Jack Given

Luddy, the Teaching Cat Jack Given

Luddy, short for Ludwig van Beethoven, is a pure white, blue-eyed cat. And like his famous namesake, he is deaf.

Aimed at children in grades three to six, Luddy teaches kids that his deafness is genetic. He tells about his adventures with his adopted family, takes us with him on a Stay-cation, and introduces his foster-brother, Billy Bingo, a cat with problems to whom Luddy gives unconditional love. Finally, Luddy introduces us to some very good friends who are special needs animals. Kids can learn a lot from Luddy!

This is the author's first children's book and the first of a series. In subsequent books, Luddy talks about cursive writing, Braille and ASL, plus teaches a little Latin. (A dead language? Luddy doesn't think so.) Luddy loves to travel, and you may find Luddy has visited the city where you live.

Originally from Philadelphia, Jack Given, his wife, and Luddy now live in Indiana in the first Green Certified Community in America, where Luddy learned what it is like to live in an ecology-friendly house. The author is a licensed clinical social worker, has taught social sciences at the college level, and is a reader to grade school children. He became concerned about the quality of books he was reading to the students, which "had no intellectual challenge, facts to learn, or moral concepts to consider." So, the Luddy series was born.

Publisher's website: http: //sbprabooks.com/JackGiven