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. ( )

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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A boy who has signed on as cabin boy aboard the "Titanic" helps ready the ship for its maiden voyage, but when it is time to set sail and he cannot find the ship's cat on-board, he leaves the vessel to search for her.

Jim is excited to get a job on the Titanic as a cabin boy before it sets sail on its maiden voyage. He's even more excited when he sees a cat on the ship because everyone knows a cat brings good luck. Some people even think a tortoiseshell cat can see the future. The chief puts Jim in charge of the the cat who Jim names 4-0-1 because it is bad luck to say the name of ship when it is being built. Jim agrees to take care of the cat and soon discovers that it has 4 kittens on board. As he works on the ship, he keeps the cat and kittens close by. They are very fond of each other and Jim can't wait to go all the way to America with the cat and her babies. The day the Titanic is set to leave, Jim can't find 4-0-1 and her kittens anywhere. He soon sees her carrying a kitten down the gangplank and out of the ship. He realizes he has a difficult decision to make. Either go after the cat and risk missing the ship leaving, or let the cat go. Jim makes a decision that will affect his life in profound ways. ( )

This was a really cute idea to relate to kids through cats. It tells the story of the titantic through the eyes of a cat, theoretically. I think that it was a good idea to give the students something that they could relate to and understand and that would also interest them. I think that learning is a huge part of reading so the fact that they were able to incorpoate a big part of history into a story that students would like to read about was a great idea! Media- Watercolor ( )