Toto the Ninja Cat and the Great Snake Escape (Paperback) - Dermot O'Leary

Meet Toto: she's no ordinary cat, and she can't wait to have an adventure with you! From one of the UK's best-loved broadcasters.

Meet Toto: she's no ordinary cat, and she can't wait to have an adventure with you! From one of the UK's best-loved broadcasters, purrfect for fans of The Aristocats, The Secret Life of Pets and Atticus Claw Breaks the Law.

Toto the cat and her brother Silver live footloose and fancy-free in a townhouse in London. Toto is almost totally blind, and learned to trust her senses from a ninja cat-master who taught her back in Italy where they were born. By day, Toto and Silver seem to be ordinary cats, but by night, they love to have adventures!

One evening, news reaches Toto that a king cobra has escaped from London Zoo! Together with help from a very posh cat and two hungry tigers, Toto and Silver must investigate. Can they find the giant snake, before it's too late?

Ideal for reading aloud or for children to curl up with and read alone, the story features brilliant black and white illustrations throughout. With gentle themes of friendship, inclusivity and winning in the face of adversity, this is a hilarious must-read for all animal-loving kids!

Dermot says: 'The idea for Toto first came to me when my wife and I rescued two stray cats from an olive grove in Italy. One of them, Toto, has been blind from birth, but we quickly realised she had ninja-like reactions. Like a lot of cat owners (or cat servants), we like to imagine our pets having secret lives when we're out or asleep. So before I knew it I was writing about Toto and her brother Silver's nocturnal adventures around London. I really hope that children who pick it up enjoy reading the adventures of our little Italian underdog (cat).'

Have you seen Toto's other adventures? The Incredible Cheese Heist and The Superstar Catastrophe are out now, and make perfect Christmas gifts for young readers.

About the Author

Dermot started his career on T4 for Channel 4 and has presented shows for both ITV and the BBC. His best-known work includes The X Factor, Big Brother's Little Brother, Unicef's Soccer Aid, BBC3's First Time Voters Question Time, the RTS Award winning 'Live from Space' season and the Brit Awards. Dermot presents a Saturday morning show on BBC Radio 2, 'Saturday Breakfast with Dermot O'Leary'. Previously in the Saturday afternoon slot, 'The Dermot O'Leary Show' won three Sony Radio Awards. The show is produced by Ora Et Labora, the production company Dermot co-founded in 2008. Ora Et Labora also produces Rylan's BBC Radio 2 show, a number of podcasts and the TV show 'Reel Stories' for BBC2, looking back at iconic singers' lives on screen. Dermot has interviewed Kylie Minogue, Noel Gallagher and Rod Stewart on the show so far, with more episodes planned. A huge Ernest Shackleton fan, in 2019 he presented the 'Explorers' episode of BBC's 'Icons: The Greatest Person of the 20th Century'. Also in 2019, he launched an interview-based podcast, 'People, Just People' with Audible, featuring guests including Stephen Graham, Ed Miliband and Eni Aluko. Toto the Ninja Cat and the Mystery Jewel Thief is Dermot's fourth children's book. He lives in London with his wife Dee, their son Kasper and their cats Socks and, of course, Toto. You can find Dermot on Twitter and Instagram: @radioleary Nick East is the illustrator of the bestselling Toto the Ninja Cat as well as the Goodnight Digger and Knock Knock series. He worked for many years as a museum designer but has always been a storyteller, whether as a child, filling sketchbooks with quirky characters, or as a designer displaying a collection of ancient artefacts. Nick lives near York with his wife and two children and, when not writing or drawing, he is out roaming the countryside with a rucksack on his back. Find Nick at nickeastillustration.com