Winston and the Marmalade Cat

Megan Rix's Winston and the Marmalade Cat is a warm animal story for 6 year olds about a boy, a rescued kitten and a very famous birthday.

What happens

Harry would give anything to have an animal that's all his. His parents say no, so he helps out at the local RSPCA centre in Kent instead, walking Callie the Labrador before school.

Then, on his way back one afternoon, a dinner lady hears scratching inside an old rusty pipe. Harry reaches into the muck and pulls out a kitten so covered in thick black mud that you can't see a single hair. When Harry gives him a bath at the centre, there's a surprise underneath. He's marmalade, with a white bib and four white paws.

Which is very handy, because a smart man in a Rolls-Royce has just been in, asking for a marmalade cat for Sir Winston Churchill's birthday!

Harry doesn't want to let him go. The kitten keeps squeezing out of his cage (Harry calls him Little Houdini) and every time, he seems to be looking for Harry. Who could say goodbye to that?

It's a lovely gentle read. Little Houdini is full of mischief. He pounces on shoelaces and climbs up jumpers to purr in the crook of your neck. Children who love cats will be completely charmed.

There's more to it though. Harry's dad was blinded in the last year of the war. Harry blames Winston Churchill for that, and he isn't keen on hearing about him at school. The talk his dad has with him about it is one of the most touching parts of the book. It's handled simply and kindly, but it's good to know it's there in case your child has questions.

Harry also does something he knows is wrong and has to own up. It's a nice, honest look at wanting something so much that you forget the rules.

There's a bit of history in here too. At Chartwell, Harry meets Old Ned, who remembers meeting Winston when they were both seven. Winston was a homesick new boy at boarding school, with ginger hair just like the kitten's. It's a sweet way of showing that even very famous people were children once.

What to read next

If your reader likes a real person from history with an animal at the heart of the story, try Emmeline and the Plucky Pup next. It opens in 1906 with Alfie and his big sister slipping out of the workhouse at night, and a map to Mrs Pankhurst's house.