Mrs Chippy the Cat by Susan Brocker and Raymond McGrath

Mrs Chippy the Cat by Susan Brocker and Raymond McGrath

Mrs Chippy the Cat – Susan Brocker and Raymond McGrath (Scholastic, $19.99)

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reviewed by Louise Ward, Wardini Books

In 1914 Ernest Shackleton's Endurance sailed for Antarctica. One of its lesser-known crew was a cat belonging to the ship's carpenter, Chippy McNeish. This is the story, carefully crafted for children, of the incredible adventure undertaken by a very special feline.

The story begins with preparations for the dangerous trip. Chippy McNeish is getting his tools ready and his cat is getting in the way, as they do. Puss is firmly told that a ship is no place for a cat. This puss doesn't care and is pictured padding up the gangplank of the Endurance, pouncing on a rat and beginning to convince the crew. Captain Worsley says, "So long as it never ever sleeps on the bunks." Kitty is then pictured snugly curled up in Chippy's bunk, earning it the name Mrs Chippy, as the pair are closer than husband and wife. Turns out though that Mrs Chippy is in fact, a tomcat.

There is high adventure and peril to come for Mrs Chippy. Churning seas, cat overboard, a daring rescue and much nimble trotting and pouncing. The history of the ship's journey unfolds through the cat, an engaging device leading to pages of illuminating illustrations — the ship squeezed in the ice, seals, penguins, orcas, huskies (tied up and consequently teased by the free-to-roam puss) in shades of blue and grey.

There is much historical detail – the "dogloos" housing the pups, the chaos of a crushed ship taking on icy water, the freezing camp the men had to hastily erect and the sub-plot of the ship's stowaway, Perce Blackborow. The book ends as the crew attempt a getaway in the lifeboats repaired by Chippy McNeish. There is further reading on the salient facts of the expedition, the real fate of Mrs Chippy, and real-life photos.

Exciting, informative and dramatic, Mrs Chippy the Cat is the perfect introduction to stories of exploration and Aotearoa New Zealand's part in it. It's also the brilliantly adventurous tale of a very special cat.