Spud and Snowball are two cats living a comfortable life at home. They enjoy watching television - cartoons or cooking shows and it is fun to hiss at programs that feature dogs. One day they see a television advertisement for a new cat food called Fancy Fish. As with all good adverts this one is very persuasive, and Spud and Snowball are now certain that this food will taste delicious - way better than the Kitty-Bix they currently eat. Spud is a cat of action. She will not wait for someone to supply Fancy Fish - she jumps onto the computer and orders a big box.
Well yes, a big box does arrive and yes inside is a fancy fish but not the expected food - an actual fancy fish in a fish tank and boy oh boy he is bossy and loud. In fact, he in an opera singer named Sir Mimsy Woffle-Poffle-Foffington. I imagine Judith Rossell had so much fun dreaming up that name.
Have you noticed there is a cheeky nod to conventions or rather breaking conventions in this book - Snowball is a boy, Spud is a girl and the opera singing fish is a male/man/tenor or bass singer. I can't think of any other book for kids with an opera singer who isn't a woman. Might be time to introduce Plácido Domingo, Luciano Pavarotti, Andrea Bocelli or Enrico Caruso to your library group or young reading companion.
So now we have a problem for Spud and Snowball. This bossy cat tells the pair they must work as his butlers and supply him with a tasty snack and then he tells them he needs scenery for his performance and ponies to pull his carriage. This is all too much. Surely it is time for the cats to eat this fish - but fishing for a fish in a fish tank is very difficult especially when neither cat wants to get wet. Luckily they still have that computer - perhaps they can return this unwanted parcel.
I am sure this book will be a 2026 CBCA Younger Readers Notable title - how terrific to have a book you can share with the youngest children in your school library and with the promise of a sequel. As a bonus mum and dad will enjoy reading this book too.
Companion books:
Other books by Judith Rossell for older readers:
