Chippy Mc Neish is reading the newspaper when he spies an advertisement:
MEN WANTED FOR A DANGEROUS
JOURNEY TO THE ANTARCTIC
Keen to sign up as a ship’s carpenter, Chippy is soon walking up the ship’s gangplank with his tiger-striped tabby right behind him.
“No cats!” says the Captain, until he sees how helpful the puss will be.
Sailing to Antarctic for an expedition across the ice is an adventure for all on board. The cat is quickly nick-named Mrs Chippy for his devotion to his master. The Captain was right to let him on board – he’s an excellent rat catcher!
The crew are all devoted to their whiskered friend, rushing to save him from a dunk in the freezing ocean.
The closer the ship gets to the ice, the more dangerous it becomes, until the ship begins to crack apart beneath them!
From the winning kiwi author and illustration team of Susan Brocker and Raymond McGrath, Scholastic gives us another NZ history tale in a sophisticated Picture Book.
Perfect for children who believe they are too old for Picture Books, this tale is substantial and exciting enough to grasp their attention and move on to reading themselves.
Just like Friday the Rebel Dog, this true story is based around an incredible animal that has since been memorialised in a bronze statue.
Author – Susan Brocker
Illustrator – Raymond McGrath
Picture Book
(2021, Scholastic NZ, Cats, Animals, Ship, Ocean, Expedition, NZ, New Zealand, Series, Narrative Non Fiction)