Milli is clever. She can take a thing that is nothing and turn it into something. She finds things that have been forgotten or discarded, gives them a bit of a wiggle, and transforms them into amazing things. But the other villagers don’t ever want anything amazing. What they do want are practical things. They have no time for anything different. So Milli spends her days making what the villagers need – sensible shoes and boots.
Every day is the same for Milli, until the day two strangers come to town. Jack and the Dancing Cat find Milli in her shop and she suggests they need new boots. They have no money to pay, but offer to give her dancing lessons in exchange.
So, Milli has dancing lessons and soon learns tap, jazz, ballet, the two step and more. And Milli is so inspired that she can’t make plain boots for Jack and the Cat. Instead she makes wonderful shoes, with clothes to match. That’s not all – she also makes things for herself. Soon her house and shop are so spectatcular people come from far and wide to see it.
Milli’s life will never be the same again.
Milli, Jack and the Dancing Cat is a whimsical tale with an important message about setting your imagination free and celebrating the joy of being yourself. King’s illustrations, as whimsical as the text, will delight young readers.
Lovely!
Milli, Jack and the Dancing Cat, by Stephen Michael King
Allen & Unwin, 2003