Elliot Perlman is an award-winning author and a barrister and these two professions come together in this sequel to The Adventures of Catvinkle.

Someone or something is destroying the world-famous tulips of Amsterdam. Anja and Ferdi’s aunt thinks it is the sheep, Lambken and Shepsil, but they proclaim their innocence and blame the riverine rabbits from Africa. However, Catvinkle’s arch-nemesis Twinkiepaws stirs members of Kittens Anonymous to press charges and the sheep are put on trial.

With Scrodinger the wise cat as judge and Catvinkle for the defence, the trial aims to follow human trial proceedings. The cast of characters includes Ula, the brave dog Lobbus, Roy Llama, the koala Merv and his son Blinky, two Russian bears named Grisha and Shivka, the wolf Lupa Volchitsa, the Empathy Bird, a dog called Grayston and the singing sensation Ketzington, not to mention the humans.

If this sounds convoluted, it is – but the language is lovely, as can be seen from the characters’ names and phrases like ‘lovely old houses all of different colours nestled together as though cuddling each other.’

There is multilevel humour such as reference to the composer J S Bark who composed the Mag-nifi-cat. And along the way, readers learn about endangered animals, empathy and justice, not to mention love and compassion.

Reviewed by Lynne Babbage
Age Guide 8+