We've often written #ReadItTorial pieces about the frustration of trying to write something that 'fits in with the rule book' of writing children's picture books. A great many of the books you'll find in our #Booky100Keepers list are books that have comfortably broken well away from that (hated) 32 page 12 spread 500 words or less 'pattern' that most emerging authors must stick to like glue. There's still a rotten assumption that kids are incapable of focusing their attention on a story for longer books, and I'm very pleased to say that "Captain Cat" by Inga Moore dispels that rubbish myth quite nicely.

A book that C has loved from an early age, a book her tiny cousins love, and a book that even now we pull off the shelf like an old friend, just to lose ourselves in its amazing classic-feeling storytelling world.

Inga is one heck of a talent, in fact she seems to have a knack for writing amazing books about cats (She also wrote and illustrated the utterly divine "Six Dinner Sid" - A book that doesn't feature in our #Booky100Keepers list only because we never got round to actually buying our own copy, borrowing it from the library many many times instead.

Anyway, we're here to talk about "Captain Cat" - the story of a benign and slightly eccentric sea captain who runs the trade routes in his amazing ship. The problem is the captain has the world's worst head for business - and he really, REALLY loves cats. So where other traders sell their spices and fine silks and foodstuffs for profit, the good captain usually ends up trading his cargo for moggies.

Soon he becomes old and tired, and realises that his days as a sea captain might be coming to an end. He takes one last trip with his kitties on board but instead of heading to the usual well known routes, he takes another - to wind up on the most fantastic and friendly island paradise.

Ruled over by a Princess, this island seems idyllic but as the captain sits down to dinner with his new found friends, a plague of filthy disgusting rats interrupts the meal. Can nothing be done about these pests? The captain has an idea or two...!

Soon his beloved moggies are put to good use, in fact they are so useful that they polish off the island's rat problem swiftly and surely. The young princess decides that she'd love to keep the captain's cats - and the captain realises that a life aboard ship can't possibly compare to living on a paradise island, and reluctantly bids his furry pals goodbye.

But that's not where the story ends. In fact this is why we love this book so much, it pulls you back in just as you think it's given all it has to give, and there's a fabulous little moral woven into the closing scenes as the good captain ends the story older, wiser and still surrounded by a zillion and one kittens.

As we said, it feels like a classic tale but also feels fresh, vibrant and original. Inga's illustrations are utterly glorious, her characters are vibrant, alive, and almost leap off the page at you, and who could possibly resist a book that is filled to the brim with hundreds of gorgeous moggies!

Original Review Link: 

Walker Books Summer Book Party - "Captain Cat" by Inga Moore. Purr-fect in every way!

Walker Picture Book Party - "We're going on a Cat hunt to celebrate Captain Cat by Inga Moore!"

Captain Cat by Inga Moore. Prepare to lose yourself in a luxurious and beautiful book.

We feel very fortunate to have been included in Walker Books fabulous "Summer Picture Book Party" blog tour. When we first saw the five books that would be highlighted by the blog tour, one book was instantly grabbed, cuddled and demanded by Charlotte above all the others. It's not really surprising, as this is often the effect Inga Moore's books have on us both (Six Dinner Sid nailed the perfect score of 5 out of 5 stars back when we first started out book blogging).

She has excelled herself with this utterly beautiful tale so without further ado let's dive into "Captain Cat".

We first meet the white bearded seafaring trader at a turning point in his life. Captain Cat - so called because he really cannot resist trading his fabulous wares for moggies of every shape, size and description, has reached his twilight years wondering what lies beyond the oft-sailed trade routes. What wild, weird and wonderful lands lay out there, yet to be discovered. What riches do they hold?

The Queen spies some new visitors! (Utterly, utterly beautifu panel)

So one day Captain Cat, along with his crew and of course his countless feline companions, sets his sails and turns right instead of left out of port, into the great unknown.

For many weeks he sails and soon discovers a fabulous island, ruled by a child queen (the sort of character that has Charlotte cheering loudly - "She's a girl just like me!") who loves her new visitors and beckons the captain, his handsome crew and the cute cats to dine with her at the royal palace. The queen has never seen cats before and falls in love with them.

Even more so when the palace is suddenly plagued by a cheeky horde of rats who ruin dinner, taking a mischievous dip in the soup tureens and generally making a complete pest of themselves.

The poor queen is distraught and embarrassed but Captain Cat is on hand, and his faithful tribe of fantastic felines get straight to work on those rats, making short work of them.

The queen is overjoyed and really wants the cats to help clean up the rest of the island and offers the captain fabulous riches in exchange for his cats. But a seafaring captain always has a faraway look in his eye, so the time comes when the captain must make a life-changing decision - leave the island with a huge fortune, or keep his cats...

There are many reasons why this book was our favourite of the five Walker Books we received. Charlotte absolutely lapped up the fabulous characters (particularly the Queen as I've already mentioned) but she loved the captain too ("He looks kind, and smiles a lot, he's happy" she said).

Inga's artwork is luxurious, sumptuous, a feast for the eyes. It kept reminding me of the timeless and wonderful 'Rupert' artwork from Alfred Bestall...

Rupert the Bear by Alfred Bestall. So utterly brilliant.

Inga's deftly woven story doesn't lay on too thick a moral tale that riches aren't always the key to happiness, it's just such a fantastic and truly captivating book that I really cannot wait for folk to get hold of when it's released in October, just to tell us what they think of it.

Charlotte's best bit: Without being too spoilery (we hope) there's a great panel and story 'twist' at the end with a basket full of...oh you'll see, you'll see and you will LOVE that page too.

Daddy's favourite bit: Loved this tale, that instantly feels original and destined to become a well-loved classic. So easy to get lost in its utterly dazzling landscapes, wonderful characters and gentle prose.

(Kindly sent to us for review by Walker Books, as part of the Summer Picture Book Party Blog Tour)

Anyone who has ever owned a cat must suspect that at times, their beloved Tiddles or Tiger is known by a series of aliases and probably cadges meals from a number of neighbours. This is the story of Six Dinner Sid, known obviously for his knack of wheedling food out of the various residents of the lane where he lives. 

Sid is sneaky and sly, and play-acts his roles for his "owners". Naturally such sneakiness can't go on forever, and Sid gets his comeuppance in a rather amusing way. 

Fabulous illustrations by Inga Moore and an amusing twisty cat-tail tale. Fabulous. 

Charlotte's best bit: Sid's face when he coughs and sneezes. 


Daddy's favourite bit: The fact that Sid is the living embodiment of any cat I've ever owned.