Cat Nights

"Cat Nights" is a beautifully-illustrated picture book that has an adorable little witch as its main character. Felicity the witch has just turned 263, an auspicious year in the life of a witch. Among the perks is being able to turn into a cat, something Felicity has always wanted. As she enjoys her transformative powers, she is also made aware of a rule, that a witch can only turn into a cat eight times before being able to turn back into a witch. if Felicity breaks this rule, she will have to remain a cat forever. What does Felicity really wish for? The answer makes little ones [and not so little ones] realize that the most important thing in life is being true to one's self, a point that is beautifully made in this well-told story. Perfect for reading aloud!

CAT NIGHTS JANE MANNING Children's (Ages 3-6) Greenwillow ISBN# 978-0-06-113888-1 Pages $16.99 Hardcover--Available Now Rating: 4 Enchantments It's Felicity the witch's 263rd birthday. Not only will she grow her first wart, and her shoes begin to curl at her toes, but now she's finally old enough that she can turn herself into a cat. Even for a witch there are certain rules, including a witch can only change into a cat eight times and still be able to return to her witch form. The ninth time, she remains a cat. As you can guess, Felicity loves turning into a cat and does it eight times. Worried about her, her three witchy cousins cast a spell over her to detract her from turning into a cat, but it seems to backfire when Felicity becomes sad. Feeling bad, the cousins remove the spell. But will Felicity risk turning a cat on the ninth night and remain one forever? CAT NIGHTS is a cute witchy story perfect for October and Halloween. The illustrations are fun and colorful and I really liked the story. Felicity is a fun little witch whose decision on whether or not to risk becoming a cat permanently has earned this book a place on my keeper shelf. [...] Jane Manning's spellbinding picture book takes its inspiration from the tale of the "Cat Nights" of late summer. From this legend comes the saying, "A cat has nine lives." The artist has illustrated numerous books for children, including the national bestseller The Witch Who Was Afraid of Witches, by Alice Low. Cat Nights is the first book she has both written and illustrated. Jane Manning lives in Deep River, Connecticut. Lisa Enchanting Reviews September 2008

Reviewed by Brooke James (age 4 ½) for Reader Views (10/08) "Cat Nights" is about a witch, Felicity, who has always wanted to turn herself into a cat. On her 263rd birthday, she finally gets her wish. There is a problem, though. A witch can only change into a cat eight times and still be able to turn back into a witch. Will Felicity stop changing into a cat after eight times? Or will she turn into a cat forever? Brooke says, "I like this book because it reminds me of my cat." "I like it because it has so many colorful pictures and because it has magic in it." Parent comments: Brooke loved this book because she likes cats and she liked seeing the phrase "263rd birthday" because it is not a birthday you hear about. She also loved the pictures! She gives it 5 stars! From the moment we looked at the cover, we knew "Cat Nights" by Jane Manning would be a great book. It was beautifully done. The picture on the cover was great, but the illustrations got even better throughout the rest of the book. It was also very well written and always interesting. We have read it many, many times!!

We just received this book as a gift and love it! The story is clever and heart-warming and the illustrations are fun.

Cat Nights is a children's picturebook about Felicity Witch, whose 263rd birthday has given her the magical power to turn into a cat. Felicity has eagerly anticipated this day, yet there are limits to a witch's power - if she turns into a cat nine times, she can never turn back into a witch! Felicity's cousins watch her use the spell on eight nights, and in order to keep their beloved Felicity around they try to hex her into not wanting to be a cat. But in order to take away her desire to be a cat, the spell has to take away all her ability to find joy in life! At last Felicity's cousins acknowledge their mistake and lift the spell. Felicity knows that to become a cat again is to become a cat forever, but it's what she wants to be more than anything else, even though she will miss being with her cousins as a witch. A charming picturebook about being true to one's heart, perfect for the Halloween season.