Spinelli, Eileen. Hero Cat. Illus. Jo Ellen McAllister Stammen. Tarrytown NY :Marshall Cavendish, 2006. ISBN 0-7614-5223-0. $16.95.
Hero Cat is homeless and pregnant. She finds shelter and gives birth to 5 kittens. When she leaves the first time to find food, upon return she discovers her building is on fire. This true story is suspenseful and tautly told: will she be able to bring each of her kittens out, one at a time in her mouth, to safety on the sidewalk? Yes!
The illustrations are exquisite paintings; you can feel the fur, and the actual photo of Hero Cat and her kittens in the shelter after the fire make the story absolutely real.