Friendship, empathy, food insecurity, and a whole lot of bananas come together in Shy Cat and the Stuff-the-Bus Challenge, a thoughtful and engaging graphic novel by Dian Day and Amanda White. This middle-grade story introduces best friends Mila and Kit, two kids who spend their time at the skate park, playing games, hanging out with neighbourhood cats, and simply enjoying being kids. But beneath their easy friendship, Kit is carrying a problem Mila doesn’t initially understand: he doesn’t always have enough food to eat.
Mila is an appealing narrator because she is curious, imaginative, and wonderfully imperfect. She loves drawing her own Shy Cat comics, in which a superhero cat tackles problems and injustices. When Kit has a meltdown at school over a dented can, a bag of apples, and a “best before” date during the school’s Stuff-the-Bus food drive, Mila begins asking questions. Why does Kit react so strongly? Why would donated food make him upset? And why do some people have plenty to eat while others don’t?
The story handles the difficult subject of food insecurity with considerable sensitivity. Rather than presenting Kit simply as “the hungry kid,” Day shows how hunger can affect emotions, friendships, dignity, and everyday decisions. Mila has to learn that assumptions can be misleading and that helping someone begins with listening. The food drive itself also prompts bigger questions about whether collecting cans is enough to solve a much larger social problem. Along the way, readers are introduced to community gardens, food programs, and other ways communities can respond to hunger.
One of the book’s particular strengths is its warmth and humour. Kit’s enthusiasm for snacks—including the memorable occasion when he eats three bananas at Mila’s house—keeps the story lively, while Mila’s Shy Cat comics provide a clever visual outlet for her feelings and questions. The neighbourhood stray cat adds another gentle thread to the story, giving Mila yet another opportunity to think about what it means to care for someone who needs help.
There’s chatter about pumpkins and pizzas in the book and with Halloween this week, we thought you’d like to gather the kids to make their own pizza creations. Three ideas in our Recipe section just ready for some creativity!
Dian Day is an award-winning writer whose previous novels for adults include The Clock of Heaven and The Madrigal. She is also a member of the Hungry Stories Team, a cross-Canada collaboration of food scholars and activists focused on food insecurity. Her experience with the subject gives the book an informed foundation, but her writing never feels like a lecture. Instead, big questions are filtered through Mila’s everyday experiences, making them accessible to young readers.
Amanda White is a multidisciplinary artist, writer, and teacher whose work explores subjects including the environment, sustainability, and climate. Originally from Toronto and now based in Vancouver, she is an assistant professor at Emily Carr University of Art and Design and, like Day, is part of the Hungry Stories Team. Her illustrations give the book an inviting, expressive quality, balancing the serious subject matter with humour, energy, and the imaginative world of Mila’s comics.
Shy Cat and the Stuff-the-Bus Challenge is much more than a story about a school food drive. It is a story about friendship and learning to look beyond first impressions. Mila and Kit remind readers that sometimes the most important thing we can do for a friend is to notice, listen, and care. This compassionate graphic novel would make an excellent choice for middle-grade readers, families, classrooms, and book clubs looking for a story that opens the door to meaningful conversations about hunger, fairness, and community.
The book is available directly from Second Story Press or you can win a copy in our Giveaway section.
Contents and images used with permission by Second Story Press. Shy Cat and the Stuff-the-Bus Challenge – Second Story Press