Trim Saves the Day

by Deborah Hopkinson, Kristy Caldwell (Illustrator)

Overview

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.

Trim likes being part of the ship’s crew. The captain says that everyone has a jobs they do alone and other times they help each other out. And if there’s a big problem, then it’s all hands on deck.

But what is Trim’s job? He really wants to help, but everyone is very busy. Penny is helping the sailors mop the deck, so Trim decides to mop too. Swish! Swish! SWISH! Trim gets water everywhere. Jack is helping the captain steer the ship, so Trim thinks he can steer too. Whee! Whee! WHEE! But there’s not enough room on the wheel. Doesn’t anyone have a job for a kitten who really wants to help?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781682636305
Publisher:	Holiday House
Publication date:	03/05/2024
Series:	Adventures of Trim
Sold by:	Penguin Random House Publisher Services
Format:	eBook
Pages:	48
File size:	31 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	7 - 10 Years

About the Author

Deborah Hopkinson is the award-winning author of more than seventy nonfiction and historical fiction books. Her writing and programs help bring history and research to life for readers. She holds degrees from the University of Massachusetts and the University of Hawaii and lives in Oregon with her family and a menagerie of pets. Visit her at www.deborahhopkinson.com

Kristy Caldwell is an illustrator from Louisiana, based in Brooklyn. Her first picture book, Flowers for Sarajevo, was a Kirkus Best Picture Book of 2017. She also has a history of providing graphic art to theater companies and is married to director Kelly O’Donnell. Visit her at www.kristycaldwell.com.

Editorial Reviews

"Kristy Caldwell’s distinctly non-old-timey illustrations emphasize the slapstick elements of Ms. Hopkinson’s stories."—The Wall Street Journal

"Hopkinson reminds readers that setting out on an adventure with good friends is the best way to experience our wondrous world. Recommended for chapter book collections."—School Library Journal

"Cartoon-style line and color illustrations faithfully depict a 19th-century ship and a cat’s hilarious antics. . . More seaworthy fun with this endearing feline hero."—Kirkus Reviews

From the Publisher

03/01/2024

Gr 1–3—In her first series of early chapter books, Hopkinson gives children a taste of adventure as well as life on the high seas through the character of Trim—a lively black cat who has joined a ship's crew. The five-chapter story is based on the real adventures of British Captain Flinders, who sailed with his beloved cat while charting the coast of Australia from 1801 to 1803. As in previous titles, Hopkinson shows how everyone on a ship, from the human crew to the animal passengers, must work together. This time, Trim wants to be helpful but ends up being the opposite. He gets water everywhere while trying to help mop the deck, and he knocks over the plant specimen that the ship's artist is drawing. Finally, Trim does help by yowling when he notices water leaking from the ship's cask. The leak is fixed, and the crew's supply of freshwater is assured. Trim is content knowing he solved a "really big problem." The story's charm is enhanced by colorful illustrations that capture Trim's playful spirit and period details, from the captain's hat to the ship's rigging. VERDICT Hopkinson reminds readers that setting out on an adventure with good friends is the best way to experience our wondrous world. Recommended for chapter book collections.—Sally James

School Library Journal

2024-01-05
Trim Helps Out (2023) gave the seafaring kitten a chance for (accidental) heroism, but he still wants a steady role on the ship.

This third book in the series finds Trim again at sea with Captain Flinders (based on British explorer Matthew Flinders, who sailed around Australia with his own cat). The ever helpful feline wants to lend a hand. But his well-meaning attempts exasperate his fellow animals, as well as the cook, the artist, the gardener, and even the captain. Trim paws the biscuit dough, knocks over the flower that the ship’s artist is sketching, and scatters the gardener’s dirt. And his relentless mewing annoys the ship’s dog, Penny. Even Princess Bea the rat, napping in the hold, finds Trim’s mews irritating. But when a discouraged Trim goes off to bathe himself—quietly—he becomes surprisingly awash: A huge water cask has sprung a leak. Now Trim discovers that his screechy cries can be an unexpected asset: Ear-splitting YOWLS bring “all hands on deck.” Trim realizes that purring is his steady job, but yowls are good for an emergency. Cartoon-style line and color illustrations faithfully depict a 19th-century ship and a cat’s hilarious antics. Adorable Trim makes a winning, relatable protagonist as he attempts to find a place for himself on the ship. Human faces are generally not depicted, though Captain Flinders is light-skinned, and the artist is brown-skinned.

More seaworthy fun with this endearing feline hero. (historical note) (Early chapter book. 7-10)

Kirkus Reviews