Call the Puffins! Tiny’s Brave Rescue

On the island of Egg, Tiny is training to be a rescue puffin with his friend, Muffin. But Tiny is really worried as he feels that he is not good enough to be part of the team. With the support of the other puffins, Tiny finds he can rise to any challenge.

This is the second in this lovely series which is perfect for younger readers. Taller than the other puffins with long legs and wings, Tiny is a sweet natured puffin who is keen to do his best and help others, but things always seem to go wrong for him. Children are sure to empathise with Tiny as he gets lost, makes mistakes and is slower than the other puffins- and sure to celebrate with him as he gets the better of the wild cat!

This book- like the first- emphasises the importance of working as part of a team and supporting each other. A little extra help from Flight Officer Faroe makes all the difference to Tiny, helping him gain confidence. There are facts about puffins at the end of the book to encourage children to discover more about these fascinating creatures.

Full of gorgeous illustrations which add much to the story, ‘Tiny’s Brave Rescue’ is a delightful book and the next in the series, ‘Muffin and the Shipwreck’ is coming out next year!

Call the Puffins! Tiny’s Brave Rescue

Cath Howe, illustrated by Ella Okstad

Welbeck ISBN: 978-1801300599

You can read more about ‘Call the Puffins!’ here.

Blog Tour: Call the Puffins

I am a huge fan of Cath Howe’s books for older readers and so was very excited to hear that she had decided to write something for younger children. In ‘Call the Puffins’, Muffin and the other young puffins, live on the island of Egg where they are in training to be an Unflappable, a member of the Puffin Rescue Team. In this stop of the Blog Tour, Cath shares how her ideas came together to create this delightful new series.

Call The Puffins! tells the story of a puffin rescue team, and, in particular, the newest recruits. These puffins rescue birds and eggs wherever they are in danger from their home on the island of Egg. Muffin, the main character in the first story, arrives on the island with her dad to start her training. She’s very enthusiastic but there is so much to learn: she has to settle into life in the burrows where all the puffins live and be away from Mum and Dad for the first time. And will she find a friend?

I started writing about puffins many years ago and reworked the stories during the pandemic when we weren’t able to meet our families. I decided to create a team of birds who really want to help. I thought about organisations like Scouts and Brownies and how they have mottoes and work towards badges. I read about the way people used pigeons in wartime to carry messages. These puffins were one of the cheeriest things in my life, at a difficult time.

Puffins look amazing. They already look like lifeguards. They toddle along as if they're hoping for the best. They have to flap very hard to stay in the air. They are not graceful, more comical. Sometimes they're compared to clowns. I love their spirit.

I liked the idea of a new little team of recruits and their personalities and squabbles, rather like a new class in primary school. There are so many things to get used to: new rules and things to learn, and new friends by your side. When children start school, they love to be given jobs to do and things they can help with. The puffin motto, It may not work, but I'll always try! is full of that positive attitude towards doing new things.

There is an island of Egg in Scotland but it's spelled EIGG. I used to spend my childhood holidays on the West Coast of Scotland, often in a cottage by the sea in Kintyre. I'm very excited by islands and remote locations.

I love beachcombing. We often found semi-precious stones on the beaches in Kintyre and I used to love collecting them and seeing them cut and polished by the lady who rented us the cottage. My puffins make good use of things they find on the beaches. Sometimes, things wash up which they don't recognise or know how to use.

 I’m fascinated by lighthouses: the spiral stairs, the rotating lamp, the beam shining across the sea, stories of rescue and bravery. I wanted the puffins to take over a human lighthouse and use it in a similar way, to spot trouble out at sea and organise rescues. I thought the training camps might be a bit like PE lessons.

I tried to include lots of real details about real puffins because these details are rather amazing. Puffins do sleep in burrows. The noise they make is halfway between a honk and a groan or growl. When I discovered that their beaks can glow in the dark, I couldn't believe it- it seemed like magic!

The puffins are a side of me, I think. There's been a lot of joy creating these stories and I hope it communicates itself to the readers.

Call the Puffins Cath Howe, illustrated by Ella Okstad

Welbeck Flame ISBN: 978-1801300360

Many thanks to Cath for joining me today- and thanks to the team at Welbeck for the box of goodies! I am not prepared to use the post-it notes- too lovely! I look forward to see what the Puffin Rescue Team get up to in their next adventure.