Tubby the Tabby

About the Book

Tubby is a Tabby. He is orange with stripes of ginger; like a tiger cub. But he is chubby and his tail is a stub. He has a few peculiar daily habits. One example is his sleeping habit. He only sleeps on a red bed or sleeps on a mat to show he is fat. He has a weird feeding habit too; he is fed with a spoon every day at noon. He also likes to scratch on rugs and licks on mugs. Since he is fat and chubby, he seldom jumps but he often bumps on tables, chairs and even wooden stairs. Those strange behaviours define his presence at home. Every time he does those habits, his owners (a boy and a girl) will always say, “You silly cat,” and give him a tickle to make him happy. He loves to be tickled as it makes him feel tingly. But one fine day, by choice or by chance, the owners began to question his presence. They soon realised that he was no longer around. So, they searched high and low, and moved fast and slow. Then, they found a clue; a toppled bottle of glue. From the glue bottle, they spotted a trail. They followed the trail patiently, moving quickly but looking carefully until they came to a juncture. Their squinty eyes popped and they laughed when they saw Tubby. Tubby had glue all over its body. He was stuck between the rug and the floor, just behind the bedroom door. He asked for help by making a pitiful face with his eyes widened, as the glue had somewhat hardened. Without wasting any time, they lifted him and paced towards the tub. They turned on the shower and sprayed him with water. He became wet, his fur was shrivelling and he was shivering. They quickly dried him up and brought him out of the tub. This misadventure made him tired. He tip-toed to the nearest mat, yawned and fell down flat. This rhyming story is like a jingle. It hopes to teach children about empathy and appreciation by highlighting the special chemistry between children and cats. It has a funny and fun-loving storyline, which will make children say, “awww…” in the end. It is filled with simple yet expressive illustrations that allow your children to be their own storyteller and learn about different feelings.

About the Author

Muhammad Ashraf is a Primary school teacher. He has an Honours in Psychology and a Post-Graduate Diploma in Education. His daily interactions with children and his interest in child psychology leads him to write picture books. These stories are meant to impart values and life lessons to children. He has a beautiful wife, adorable children and many wonderful people whom he gets his inspiration from. He writes not only to educate but also to ignite the love of reading and writing.