Читать книгу Jennie - Paul Gallico - Страница 6

I can’t remember how old I was when I first read Jennie, but I do remember I couldn’t put it down. I told my friend Alison how brilliant it was and asked her if she wanted to borrow it, but she shook her head. “That’s a story for people who like cats,” she said, “and I like dogs.”

“But it’s a story about a boy called Peter,” I told her. “His mother’s always busy, and his father’s away a lot, and he’s lonely.”

Alison looked more interested. “Does he have adventures?”

“LOADS,” I said. “He gets into fights, and he goes travelling on a ship with an extraordinary crew, and he catches the most enormous rat—”

“YEUCH!”Alison made a face. “Why does he do that?”

“Didn’t I tell you?” I put the book on the table. “He runs after a kitten and gets knocked down by a coal lorry, and when he opens his eyes he discovers he’s a cat … but he doesn’t know how cats behave, so he has to learn. It’s Jennie who teaches him – and they have adventures together.”

Alison picked the book up, and flicked through the pages. “‘When in doubt – any kind of doubt – WASH!’” she read out loud, and laughed. “My brother HATES washing!”

“So did Peter,” I said. “But it’s different for cats. And it tells you why.”

“Is it a teachy book?”Alison looked suspicious. “I mean, does it pretend to be a story, but really it’s so you learn about cats?”

I thought about it. “No,” I said. “It’s much more about a friendship. Sometimes they get things wrong and get cross with each other, but they sort it out. You don’t learn stuff, but you do end up knowing exactly what it’s like being a cat, because of all the detail – like how they stretch and twist and jump, or how they clean themselves, or fight each other. It makes you really and truly feel as if you’ve lived in the world of cats, and understand the way they think. It’s so clever. And it’s funny, too.”

“Who’s your favourite character?”Alison wanted to know.

“Jennie, of course.” I was surprised she’d even asked. “And Captain Sourlies. He’s the captain of the ship they stow away on, and he weighs twenty-two stone, and he hates the sea. And big Angus, with fingers like sausages, who does embroidery. And Mr Grims—”

Alison held up her hand. “Don’t spoil it for me!” Then she turned to the beginning of the book, and started reading … and I never ever got my book back.

I’ve read Jennie lots of times since then (my mum bought me another copy!) and I enjoy it just as much – if not more – each time. These days, I’m sometimes reminded by a phrase or an expression that the book was published in 1950, but the story still grips me. At one point in his life Paul Gallico had twenty-three cats, and he obviously studied them with a real passion; that passion pours into his writing. He was also passionate about people, and the way they interact one with another. Every time I get to the end of the book (even though I’ve read it so often) I have to go and find a hanky. And I know exactly what I’d do if I was a cat, and someone saw me looking just a little bit silly …

I’d wash!

Vivian French

Vivian French is the author of over 200 children’s books, including the hugely popular Tiara Club series. She is also a playwright, storyteller and teacher of creative writing to children and adults.