Ship's Cat Doris

by Jane Simmons

When the owners of "Prosperity" choose a little kitten to be their new ship's cat, they think he's a girl and name him Doris! But soon Doris finds this isn't his only settling into life on board and finding his place alongside the ship's dogs, Little Madge and Big John, and Freda, their dotty bird, is going to be tricky. Not to mention facing the local shipyard bully, Jasper. Can Doris find his feet in this new world and learn to be proud to be a ship's cat? Meet a brilliant cast of animal characters in this charming story of friendship and belonging, with beautiful black and white illustrations throughout.

Genres: Childrens

176 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.


Jane has tried her hand at landscape gardening, futon making, teaching basket weaving and soft toy making but only truly loves writing and illustrating children's books. Jane shot to fame with the success of her DAISY picture books, all about an irresistible little duck with big feet. More success followed with EBB AND FLO, whose characters were brought to life on television. Jane, her partner, and her menagerie of rescued pets travel the Mediterranean on an ex-fishing boat - and her adventures have provided the inspiration for many of her books. Most recently Jane has turned her hand to fiction, with the exciting adventures of BERYL GOES WILD and SHIP'S CAT DORIS.

Reviews

[Max · Rating 5 out of 5]

To be honest, this is one of my favourite books. I especially the part at the camp fire i loved. Another 5/5 B)

[Terryann · Rating 4 out of 5]

SIMMONS, Jane. Ships Cat Doris. 164p. Orchard Books. June 2012. ISBN: 9781408308967. $8.99. F.

Gr 3-5
When Doris is adopted by Cap and Bosun as the new Ship’s Cat, he thinks he might just be the luckiest cat in the world....until he meets mean Madge the dog, Jasper the bully cat and frightening Frida the hen. All of whom HATE him! And, as little Doris gets bigger, so do his problems! On the ship, Doris learns how to make friends, how to stand up for himself and how to deal with the loss of a good friend. A sweet, understated tale of finding one’s place in the world. Doris’ journey to finding out that everyone is a culmination of their pasts is a good lesson for all children. The real delight, however, are the charming black and white illustrations throughout. Whether in words or in art, Simmons has a rare talent for showing an entire world with very few strokes. Recommended to fans of Because of Winn Dixie by Kate DiCamillo.

-Terry Ann Lawler - Phoenix Public Library, AZ.

[LibraryDanielle · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was totally disappointed in this. from the cover and the description I was hoping for a fun cute story, but what I got was a sorta cute inane story. there wasn't much plot or point to the story and it just seemed to go on and on. the way Doris gets his name is cute, but doesn't make up for the lack of an interesting story. I was hoping since it was a Great Stone Face nominee that it would stand up to the test, but it just fell flat. another reviewer put it well when stating this would have been a better picture book.

[Sara-Zoe Patterson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Boring. I know I had a bad attitude going in, but I've had my mind changed often enough. Not this time. Two people fixing up a boat in a boat yard get a cat to keep rats away. These are his 'adventures' becoming friends with their chicken, running into a bully cat, etc. It's too close to everyday reality. Some might call this book 'cute'. Would've made a better picture book or early reader.

[Catharine · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was one of the Great Stone Face Nominees 2013-2014 and I was disappointed. It was merely cute. There was no interest developed in the plot, but a child looking for a simple story about talking animals might enjoy it.

[Ana · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a book full of adventure and excitement.

[Linda George · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book may be ok as a chapter book for beginning readers but honestly it did nothing for me. It's going to be hard to pitch this to my kids.

[Lisa Bricker · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quite plain and straightforward story of a little cat, a boy, who is taken on board a ship and given a girl's name. No real surprises here, but a pleasing honesty about how things work.

[Amy · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is going to be a hard sell in my elementary school library.

[Unagna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lovely drawings. The plot is not so twisted, many disconnected episodes, but the last chapters are awesome.

[Kim Gontarz]

Can Doris who is a he really become a ship's cat?