“Cat Nights” by Jane Manning

I’m never sure if the book my kids bring home from the school library are going to be any good. I mean, I’m sure they just pluck something from the shelves and check it out without much thought. As it turns out, some are pretty decent; some are not. First-grader Danny did bring home a winner the other day, and so I thought I’d recommend it. It’s not only a cute little story about a witch, it also teaches about an old Irish legend.

The book: “Cat Nights” by Jane Manning.

The legend: The phrase “cat nights” came about because a legend says that a witch could turn herself into a cat eight times, and she could still return to her witchy self. But if she turned into a cat a ninth time, she would forever be a cat. And that’s where “cat has nine lives” comes from. And since cats like to roam around on hot, summer nights (like in August), nights at that time of year are referred to as “cat nights.”

Yep, we liked this book. Check it out, because you might, too.