Dick Whittington and His Cat

What this book practices

The old English tale retold in new words in six short chapters. Dick's only possession, a cat, makes his fortune in a far-off trading port troubled by rats. The cook is cross but never cruel, and the bells are Dick's own hope, not magic. Practices motive, inference and comparing characters.

Level

Chapter book: Six short chapters, about 135 words on a page

Themes

Folk tale, Adventure, Pets, Trying again, Honesty

After the story

A short activity checks understanding, then a prompt to tell a grown-up about the book.

Levels are PlayOwl's own design guidelines for each grade, not a certified reading level. In I'll Read, PlayOwl records that a child turned every page; it cannot hear whether the words were read.

Credit and rights

Retold by PlayOwl from the English folk tale. Source: Dick Whittington and His Cat by English folk tale (collected by Joseph Jacobs) (1890).

The words are new PlayOwl writing that follows a story in the public domain. PlayOwl claims no rights in the underlying story.

Adaptation

Retold for PlayOwl in 2026 from the English folk tale. It keeps the walk to London, the streets that are not gold, the merchant, his daughter and the cross cook, the attic mice, the penny cat sent to sea as a venture, the flight to the hill, the bells, the far-off court overrun with rats and the fortune paid for the cat. PlayOwl's changes: the cook scolds but never strikes, the cat chases and nothing is killed, the far-off port has an invented name and is shown as a rich, learned trading city, the bells are the boy's own hope, and there is no wedding. The tale is folklore with no author. The Jacobs collection was published in 1890 and Joseph Jacobs died in 1916, so that printed version is in the public domain. Only the generally known events of the tale were followed. The wording is new, and no edition's sentences were copied. The words of the bells are a short traditional phrase that is centuries old.

Cover

Drawn in code for PlayOwl in 2026 with the Read with Olly illustration kit. An original design, not based on the cover or pictures of any edition or film. Original work owned by PlayOwl.

Illustrations

Drawn in code for PlayOwl in 2026 with the Read with Olly illustration kit, from the picture briefs in this file. The pictures do not follow the pictures of any edition or film. Original work owned by PlayOwl.

Narration

Spoken by the reader's own device voice. PlayOwl ships no recording. No recorded work exists.

Text

Written for PlayOwl in 2026 as a new retelling of the English folk tale. Every sentence is new PlayOwl wording; only the traditional words of the bells, "Turn again, Whittington, Lord Mayor of London", are kept. Fitzwarren and Alice are the names the old tale uses. The cat's name (Tib), the ship (the Sea Lark), Captain Hale, the pie boy and the port of Belmarra with its king, queen and harbor master were made up for this book. Original wording owned by PlayOwl. The underlying story is covered by the adaptation record.