He also teaches Jane, the youngest Catwing, to talk. " Wonderful Alexander and the Catwings adds another cat (without wings) to the gang. Also, by introducing hate as an animal trait, I felt like it was a forcing an anthropomorphism that didn't fit with the other books. It added a psychological dimension that was beyond having to explain that some animals are predators and some are prey. I know that even the first couple books were a little old for him, given the realistic themes of animals attacking one another and leaving their parents so early, but I do think that this book was a departure. It was all way over his head, but we managed to get through it. I tried to explain that animals don't hate one another and that there is nothing evil about rats. In the end, we had a long talk about what hate is, why rats would be so terrifying, and what it means to be traumatized to the point of being unable to speak. I tried to edit as I read, but it was rather difficult. The young cat Jane has had a trauma so terrifying that it causes her to become mute except to say "me," and when she's scared, "hate!" My son was (and still is) very tenderhearted and easily worried. " I was reading this series to my 4-year-old son and he really enjoyed the first couple, but this one taught me that I need to pre-read books even if I think I know the author and her style.
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