Marty Crisp

Jim Mulholland has signed on to be a cabin boy on the world finest ship, the Titanic, and is very excited to make his first voyage to America. As part of his duties, Jim is in charge of the ship's cat, a tortoiseshell, that gives birth to a litter of kittens on the ship. He calls the cat 4-0-1 after the ships construction number and he is sure that the cat will bring him good luck. Just as the ship is ready to launch to sea, Jim notices 4-0-1 is nowhere to be found. How can the ship take off without its lucky cat? Jim is faced with a difficult decision that will effect the rest of his life.… (meer)

Since the sinking of the Titanic more than 100 years ago, tales of superstition, heroism and tragedy have surrounded that fateful maiden voyage. The story of the ship's cat and her litter of four kittens had a more happy ending, for the kitties and a superstitious young sailor. This tale is based on their story.

The illustrations in this children's book are just stunning! Such vibrant colors! A friend who knows I enjoy stories about the Titanic told me about this book. She bought it for her niece, and knew I would love the story and beautiful pictures inside. I checked it out from my local library's digital site. So glad I did! The story is short and sweet...perfect for a primary grade student.

Jim Mulholland signs on to be a cabin boy aboard the Titanic. Among his jobs is caring for the ship's cat, a beautiful calico. He discovers the cat has four tiny kittens as well. He keeps track of them until the ship reaches Southampton. One day he can't find the cat...then he spies her going down the gang plank carrying a kitten in her mouth. Jim finds one kitten left, and grabs it. He's forced to jump off the ship to reunite it with its family. The ship sails off without him. At first he is angry with the cat for making him miss the voyage to America, but he is grateful days later when he learns that the ship sank with great loss of life. The beautiful, former ship cat, saved his life, and the lives of her kittens.

The book is 38 pages long with many color illustrations throughout. Perfect length for young readers, or for reading out loud to them. There is no description of the sinking or deaths...the main characters are off the ship before the disaster. The attention is focused on the cats and the boy, with only a mention that they avoided the accident by leaving the ship early. So, it isn't too morbid for kids. The story is great, but the illustrations really make the book special. Robert Papp's drawings are wonderful!

Marty Crisp has written several children's books including a related one, White Star: A Dog on the Titanic. Robert Papp has illustrated several books and wrote one himself, Spooktacular Special.

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