Cat on the Island

by Gary Crew, Gillian Warden (Illustrator)

Told as a fable, but based on a real event, this story is a timely reminder of the fragility of our world. It was raining outside, so I 'Gramps, tell me a story.'

This is the true story of David and his father, who came to Stephens Island - a remote and pristine island off Cook Strait between the North and South Islands of New Zealand in 1894. There they built a lighthouse to protect ships entering the strait. Oblivious of the potential damage to the environment, they chopped down the trees and ferns where the local birds sheltered, thereby demolishing their habitat. But worse than that, they brought their pregnant cat with them. The tiny Stephens Island wrens, being flightless, had no natural defences against the predators, and were wiped out in less than two years.

The event is cited as the only instance where one species has been directly responsible for the extinction of another. Of course, once they realised what had happened, conservation authorities began the official eradication of the cats, but by then the damage had been done.

The strikingly beautiful illustrations reinforce the tragedy of the obliteration of this tiny Eden, a timely metaphor for that other paradise known as Earth.

Genres: Cats, Picture Books

32 pages, Hardcover

First published August 20, 2008

About the author

Dr Gary Crew, author of novels, short stories and picture books for older children and young adults, began his writing career in 1985, when he was a high school teacher. His books are challenging and intriguing, often based on non-fiction. As well as writing fiction, Gary is a Associate Professor in Creative Writing, Children's and Adult Literature, at the University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland and editor of the After Dark series.

He lives with his wife Christine on several acres in the cool, high mountains of the Sunshine Coast Hinterland in Queensland, Australia in a house called 'Green Mansions' which is shaded by over 200 Australian rainforest palms he has cultivated. He enjoys gardening, reading, and playing with his dogs Ferris, Beulah, and Miss Wendy. In his spare time he has created an Australian Rainforest Garden around his home, filled with Australian palms. Gary loves to visit antique shops looking for curios and beautiful objects.

Gary Crew has been awarded the Children’s Book Council of Australia Book of the year four times: twice for Book of the Year for Young Adult Older Readers (Strange Objects in 1991 and Angel’s Gate in 1993) and twice for Picture Book of the Year with First Light in 1993 (illustrated by Peter Gouldthorpe) and The Watertower (illustrated by Steven Woolman) in 1994. Gary’s illustrated book, Memorial (with Shaun Tan) was awarded the Children’s Book Council of Australia Honour Book in 2000 and short listed for the Queensland Premier’s Awards. He has also won the Wilderness Society Award, the Whitley Award and the Aurealis Award for Speculative Fiction.

In the USA he has been twice short listed for the Mystery Writers of America Edgar Allan Poe Mystery Fiction Award for Youth and the Hungry Minds Review American Children’s Book of distinction. In Europe he has twice been and twice the prestigious White Raven Award for his illustrated books. Among his many Australian awards is the Ned Kelly Prize for Crime Fiction, the New South Wales Premier’s Award and the Victorian Premier’s Award. He has been short listed for both the Queensland Premier’s and the Western Australian Premier’s awards for Fiction.

Reviews

[Sean Harding · Rating 4 out of 5]

The real life historical episode of how an island paradise was destroyed and a species of bird made extinct from the introduction of the cat who went feral. The tragedy of man's dealings with nature are revealed here in again a simply written and illustrated form that are not the norm for this style of book.

[Emkoshka · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have mixed feelings about this book. The story is a terrible true one, about the extinction of a flightless wren on a New Zealand island, a cautionary tale about the devastating impact of introducing foreign predators to a peaceable place. But as a cat-lover (and bird-lover), I didn't respond well to the cat-bashing tone or the garish illustrations.

[BearBear · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book had such potential for use in the classroom or at home in so many ways…but in so many ways this book just didn’t hit the mark.

The historical side. Yes this was done well. Telling the story in a way that an older relative might recount an experience to a younger generation is a natural way to tell it. The story is accurate without being sensational – it gets to the point with a mixture of dialogue and description. I think it’s also important that the story does answer the grandson’s question of: What happened to the cats? The author could easily of left the story at ‘there are no more wrens’ but it gave the conclusion to teach the moral.

The layout of the book annoyed me a lot. To me, with a story that is clearly aimed for the slightly older child as there is a lot of text, the text itself is incredibly small. The illustrations dominate the page which in many ways minimises the story. I would really have liked to have seen the writing 2 or 3 times larger than it is.

The illustrations. For me illustrations are a big factor in whether I would read a book again and the same appears to be for my two children. I get the use of the red (I’m assuming it is a symbolic nod to the blood of the wrens etc.) but take the second page of the story…is it a cat or a human that is red because it seems to be a weird combination of the two. And then there is the page where it is confirmed there are no birds – a man in a boat with a pink cat and a strange feral or evil cat kind of floating in the background – I couldn’t explain the significance because I didn’t “get it” either.

There are pages that made limited sense – such as the cat with the bird in the mouth – but my kids couldn’t understand why the cat was the pink/red colour (this from a daughter who has a bright green toy cat).

As I wrote to begin with – so much potential but for me the factors mention mean for me this one is going back to the library never to be borrowed again.

[Freddie D · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gary Crew's picture books are DARK. Don't be fooled by the whimsical pastel colour palette or the beautiful illustrations: this book will tear your heart out. Crew explores the destruction of delicate, irreplaceable ecosystems by urbanisation, human naivety/selfishness and introduced species. It's a necessary lesson, but a heartbreaking one, making this hard to read with a child.

[Judy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is primarily a lesson in environmental management and conservation and the cover consequently features a quote from World Wildlife Fund instead of from an author or literary reviewer. ('This thoughtful and beautifully illustrated book reminds us that islands are among the most unique and precious of all habitats.')

However, I did think it was also well written, particularly with regard to the character voice of Gramps which is clear and distinct, despite the restrictions of the format - a succinct picture book.

And the illustrations by Gillian Warden (the reason I picked the book up in the first place) are very skilful and brave; bristling with energy, powerful colour and brushstrokes. I'm guessing Gillian Warden may be a fan of Arthur Boyd. Bravo.

[The Bookshop Umina]

I love Gary Crew's teen fiction, but also his collaborations on picture books. This is not a picture book for small children, but it is wonderful for explaining extinction and the dangers of messing around with the environment and introducing species.



Very spooky illustrations that could be freaky for small readers but they capture the sentiments of this story very well.

[Jenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Australian picture book about introduced species and affect on environment.