NAMING THE CAT

From an author best known for nature and science writing (An Extraordinary Life, p. 304, etc.), a warmly appealing tale based on his family's experiences. While a family attempts to decide on a name for the black-and-white cat they have adopted, several hairbreadth escapes from disaster make it clear that the cat's name should be ""Lucky."" It's a conclusion most children--to their delight--will have reached before the name is disclosed on the last page. This simple story, with several happy endings and enhanced by lively, intensely colorful illustrations of the rotund feline, lends itself to discussion of such questions as ""What happens to feral cats?"" and ""Do cats always land on their feet?