Porridge the Tartan Cat and the Brawsome Bagpipes

by Alan Dapre, Yuliya Somina (Illustrator)

When Porridge was a wee kitten he toppled into a tin of tartan paint -- which is easy to do and not so easy to say. Now he lives by Loch Loch with the quirky McFun family: Gadget Grandad, Groovy Gran, Dino Dad, Mini Mum and the twins, Roaring Ross and Invisible Isla. Everyone has a super secret-- or two-- and Porridge is always there to lend a helping paw when things go awry. If there's a fishy biscuit in it for him... And things do often go awry in the McFun family. It's a good job Porridge has nine lives! -------------- Porridge the Tartan Cat (it's a long story involving a tin of tartan paint!) has discovered Gadget Grandad is not your average snoringly boring grandad after all! He's a super-duper secret spy -- and he needs help from Porridge (the cat, not the gloopy breakfast) and the twins Isla and Ross to defeat his arch enemy Fergus McFungus. McFungus has stolen the secret secret recipe for disaster. Can Porridge and the twins help their shark-surfing, shed-racing, space travelling grandad stop him and save the world? Maybe with the help of some brawsome bagpipes... -------------------- In this zany new series for young readers, Porridge purrfectly CAT-a-logs the family's hilarious adventures from a cat's-eye perspective. With wacky twists, silly word play and meow-nificent illustrations in every chapter, readers won't even want to paws for breath.

152 pages, Paperback

Published April 15, 2017

About the author

Alan Dapré is an experienced children's author and playwright with over 60 traditionally published books.

His Porridge the Tartan Cat' series (Floris Books) is for young readers aged 6 to 9, and offers up a cat's-eye view of an adventurous fun-loving family, who each have a surprising secret. 

The six books feature engaging characters, such as Porridge, Gadget Grandad, Groovy Gran and Fergus Mc Fungus. Plus the twins, Isla and Ross. 

After 8 years writing for television, Alan is back to writing children's stories. A former Deputy Headteacher, he is dedicated to sparking children's imaginations.

"I wanted to write about two energetic, resourceful and empowered children. Go-getters, who deal head on with anything that life (or a baddy) throws at them. They had to be equal, but different, so I made them non-identical twins.

Ross is hands-on and sporty. Isla thinks on her feet and is up for any challenge.

This is a lot of wordplay and comedy in all my Porridge the Tartan Cat books. Children say to me they enjoy finding new things each time they re-read one.

If you - or a child you know - wishes to rate or review any of my books (1-5 Stars) please do.

My work is full of fun and comedy and I love to surprise my readers too. The key is to listen to your audience and to reflect their fun, energy and spontaneity."

Alan has written extensively for education publishers such as Ginn, Heinemann & Pearson. His published plays are read & performed in schools worldwide. Alan's work spans a range of reading levels, from young Primary age readers to teenagers.

Reviews

[Jeff Bobsleigh]

At last, my son has eventually discovered the joy of reading. He always used to lose interest quickly, daunted by pages of words and bored by plots that got nowhere fast. This book has changed that. He reads at bed time, he gets up early in the morning to read some more, he reads whilst waiting for the bus.
This is a great little book, just the right size and shape for easy reading, every page is thoughtfully laid out with a heap of joyful small illustrations. Puns and word-play abound, some of it quite smart, some of it quite silly, all of it has a great sense of fun and warmth. The plot zips along and there is plenty of adventure to keep us hooked. Porridge, the characterful narrator, is a cat with attitude and a bit of an ego problem, although I suppose he wouldn't call it a problem.

[Julie Garner]

Porridge is a fun book for younger reads. Told from Porridge's perspective we learn about the McFun family. Porridge toppled in to a tin of tartan paint as a kitten and that is how Porridge gets some interesting markings.
Brawsome Bagpipes is all about Gadget Grandad and his arch rival Fergus McFungus.
I dare you not to giggle at the events that happen within this book and it's follow up - Bash-Crash-Ding about Groovy Gran.

[Zoe]

If you like crazy word play, cheeky narrators, off-beat adventures and distinctive settings this could be just what you're looking for. I chuckled a great deal following the utterly bonkers series of events as one (Scottish) Grandpa and his grandkids, and their naughty but ultimately lovable tartan cat do all they can to save the world (and Scotland) from a very sticky end. The zany inventions of Gadget Grandpa will no doubt spark equally outrageous (and brilliant) ideas in the minds of young readers, and the lively approach to text and language (puns and plays on typesetting abound) all make for a riotous read. With plenty of bagpipes, Scots words and phrases, a possible sighting of what we've always believed to be the Loch Ness monster and a rather large helping of a very wonderful Scottish pudding, this first book in the Porridge the Tartan Cat series definitely works brilliantly for those further from Scotland than they wish they were. Much as I adore Katie Morag, and have done my time with Balamory, if you want something a little spunkier by way of a giggle inducing and gloriously silly Scottish story, do track down Porridge the Tartan Cat.

For listening to: from 5ish
For reading yourself: from 7ish