Illustrated by Astrid Matijasevich
Jiffy is a cat with one gold eye, one blue eye, and beautiful white fur. As if that didn’t make him special enough, he’s also a super cat sleuth one-in-a-million wonder cat detective. His human family are incredibly lucky to have him. How else would they find poor Dad’s missing shoe? When Dad’s shoe goes missing – and of course, this is a major problem, because what can Dad do with only one shoe? Shoes are a two-of-a-kind thing, unlike our amazing Jiffy – no one can find it. No one that is, except the wonderful Jiffy. While his family search in all kinds of places, like the letter box, the butter dish, the dishwasher, and even the bin – Jiffy knows they won’t find it in there – Jiffy helps as far as he can, and then magnaminously decides to give the case his full attention.
This children’s picture book is told in catching rhyme. For anyone who knows a cat with a very high opinion of himself (so, anyone who knows a cat), the story will delight. While his family are hapless and forgettable, Jiffy is the star. And there’s a twist. Maybe our amazing cat detective Jiffy knows more about the crime of the stolen shoe than he pretends…
Catherine Chidgey is an award-winning New Zealand fiction writer. This is the first time she has turned her hand to children’s writing, and the cat she has chosen as her main character is, of course, based on her own fantastic feline.
This robust, hardbacked book is matched by the vibrant, strong-coloured and cartoon-style illustrations. The talented and experienced Astrid Matijasevich perfectly captures Jiffy’s condescending expressions, with the right touch of humour. You’ll have to read the book yourself to find out how this tale turns out and what really happened to this missing shoe…
Reviewer: Susannah Whaley
OneTree House, RRP $30