Janet Taylor LisleIllustrated by David Frankland
Highway Cats is a sweet story about the healing power of miracles and making your voice heard. Feral cats, each haunted by a sordid past, live along the highway in constant conflict with each other. Then a mysterious trio of luminescent kittens arrives. After being inexplicably spared from death, they go on to inspire unity amongst this quirky community.
A parallel thread has humans, in short, scripted scenes, that are planning to develop the cat community's habitat. As the heavy equipment comes in to lay down a road, the scalawag cats, now inspired by the miracle of the kittens, come together to successfully defend their land.
Newbery honoree, Lisle, has succeeded in telling a fable that feels fresh and familiar at the same time. It manages to quite pointedly comment on the environment and government without coming off as didactic. Though the point of view sympathizes the cats' perspective, the animals are just as flawed as the humans. This juxtaposition of the human and animal points of view not only emphasizes the disconnection between these communities, but also the government's disconnection from the real world. A great intro to a discussion about building communities. A poignant read.
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