The first time I read this picture book, I read it out loud to my cat. She has never been in a truck, and she slept through the whole thing, but I could tell she appreciated the wonderful cadence of Deborah Frenkel’s words. Tinka the truck cat lives all over Australia, ‘in depots dancing with dragonflies’, as he travels in the cabin of an enormous truck that belongs to his owner, Yacoub.

The second time I read this picture book, I read it out loud to my mum. She has also never been in a truck, but she did not sleep though the story. Like Yacoub, my mother’s family came from another country, and the concept of home was a complicated one. When Tinka accidently leads Yacoub to a new family, our hearts were full. Who knew so much love could be encapsulated in only 30 pages?!

A picture book for all ages, and for everyone, human or feline.