Miranda the Great

Miranda is a cat used to a calm and happy life. She and her favorite daughter, Punka, live with a kind family in a pretty villa in Rome during the reign of Nero. But when barbarians invade the city, the family flees to safety and in the confusion and panic their beloved cats are accidentally left behind.

Miranda and Punka make their way through the burning city, collecting motherless kittens as they go. At last they come to the vast Colosseum-the perfect shelter for all the homeless felines that have followed brave Miranda. But even inside the Colosseum, danger lurks: nasty enemy cats, packs of angry dogs, and even a hungry lion. And yet this brood survives to become the noble ancestors of the cats of modern Rome, all because of the cleverness and determination of the cat that comes to be called Miranda the Great, Queen of the Colosseum!

This heroic and humorous legend will be welcomed by the many admirers of Eleanor Estes, Newbery Medal winner and author of the beloved Moffat books. Edward Ardizzone's superbly realized illustrations capture both the glory of Rome and the majesty of the intrepid Miranda.