Just So Stories

New South Books

Greystone Books

June 2025

ISBN: 9781778400544

RRP: AUD$29.99, NZD$34.99

To complete this trio of feline titles today, comes this charming book which I would describe as an extended picture book – or perhaps an illustrated novella. No need to be pedantic. It’s an illustrated story with elements of graphix/comics and pitched squarely at your younger readers.

Maxime is a little girl who definitely knows her own mind. She loves books and reading – so much so, that she will continue to read after lights out, under the covers with her torch [hmmmm, I didn’t have a torch. I had to crawl to the end of my bed where the light came filtered from the lounge room to keep reading my books as a child], which made me like her immediately.

She does not like adults bossing her around, especially when it interferes with her reading [I’m with her there too].

Aside from reading ALL. THE. TIME. her other favourite thing is cats, especially her own cat, Turmeric. It’s not that she doesn’t like kids or want friends, but she finds them all too noisy. It bothers her, so really – a book and Turmeric is all the company she needs.

She can never wait to get out of school (uh huh, another point in her favour IMO] and she always notices the neighbourhood cats as she goes to and fro. One day, she also notices food dishes for cats. She knows that feeding stray cats is not a good idea according to her mother. So she wonders who could be doing so?

She wants to find out and dons her best detective disguise. To her surprise she tracks down an old lady, who is going from one dish to another feeding the cats. And when Maxime confronts her, Catamou explains that not all cats are as lucky as Turmeric. She takes it upon herself to make sure as many stray cats as possible have some food. Soon enough, Maxime is her able helper. Until, that is, another cat refuge closes down and Catamou needs to move to another ‘cat patch’ leaving a surprise neighbour and Maxime to look after the cats in this neighbourhood.

Some friendships are very unexpected. Some are very rewarding. Some are lifelong, no matter if the friends are parted.

It’s a delight from start to finish and one can’t help enjoying this quaint little girl and her passions. The detailed illustrations are fabulous and the endpapers!!! All the cats with their names! I loved it and your confident newly independent readers will as well – easily up to Year 4. It’s another 5 🐈🐈🐈🐈🐈rating for this slice of purrfection.