Author of book about Lincolnshire explorer and his cat inspired by sea

An author born by the sea has just written a children's book about one of Lincolnshire's most famous explorers.
Author Ruth Taylor and her own cat Blackie.Author Ruth Taylor and her own cat Blackie.
Author Ruth Taylor and her own cat Blackie.

The Cat and the Captain by Ruth Taylor tells the adventure story of Matthew Flinders, who was born in Donington and is a relative of another renowned explorer from the county, Sir John Franklin of Spilsby.

Matthew Flinders was the first man to circumnavigate Australia in 1801 – 1803 and gave it its name.

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His mischievous but faithful cat, Trim, braved stormy seas, shipwreck and capture by the French.

The Cat and the Captain is out now.The Cat and the Captain is out now.
The Cat and the Captain is out now.

The Cat and the Captain tells the story of what happened after surviving the shipwreck, sailing to Mauritius and being imprisoned by the French as spies. It is illustrated by David Parkins from Grantham.

Author Ruth Taylor was born by the sea in Bournemouth, Dorset, setting a trend of attachment to oceans for the rest of her life.

At the age of two she became a Ten Pound POM – sailing to Australia with her family on the Assisted Passage Scheme.

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Matthew Flinders was a familiar historical figure to Ruth when living in Melbourne, where she trained as a nurse.

The story tells the adventures of the explorer from Donington Matthew Flinders and his cat.The story tells the adventures of the explorer from Donington Matthew Flinders and his cat.
The story tells the adventures of the explorer from Donington Matthew Flinders and his cat.

Returning to the UK, she worked on a Greek passenger liner.

After studying medicine at Sheffield University, she qualified as a doctor in 1978, and as an obstetrician and gynaecologist in 1983.

She retrained as a GP, working on cruise ships in her holidays until 2015.

Researching the role of cats on ships in the National Maritime Museum, London, she came across Flinders and Trim and decided that their story had to be told for children.

Explorer Sir John Franklin of Spilsby is related to Matthew Flinders.Explorer Sir John Franklin of Spilsby is related to Matthew Flinders.
Explorer Sir John Franklin of Spilsby is related to Matthew Flinders.
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She now lives in London with her husband and a rescue cat, who is very like Trim.

"The Cat and the Captain is quite a story for Lincolnshire," said Ruth. "Not only was Flinders an unsung naval hero as accomplished as Captain James Cook, but Flinders circumnavigated Australia with his cousin John Franklin from Spilsby, who later became a Polar explorer.

"The ship's surgeon on Flinders' first voyage to Australia was George Bass from Aswarby (after whom Bass Strait between Tasmania and Australia is named), and Flinders was sponsored by the famous Sir Joseph Banks from Revesby."

Flinders’ remains were unexpectedly discovered behind Euston Railway Station in 2019 after having been missing for 160 years. They are due to be re-interred in his home town of Donington, followed by a memorial service in Lincoln Cathedral when Covid allows.

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*The Cat and the Captain is published by Little Steps Publishing: https://www.littlestepspublishing.co.uk/ and was released on 31 August. It is illustrated by David Parkins from Grantham. The book benefits from comprehensive freely downloadable teaching notes: http://d.site-cdn.net/6cd93335c8/a13ed7/the-cat-and-the-captain-teaching-notes.pdf, which can form the basis of a 40-minute lesson or simply provide ample activities for children aged 8 – 12 years. These can form the basis for an on-line lesson about the book and include items on vocabulary, geography, general knowledge, writing letters, diary entries and stories, drawing exercises and making a glove puppet, discussion topics, a quiz and using a compass.