Mrs Chippy the Cat

 Author: Susan Brocker & Raymond McGarth

ISBN: 987-1-77543-708-6

Hi Everyone

Who is Mrs Chippy?

Mrs Chippy is Chippy McNeish's tomcat that journeyed on the Endurance with Shackleton and his crew to the Antarctic in 1914.  Based on the true story of the expedition, your children will enjoy this picture book as they not only learn about a much loved cat but also they ships experience as it got trapped in the ice of Antarctic.

Not only will they enjoy a lovely story book they will learn a little history.  At the back are photos of the real Mrs Chippy and Chippy McNeish and an extra snippet of history.

I have read this now with quite a few of my young students - or rather they have read it to me - and they are so many talking points to encourage the comprehension of the reader.  Not only have we read the story, we have had to venture further and look up the ship and the crew to see what else could be found.  The avenues for extra learning, from just one little 'picture flat' book, are enormous.  The opportunities to stop and talk whilst encouraging the comprehension of the young reader are immense.  This book has been a great investment to my reading collection.

I recommend books like this one, simply for the history and extra avenues that you take as your young reader enjoys what they see as a enjoyable little story book.

Description:

Mrs Chippy, trotting along the ship's railings, was the first to spot the pack ice. It spread out before the endurance like floating white chunks of a gigantic jigsaw, penguins and seals watched the ship from the ice floes as they sailed by, and whales and orca popped up to spy on them...

This is the tale of Mrs Chippy, a tom cat who was a loyal and loved companion to the crew on Ernest Shackleton's 1914 expedition to the Antarctic aboard the Endurance.

Mrs Chippy was the best mate of the ship's carpenter, Chippy McNeish. A statue of the cat lies on his grave in Karori Cemetery, Wellington.

Happy reading