National Simultaneous Storytime

The Truck Cat is a story about cats and humans, immigration and identity, and homes lost and found.

With illustrations by multi-award-winning artist Danny Snell and words by award-winning new voice Deborah Frenkel, The Truck Cat is sure to inspire kindness and compassion in young children everywhere.

Some cats are house cats. Some are apartment cats.

But Tinka is a truck cat. Tinka lives everywhere.

Along with his human, Yacoub, Tinka travels roads wide and narrow, near and distant. But no matter how much they travel, home feels very far away – for both of them.

Yacoub drives his truck to make a living, learning the landscape of a new country along the way, and longing for connection. When Tinka and Yacoub are unexpectedly separated, they are determined to find their way back to each other – and, in doing so, might find more than they expected …

National Simultaneous Storytime (NSS) is an annual campaign by the Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA) encouraging young children to enjoy books and reading.

Every year a picture book, written and illustrated by an Australian author and illustrator, is read around the country in libraries, schools, pre-schools, childcare centres, bookshops and family homes.

Now in its 25th year, National Simultaneous Storytime has grown and grown, and in 2024 attracted over two million registered participants!