"Anton and Cecil Series"--fans of classic animal adventures such as The Wind in the Willows and Avi’s Poppy will love Anton and Cecil’s world, brimming with action and rich, true-to-life detail

Cats at Sea
 
A swashbuckling story of two very different cat brothers and their adventures at sea.

Cat brothers Cecil and Anton are as different as port and starboard. Cecil, stocky and black with white patches, thirsts for seafaring adventure as he roams the docks of his harborside home, taking day trips on fishing boats when the chance comes along. Slim, gray Anton prefers listening to the sailors’ shanties at the town saloon, venturing to port only for the day’s catch. But one day when Anton goes in search of fresh mackerel, he’s stolen off the dock, and the next thing he knows, he’s at sea.

Knowing little of the wide open ocean that lies beyond the harbor, Cecil boards another ship in hopes of finding Anton. But what begins as a rescue mission turns into a pair of high seas adventures, with thrills and danger bubbling under every wave.

Anton takes on a fierce rat, outwits hungry birds, and forges a forbidden friendship, while Cecil encounters dolphins and whales and finds himself in the middle of a pirate raid. On an ocean as vast as the one Anton and Cecil have discovered, will they see home—or each other—ever again?

Orange Prize−winning author Valerie Martin’s and Lisa Martin’s colorful cast of characters, rich historical detail, and lyrical storytelling will delight fans of such classic animal adventures as The Wind in the Willows, Stuart Little, and Poppy.




Cats on Track

Terrible news has reached cat brothers Anton and Cecil: their rodent friend Hieronymus has been captured. Anton and Cecil must try to rescue the mouse who once saved Anton’s life.

Boarding one of the monstrous machines the mice call “landships,” the brothers travel to the Wild West. Along the way Cecil is tossed out onto the prairie by the train’s conductor, only to face bison, prairie dogs, and a boy who would make him a pet. Meanwhile, Anton meets a ferret friend who warns of stampeding herds, rattlesnakes, and fierce, enormous cats. Facing such danger, can Anton and Cecil find the courage and wit to save Hieronymus?


 

Cats Aloft

Tuckered out from a journey across the Wild West, cat brothers Anton and Cecil are ready to head east for home--until a minor stop to change trains in Chicago turns into a major escapade. The brothers are recruited by a police bloodhound to help solve a case: puppies are disappearing right off their leashes!

Anton and Cecil’s search takes them deep into the heart of the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair, where they befriend exotic animals, ride the newly invented Ferris Wheel, and look for clues amid the crowds of fairgoers.

Fans of classic animal adventures such as The Wind in the Willows and Avi’s Poppy will love Anton and Cecil’s world, brimming with action and rich, true-to-life detail.  

Reviews

 

“Remarkable for its delicate use of language and for its watertight descriptions of seafaring . . . The story is engrossing and unpredictable with likeable heroes and charming accomplices . . . It’s a measure of the Martins’ success with this surprising debut that the cats’ triumph feels so credible and, to the formerly sparring brothers, profound.” ―The New York Times Book Review

“The plot is carefully woven, the vocabulary rich and distinctive, and the characters engaging.” ―Kirkus Reviews

“The story is well paced with descriptive language that firmly places readers in the midst of dangerous storms, sea battles, and islands full of strange animals . . . Children who like animal fantasies such as Avi’s Poppy will find much to enjoy here.” ―School Library Journal

“Adult author Valerie Martin (Property), writing with her niece Lisa, make their children’s book debut with a quaint mix of adventure and legend . . . The story is rich with seafaring vocabulary and nautical adventure.” ―Publishers Weekly

“Remarkable for its delicate use of language and for its watertight descriptions of seafaring . . . The story is engrossing and unpredictable with likeable heroes and charming accomplices . . . It’s a measure of the Martins’ success with this surprising debut that the cats’ triumph feels so credible and, to the formerly sparring brothers, profound.” ―The New York Times Book Review

“The plot is carefully woven, the vocabulary rich and distinctive, and the characters engaging.” ―Kirkus Reviews

“The story is well paced with descriptive language that firmly places readers in the midst of dangerous storms, sea battles, and islands full of strange animals . . . Children who like animal fantasies such as Avi’s Poppy will find much to enjoy here.” ―School Library Journal

“Adult author Valerie Martin (Property), writing with her niece Lisa, make their children’s book debut with a quaint mix of adventure and legend . . . The story is rich with seafaring vocabulary and nautical adventure.” ―Publishers Weekly


 

AUTHOR LISA MARTIN SAYS:

"I grew up in New Orleans and spent my high school years writing overwrought poems and short stories. Then I took a detour into the land of numbers (business! accounting!), taught college sophomores, met my husband, hung out at home with our two sons, and now am finally back to the lovely world of words. I live in Charlottesville, Virginia with my family and our two cats, all of whom have made their way into my stories."

http://www.lisamartinbooks.com

Valerie Martin is the author of nine novels, including Trespass, Mary Reilly, Italian Fever, and Property, three collections of short fiction, and a biography of St. Francis of Assisi, titled Salvation. She has been awarded a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts and a John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship, as well as the Kafka Prize (for Mary Reilly) and Britain’s Orange Prize (for Property). Martin’s last novel, The Confessions of Edward Day was a New York Times notable book for 2009. A new novel The Ghost of the Mary Celeste is due from Nan Talese/Random House in January 2014, and a middle-grade book Anton and Cecil, Cats at Sea, co-written with Valerie’s niece Lisa Martin, will be out from Algonquin in October of 2013.Valerie Martin has taught in writing programs at Mt. Holyoke College, Univ. of Massachusetts, and Sarah Lawrence College, among others. She resides in Dutchess County, New York and is currently Professor of English at Mt. Holyoke College. 

http://valeriemartinonline.com/ 




Kelly Murphy is an award-winning illustrator and animator working predominantly with traditional and mixed media. Born and raised in southeastern Massachusetts, USA, she studied illustration at the Rhode Island School of Design, her student work receiving distinction from The Society of Illustrators. Since earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 1999, Kelly has been actively freelancing across the various fields of editorial illustration, picture books and poster illustration as well as character design for both the film and toy industry.

An accomplished children's book author and illustrator, Kelly's books have been published by worldwide leading publishing houses, her twelfth picture book already due to be available in early 2011.

Kelly's work has been featured in curated shows, gallery exhibitions and international magazines specialized in illustration, notably winning recognition from American Illustration, The Society of Illustrators and 3x3 Magazine.

On the side of these numerous and versatile creative achievements, Kelly has engaged in a lasting involvement with art and has been a member of the illustration faculty at the Montserrat College of Art since 2002, and the Rhode Island School of Design since Spring of 2009.

Kelly is the co-founder and creative director of Shybird™ Studios, which showcases her collaborative work with french illustrator and animator Antoine Revoy.

http://www.kelmurphy.com