Media Release: Xlibris, 3 June 2014
From author Mattie Simpson, a passionate literacy advocate, comes a brand new colorful children’s picture book about inseparable best friends and their breathtaking adventures. Cornelius and Jake Run For Home is a delightful tale of fantasy and adventure that follows the story of two unlikely friends, who display unquestioning faith and trust in each other.
The opening of this tale finds a black cricket named Jake entangled in a mass of discarded fishing line thrown amongst the rocks of Whaingaroa Harbour, on New Zealand’s rugged west coast. A daring rescue by a New Zealand paddle crab, named King Cornelius Crab, propels the two new friends on a spine-tingling, suspense-packed adventure, as they face danger and seemingly insurmountable obstacles in their quest to reach the sanctuary of Cornelius’ abode, Canyon Castle.
Their journey intensifies as Cornelius guides Jake through a labyrinth of shadowy alleyways in the underworld of the foreshore, with the ever present danger from the infamous Dump Rats Gang foremost in their thoughts. Attack by the infamous Dump Rats Gang is another obstacle for Cornelius and Jake to overcome before entry to the ravine is successful.
Thrilling, inspiring and empowering, Cornelius and Jake Run For Home is a book that offers young readers a window through which to observe the threads of compassion, loyalty and courage that weave through the fabric of the story. Simpson has creatively conveyed and highlighted the inherent similarities between the comradeship of humankind and those of other creatures and the quintessential requirement of a safe anchorage