Franny & Toby

Franny is one of the rarest of cats, for she is a cat who can read. She and her brother, Toby, are the new cats on the block. Their “bean” (human “owner”) doesn’t let them go outside at first. When they finally get to go out, they make friends with other animals in the neighborhood: the cats next door (Highlanders Rainbow, Bay, and their TV-addicted brother Moo-Cow, who never comes outside); the cats across the street (Elbee and her three “kits,” Larry, Curly, and Moe, who are from the Southlands and arrived the year before as refugees from the Southie Wars); MacAdam the roadrunner; and Bunny the Free Range Rabbit.

Inventive, magical and exciting, Franny & Toby is that rare story that gently teaches us that friendship and tolerance make our world a better place — and that a little education goes a long way when life becomes an adventure. Also, it has sky-swimmers. Sky-swimmers!

Beautifully crafted by a master storyteller, it’s exactly the sort of book every child should read — and one that kids of every age will love.