Carbonel: the King of the Cats
Encyclopedia
Carbonel: the King of the Cats is a children's book by Barbara Sleigh
, first published by Puffin Books
in 1955, and in the US by Bobbs-Merrill
, 1955. It has two sequels, The Kingdom of Carbonel (Puffin, 1961) and Carbonel and Calidor: Being the Further Adventures of a Royal Cat (Kestrel Books, 1978), making up the Carbonel series
. The first edition of Carbonel was illustrated by V. H. Drummond, and of Kingdom by D. M. Leonard.
Carbonel (the first book) is currently in print in hardback in the US as part of the New York Review Children's Collection. The UK paperback was reprinted in August 2005 by Puffin.
Barbara Sleigh
Barbara Grace de Riemer Sleigh was a well-known British children's writer and broadcaster.-Family and career:Barbara Sleigh was born in Birmingham, the daughter of the artist Bernard Sleigh and his wife Stella, née Phillp, who had married in 1901. Both came from a Methodist background, but she was...
, first published by Puffin Books
Puffin Books
Puffin Books is the children's imprint of British publishers Penguin Books. Since the 1960s it has been the largest publisher of children's books in the UK and much of the English-speaking world.-Early history:...
in 1955, and in the US by Bobbs-Merrill
Bobbs-Merrill Company
The Bobbs-Merrill Company was a book publisher located in Indianapolis, Indiana. Bobbs-Merrill was known for publishing such authors as Richard Halliburton, David Markson, Ayn Rand, James Whitcomb Riley, Walter Dean Myers, and Irma S. Rombauer. Bobbs-Merrill also published the early works of...
, 1955. It has two sequels, The Kingdom of Carbonel (Puffin, 1961) and Carbonel and Calidor: Being the Further Adventures of a Royal Cat (Kestrel Books, 1978), making up the Carbonel series
Carbonel series
Carbonel is a children's book series by Barbara Sleigh, first published by Puffin Books from 1955 to 1978. Also published in the US by Bobbs-Merrill from 1955. It has three novels, first Carbonel: the King of the Cats and two sequels, The Kingdom of Carbonel and Carbonel and Calidor: Being the...
. The first edition of Carbonel was illustrated by V. H. Drummond, and of Kingdom by D. M. Leonard.
Plot summary
The plot concerns a girl named Rosemary who buys a broom and a cat from an untidy woman in the marketplace. When the cat starts talking to her she learns that she has encountered a witch, selling up to start a new career. Moreover, the cat, Carbonel, just happens to be King of the Cats, presumed missing by his subjects ever since the witch Mrs. Cantrip abducted him. Unfortunately he cannot return to his throne until the enslavement spell Mrs. Cantrip cast on him is undone, so Rosemary, together with her friend John, have to learn a little witchcraft and to track down Mrs. Cantrip for her at best ambivalent help.Characters in "Carbonel: the King of the Cats"
- Rosemary – who buys Carbonel
- Carbonel – the cat protagonist
- Mrs. Cantrip – kidnapper of Carbonel and a witch
- John – Rosemary's friend
Release details
- 1955, UK, Puffin Books ISBN ?, Pub date ? ? 1955, paperback (First edition)
- 1957, UK, Atheneum ISBN 0-672-50241-0, Pub date ? January 1957, hardback
- 1970, UK, Puffin Books ISBN 0-14-030155-0, Pub date 29 January 1970, paperback
- 1975, UK, Viking Children's Books ISBN 0-7226-6475-3, Pub date 31 December 1975, hardback
- 2004, USA, New York Review of Books ISBN 1-59017-126-8, Pub date ? Nov 2004, hardback
- 2005, UK, Puffin Books ISBN 0-14-131973-9, Pub date 25 August 2005, paperback (forthcoming)
Carbonel (the first book) is currently in print in hardback in the US as part of the New York Review Children's Collection. The UK paperback was reprinted in August 2005 by Puffin.