Martina and the Cats of Santa Maria: A Cat’s Guide to Slow Life on Sal Island, Cape Verde (with workbook)

When you’re lost, sometimes the best help is a cat who purrs in slow motion.

Autor: Mira Maria Belniak (one of our authors)
Versions: Hardcover, Paperback, Ebook
Print length: 94 pages

Ideal for independent readers ages 5-9, this chapter book tells a beautiful story about the importance of friendships, supporting one’s neighbours and the community no matter the differences, and enjoying the little joys of everyday life.

Book description:

Fofinho doesn’t know where he is. One minute, he was sleeping on a fishing boat, the next, he was alone on a strange island where everyone spoke in music, and the sun never seemed to set.

Enter Martina — a tortoiseshell cat with a heart-shaped patch and the loudest purr in Cape Verde. She knows where every water bowl hides. She knows which fishermen share the best fish. She knows that the secret to happiness is simple: live slowly, share everything, and always make time for a good nap.

As Fofinho follows Martina through the colourful streets of Santa Maria, he discovers that this isn’t just any island. It’s a place where cats have monthly meetings under the full moon, where dogs share their palm trees, and where the whole town stops to dance when someone plays guitar.

But the most surprising discovery? When you stop looking for home, that’s precisely when you find it.