Miss Hazeltine's Home for Shy and Fearful Cats

This wonderfully gothic, Hansel-and-Gretel-type fairytale will have children roaring with laughter as well as getting the message that fears can be conquered with love and understanding.  Miss Hazeltine’s cottage is full of fearful cats.  They are afraid of lots of things:  mice, birds, pouncing, purring, jumping, and playing with wool.  But only Crumb is afraid of simply everything.  When he arrives, he immediately hides under the carpet.  Miss Hazeltine herself is afraid of mushrooms and owls and of the dark, which she admits to Crumb; she is also a witch, which seems a tad counter-intuitive!  The cats have lessons in birds, in climbing up (and, importantly) climbing down, scary noises, and how to pounce.  Hardest of all is learning not to be afraid of Miss Hazeltine’s broom.  But what will happen when Miss H. has an accident in the woods when bringing the milk home?  Will the animals overcome their fears in order to rescue her?  What will Crumb do? The illustrations are a tremendous treat.  The gothic theme includes all the details in Miss Hazeltine’s cosy cottage and the woods around it, her pointed hat, her too-large feet, and the huge eyes of all the cats.  Very expressive cats they are too, and their fears are shown clearly in how they react to everything that scares or worries them.  This story puts fears into perspective and will prove great fun as well as a lesson learned.