Whittington, paperback/alan armstrong

This Newbery-Honor winning tale introduces Whittington, a roughneck Tom who arrives one day at a barn full of rescued animals and asks for a place there.

He spins for the animals--as well as for Ben and Abby, the kids whose grandfather does the rescuing--a yarn about his ancestor, the nameless cat who brought Dick Whittington to the heights of wealth and power in 16th-century England.

This is an unforgettable tale about the healing, transcendent power of storytelling, and how learning to read saves one little boy.