Trim Sets Sail

August 21, 2023
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.

October 15, 2023
Grades K-3 When an adventuresome kitten sets out to explore, he meets Penny (the ship's dog) and Captain Flinders. The amiable captain names him Trim and makes him the ship's cat. After a brief introduction to life aboard a sailing ship, Trim learns to climb up to the crow's nest and back down. Later, he spots a giant bird swooping toward Jack, the ship's parrot, and leaps to scare the predator away. Saving Jack, Trim lands in the sea but climbs a rope back onto the ship. Basking in his captain's praise, he sits on his shoulder as the sun sets, the tide rises, and they sail out of the bay. The historical setting provides a welcome shift from conventional beginning-reader fare, and many younger children will enjoy hearing the story read aloud. Inspired by an early nineteenth-century British captain's account of his seafaring cat's adventures, the simply written narrative has broad appeal, and the digital illustrations are lively and expressive. Trim Helps Out, published simultaneously, is the second volume in the promising Adventures of Trim series.

COPYRIGHT(2023) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

November 15, 2023
A kitten's exciting early-19th-century adventures, presented in five fast-paced chapters. Trim, a lively, scrawny dark-gray kitten with big eyes, white feet, and a star over his chest, longs to see the world. Chasing a bee, he tumbles onto a friendly pooch, Penny, and decides he wants to be a ship's dog, just like her. Penny states the obvious. But light-skinned Captain Flinders needs a ship's cat, so Trim climbs his epauletted shoulder and is rowed out to the three-masted ship. There, the kitten is dive-bombed by an antagonistic parrot named Jack, who nevertheless teaches him the proper terms for his new home: bow, stern, starboard, port. Trim races easily up the mast to sit in the crow's nest with the boyish brown-skinned ship's artist, Will. But coming down proves difficult, until Trim does his best and succeeds. And he even finds a way to prove himself to Jack--and earn Jack's friendship. Accurately depicting the sloop, the watercolorlike illustrations provide just enough historical detail, including the ship's food and Flinders' Napoleonic hat, breeches, buckled pumps, and stockings. The animals are realistic (though Jack gets a bit anthropomorphized). Most vocabulary is simple, with a couple of challenges. Tracking Trim's exploits, readers are never bored. Backmatter explains that Trim is based on a real-life cat, born in 1799 and owned by British explorer Matthew Flinders. Engaging characters and action will leave readers longing to sail onward. (Historical chapter book. 7-9)

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