The adventure of two cats on an island in ‘Angus and Anna’s Unexpected Adventure’

Published 1:30 am Saturday, May 2, 2026

Submitted by the Spauldings.

Two black cats find themselves on an island adventure in a new children’s book, “Angus and Anna’s Unexpected Adventure,” written and illustrated by island artist Nancy McDonnell Spaulding.

The book, published in partnership with Village Books, officially launches May 4 and can be found at Griffin Bay Bookstore.

While their owners are away, the sibling cats decided to explore a path down to the sea’s edge. Everything changes when they find themselves adrift.

This is the second book by Spaulding. The first was “Home in an Island Garden,” which focuses on her experiences creating art, a garden, raising a family and connecting with the island wildlife.

“Years ago, my primary art medium was serigraphs. With the advent of two kittens in our family circle, I could not help but include them in the many landscapes I was creating. Soon a storyline began to unfold,” Spaulding writes in the “How the Story Came to Be,” at the back of the book. As her art medium changed from serigraph to pastel, she needed to fill in the gaps of the story with both pastels and drawings. The illustrations are pulled from multiple art techniques that flow together to tell the tale. The book also contains a short glossary of the Salish Sea wildlife found within the story.

Spaulding will be the featured author during Griffin Bay’s Author Talks on June 28 at 2 p.m. Find out if Angus and Anna make their way home.