The Cat Who Came in Off the Roof, by Annie Schmidt

A network of cats help a journalist break a big news story

​Tibble is a reporter with the Killenthorn Courier, but he is in trouble with his editor. His boss says he writes too many cat themed stories, and needs to write on other topics. The trouble is that Tibble doesn’t have a very forceful personality, the type a journalist needs to ask confronting questions and get the breaking scoop. Then something strange occurs. He is sitting in the town’s Green Square when a dog comes bounding through. Up a nearby tree there are rustling leaves and Tibble presumes a cat has sought refuge, having been chased by the dog. But it turns out to be a woman, not a cat. Her name is Minou. The strange thing is, she actually is a cat that has been mysteriously turned human by eating something from a bin near the Institute for Biochemical research.

Minou is looking for a home, and starts sleeping in a box at Tibble’s apartment. The good news is Minou still speaks cattish, and can communicate with all the local cats, of which there are many posted at all the town’s main spots, like the hotel, church and post office. Soon Tibble is getting great tip offs for articles from this makeshift cat press agency. Trouble brews when the town’s most eminent citizen, Mr Ellmore, a factory owner and professed animal lover, is discovered by the cats to be up to no good. Can Tibble’s pen, with the help of the cats, expose Mr Ellmore?

Annie M. G. Schmidt was a famous Dutch children’s writer. The Cat Who Came in Off the Roof was first published in 1970 and is re-printed here by Pushkin Press, with a translation by David Colmer. Schmdit’s prose is light and breezy, carrying the narrative along at a pleasant clip. The story has a zany tone and much of it requires the suspension of disbelief (for adult readers at least, children will be more sensible). The broad cast of cats is a delight, with some fun names (Ecumenica is the church cat). The best drawn cat character is Tatter, a tough-as-nails street cat who has had umpteen litters and gets into her fair share of scrapes, only to emerge triumphant. There is a vague theme of finding the courage to overcome your fears, but the real thrust of the book is a devotion to nonsense and fun. 

A bright and inventive entertainment that will enchant readers of all ages.

The Cat Who Came in Off the Roof, by Annie Schmidt. Published by Pushkin Children's $19.99

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