The Fire Cat

Pickles was well on his way to life as a feline delinquent. A cat with big paws and a longing to do big things, the boredom of his aimless, friendless existence as a street-cat had turned him into a bully. Luckily, his neighbor Mrs. Goodkind wasn't ready to give up on him. She understood that he wasn't a good cat OR a bad cat, but a good AND bad cat, and that what he needed was a sense of purpose. Then one fateful day, when Pickles found himself stuck in a tree, the local fire department appeared on the scene...

Esther Averill's The Fire Cat was one of my childhood favorites, and I must have read and re-read it a hundred times. Like all great children's books, it functions on more than one level. As a straight-forward narrative about a show more homeless cat who finds a home and family, it is an engaging and heart-warming story, with all the appeal of the classic "orphan" tale. As a teaching tool, Averill's simple story manages to offer a keenly observed social commentary, all without ever descending into any sort of didactic display. The young reader will absorb the idea that sometimes poor behavior (such as bullying) is the result of poor circumstances, rather than "simple" malice, and that there are more creative (and effective) solutions than condemnation.

I am always amazed at the great skill and discipline required to create a successful picture book or early reader. The truly great children's authors somehow manage to write stories that are emotionally involving and intellectually stimulating, all with a limited word choice that would stymie an author of adult fiction. Not a word is out of place in such books, whose simplicity can be deceptive...

Finally, as a side note, I have discovered that Esther Averill wrote an entire series of books about the neighborhood cats depicted in this title, none of which were known to me as a child. I can hardly wait to dive in! show less

This book made me cry as I was reading it in the bookstore. Then I showed it to my therapist and it made him cry. (In all fairness, he's pretty easy. But still.) It's about a cat who turns his life around by doing good works. I'm serious. Listen, just read it, ok?

The Fire Cat is a classic children’s book that is part of Esther Averill’s Cat Club series. It follows the adventures of Pickles, a stray cat who lives in a barrel in a vacant lot next to an apartment building. Pickles wants to do something big, but where he lives, there’s nothing to do except chase off smaller cats who come into the yard. This makes the other neighborhood cats not like him. However, Mrs. Goodkind, a lady who lives in the apartment building and feeds him, does like him and sees his potential. Even though Pickles likes Mrs. Goodkind, he doesn’t really want to live with her. Their short trial run with him in her home ends with Pickles going back to the vacant lot by choice, where he chases another cat up a tree show more and gets stuck. Mrs. Goodkind calls the fire department to come get him down, and a kindly firefighter offers to take him back to the fire station with him. There Pickles finally finds his purpose in life is to be a fire cat. He works hard to help the firefighters and make peace with the other cats who come to visit the firehouse, and eventually he’s able to make a difference.

The Fire Cat is one of my favorite books from childhood. I’ve always loved books about animals, so Pickles’s story was a fun read for me. This is my first time re-reading it as an adult. I still enjoyed it, but I found the writing to be a little formal and stilted, which might be a product of the time in which it was written (1960). Because of that, I wasn’t drawn into the story quite as much as I have been with other children’s books I’ve read, but other than that, I really liked it. Pickles is very cute with his dalmatian-like spots, which makes him the perfect candidate to be a fire cat. Like Mrs. Goodkind says, he’s not all good or all bad. Pickles does a bad thing when he chases off the other cats, but I love that she sees the potential in him and wants to help him thrive. Once he learns to be a fire cat, the fire chief tells him he has to be kind to others, which gives him the drive to do better. He finally makes friends with the neighborhood cats and eventually helps to save one. I think this is a good message for kids about kindness and generosity of spirit. The Fire Cat is considered to be part of the Cat Club series, but the only real tie I could find is that Jenny Linsky, the cat star of the other books, pops up in one illustration. It’s not necessary to have read the other books in the series to enjoy this one. In fact, I’ve never read any of the others to the best of my recollection, not even as a kid. However, this walk down memory lane has inspired me to check out the other books in the series if I can find them. show less

I loved this story as a child and it brought back great memories reading it 15 years later. I love how the author displayed illustrations into the story to help readers easily relate the words to the pictures. For example, Pickles the cat is known for his big paws. The author always refers back to his big paws and how they will help him do big things. At one point in the story, his friend Mrs. Goodkind tells the fireman that Pickles would be a great help because of his big paws. "Pickles put out his paws for Joe to see". An illustration of Pickles' big paw is displayed directly below this line. This lets readers get an understanding of how big his paws really were.

This story is a great story for early readers to read. It is broken up show more into three short chapters and is written with basic words to help with word recognition. The message of the story is to show that you can start with nothing and end with something big if you work for it. It sends a great message to young learners and is relate-able for everyone because the main character is an animal. show less

Honest, I chose this book in honor of my husband, who is studying to become a fire fighter, but it quickly revealed itself to be a great little story about reaching for your dreams and treating others kindly.

Pickles is a stray cat who lives in a barrel. He is convinced he will do something great someday, but in the meantime, is content to chase smaller cats for fun. When Mrs. Goodkind decides to adopt him, he has a hard time getting used to family life. He decides to go back to chasing cats, which is barking up the wrong tree, literally. The firefighters who rescue him also decide to take him back to the firehouse, and that's where Pickles learns courage and kindness.

The language is very simple, so that kids can read the story to show more themselves. The pen and ink illustrations aren't particularly masterful, but there is something charming about them. They have a simplicity that makes them engaging. This book is sure to win over animal lovers and future fire fighters alike. For ages 4-7. show less

One of my favorites. Shows how we can even misunderstand ourselves. A story of Pickles, who was kind of a bully and dissatisfied with his life, until he meets Mrs. Goodkind who helps him to fulfill his potential.

Pickles is a young cat with big paws and big plans. But all he can find to do is chase other cats, until he is adopted by the local firehouse.

Knowing that this is his chance to do big things, Pickles works hard to be a good fire cat. He learns to jump on a fire truck. He learns to help put out a fire, and he even helps out in a rescue!