Co. Ltd.
THE INCREDIBLE JOURNEY
By Sheila Burnford, published by Random House.
Reprinted by permission of the Random House Group Limited.
OSBERT
By Noel Streatfeild. Text © Noel Streatfeild, 1950.
Reprinted by permission of A. M. Heath & Co. Ltd.
A DOG SO SMALL
By Philippa Pearce (Viking, 1962, Puffin, 1964).
Text © Philippa Pearce, 1962, 1964.
THE ACCIDENTAL TOURIST
By Anne Tyler, published by Vintage. Reprinted by
permission of the Random House Group Limited.
LOVE THAT DOG
© Sharon Creech, 2003, LOVE THAT DOG,
Bloomsbury Publishing Plc.
THE HUNDRED AND ONE DALMATIANS
By Dodie Smith. Text copyright © 1956
The Estate of Dodie Smith. Published by Egmont
UK Ltd and used with permission.
JUST WILLIAM
First published in 1922. This selection first published 1991
by Macmillan Children’s Books. This edition published 2010
by Macmillan Children’s Books, a division of Macmillan
Publishers Limited. All stories copyright © Richmal C. Ashbee. This selection copyright © 2005 Richmal C. Ashbee.
BORN TO RUN
Reprinted by permission of HarperCollins
Publishers Ltd, © Michael Morpurgo, 2007
SHADOW, THE SHEEP DOG
By Enid Blyton. Permission granted by
Hodder & Stoughton Ltd (Enid Blyton Estate),
338 Euston Road, London, NW1 3BH.
THE KNIFE OF NEVER LETTING GO
Copyright © 2008 Patrick Ness. Extract from
THE KNIFE OF NEVER LETTING GO by
Patrick Ness. Reproduced by permission of
Walker Books Ltd, London SE11 5HJ,
www.walker.co.uk
. Illustration not from original publication.
BECAUSE OF WINN-DIXIE
Copyright © 2000 Kate DiCamillo. Extract from
BECAUSE OF WINN-DIXIE by Kate DiCamillo.
Reproduced by permission of Walker Books Ltd,
London SE11 5HJ,
www.walker.co.uk
.
Illustration not from original publication.
THE WEREPUPPY
By Jacqueline Wilson (Puffin, 1993).
Text © Jacqueline Wilson, 1991.
For Natalie
Do you have a cat or a dog? When I was a little girl, I desperately wanted a pet, but we lived in a council flat and there was a strict rule that we weren’t allowed to have animals. I suppose we
might
have been allowed to have a goldfish, but they’re not the most responsive pets in the world. I wanted a furry little animal I could cuddle.
I made a big fuss of my best friend’s cat and begged to take my godmother’s dog for a walk, but it wasn’t quite the same as having my
own
pet. I started collecting little china ornaments of cats and dogs, who went for walks up and down my bedroom windowsill. Then my mum gave me a toy Pekinese dog for a special summer holiday present. He was life-size and very realistic-looking. I adored him on sight and called him Vip – short for Very Important Person.
He slept in my arms at night and I carried him everywhere during the day. Not to school, of course – I didn’t want to be teased. But Vip came to the shops with me and out to play with special friends. He even attended birthday parties – and got fed lots of extra sausages on sticks!
I vowed that as soon as I was grown up I’d have a real dog and a real cat – but it’s actually taken me a long time to achieve my ambition. I’ve lived in small flats where it wouldn’t be fair to keep a pet, and then I’ve travelled a great deal, without anyone at home to look after a little animal. But now I’m much more of a home-bird, and at long last I’ve got the right sort of house for pets.
I decided to start with cats, as they’re more independent than dogs and don’t mind too much if you have to go out to give a talk or do a book-signing. I started to research all the different breeds of cat and considered having a pedigree kitten. But then I thought about all the unwanted little cats in rescue centres – small Tracy Beaker type cats, desperate to find a loving home.
I went to the wonderful Battersea Dogs and Cats Home and wandered around their spacious cat cabins, looking for someone really special. There were cats of
all sizes and colours and types, so I was totally spoiled for choice. I went from one to another, liking them all, wondering how I was ever going to choose. And then, right at the end, I saw a small grey and white kitten – and I fell instantly in love.
