Trim Sets Sail
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- USD 8.99
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- USD 8.99
Descripción editorial
One small kitten learns about the great big world as he sets sail with his fellow shipmates, animal and human, in this historical fiction intermediate reader.
When Trim trips over a napping dog, little does he know that soon he’ll set sail and begin learning how to be a ship’s cat. Among his first lessons: the parts of the ship (the front is called the bow, like “bow wow”), the dynamics among his new colleagues (Jack the ship’s parrot is not so easy to befriend), and basic skills like climbing (up is easier than down) and swimming. With the assistance of Captain Flinders, Penny the ship’s dog, and Will the ship’s artist, Trim learns new skills, tests his limits and abilities, and finds a way to contribute to life onboard.
This delightful early reader series by acclaimed author Deborah Hopkinson is inspired by the true story of Trim, often called the most famous ship’s cat in history. Owned by British explorer Matthew Flinders, Trim traveled on the HMS Investigator on the first expedition to circumnavigate Australia (1801–1803).
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
This historical chapter book, a series kickoff, stars "a kitten who was always ready to go" in Trim—the real-life cherished ship's cat of British explorer Matthew Flinders (1774–1814), who captained the HMS Investigator around Australia. After happenstance sees Trim becoming the ship's cat, short pithy lines from Hopkinson (The Story of a Story) and lively wash-and-ink style digital cartoons by Caldwell (Thanks to Frances Perkins) depict the dark gray feline finding both his sea legs and his place in the ship's small community, which includes a doting dog, a skeptical parrot, and the ship's young artist, portrayed with brown skin. In chapter-length vignettes, Trim learns how to climb up and down from the crow's nest, proves his mettle by saving the parrot from a dive-bombing seagull, and rescues himself when he lands in the salty drink—all before the ship even leaves the bay. A final scene portrays the vessel under full sail, ploughing through purple-blue waters on a starry night, and promises sprightly adventures ahoy for a feline who's the very definition of pluck: "Trim is a brave cat," Jack declares; "My friend's a brave, swimming, climbing cat!" Publishing simultaneously: Trim Helps Out. The human crew is shown with varying skin tones. Ages 7–10.
