• Age: 4 to 9
• Grade: p to 3
• Reading age: 7 to 8

Down by the harbor the quayside cat, Jim, comes to talk with Old Tregarn about his days long ago at sea. Inspired by Old Tregarn's tales, Jim longs for his own sea adventure. Before long the two cats have jumped aboard a ship, and so begins Jim’s daring adventure at sea . . .

Toby Forward lives in North Yorkshire, England. He is married to a teacher, and they have two daughters.

Toby Forward's profile page

Ruth Brown is the creator of some of Britain's best-loved children's books. Her prizes include the Earthworm Award, English Association Award, the Prix Sorciére and three Kate Greenaway Medal shortlistings. She is married to artist Ken Brown, and they have two grown sons and two grandchildren.

Ruth Brown's profile page

"A wharf cat gets a taste of life at sea.
Jim meets up with Old Tregarn at the harbor, raptly listening to his yarns about life as a ship's cat. Hearing them, Jim insists he wants to go to sea too, so both cats sneak aboard a vessel that sails on the night tide. Once aboard, Jim learns that the maritime life takes some getting used to. Facing down rats in the hold, experiencing seasickness and bad weather, and climbing to the top of the mast are all part of Jim's new life. Forward's lyrical language flows off the tongue—'When the sea sucks back from the harbor wall and the sunlight strokes the cobbled streets'—and is rich in its evocation of the roll and swell of the ocean's rhythm. Minimal dialogue attribution initially may cause readers some confusion about which cat is speaking, and these sections may have to be read twice. How much time has passed is also not completely clear, since the narrative reads, 'The storms come…' followed on the page turn by, 'After the storm…' leaving readers to wonder whether one event or many over a longer time period is indicated. Brown's consummate paintings burst with sensory detail—the water sloshes, the lines fray, the wind whistles.
Gorgeous illustrations combine with the poetic language of the narrative to create a winsome journey." —Kirkus Reviews

Journal

"On the harbor wall, two cats converse. Actually, Old Tregarn does most of the talking, regaling young Jim with his tales of adventure on sailing ships. Nervous but excited, Jim asks Old Tregarn to take him aboard. That night, they sneak onto a ship and explore only to find that it has left port. Initially seasick, Jim finds the storms terrifying. When they finally return home, Old Tregarn stays aboard for his last voyage, while his friend disembarks and becomes Old Jim, telling tales to the younger quayside cats. Children who are intrigued by sailing vessels will enjoy this historical tale, with its cat's-eye view of the subject and at least a mention of pirates. Forward writes smoothly, combining natural-sounding dialogue with evocative sensory details of life aboard a wooden sailing ship. Brown, whose picture books include Gracie the Lighthouse Cat (2011), contributes a series of paintings that bring the story's characters and settings to life on the page. A good change of pace from the usual picture-book fare." —Booklist Online

Website