When Tuppie made his literary debut with his first Bermuda adventure in the storybook 'Shoo Cat Shoo', author and artist Joan Aspinall hoped he would become a local character whose exploits children and adults alike would delight in following.

And so it has proved, because the book is about to enter its second printing, and continues to be a runaway success with local readers and visitors alike.

In fact, Tuppie has already acquired such a following that Ms Aspinall has a thick file of 'fan letters' sent to the fictional cat from visitors and locals, many of whom have enclosed photographs of their own cats.

Since Tuppie signed off 'Shoo Cat Shoo' by inviting the readers to come back, Ms Aspinall deliberately paved the way for the intrepid black and white adventurer to undertake further explorations of his beloved Bermuda.

Cue 'Road Toad', the second delightful tale, which finds the fearless feline joining his newfound friend, a green toad named Phyllonious Maxus Bulbous, and Herman the reluctant chameleon, on Phillonious' bright red scooter 'Road Toad', as the trio explore the East End of the Island. The author sums up their journey as "an adventure of frivolous mayhem with a tongue in cheek look at Bermuda society. With a flash of red, a swirl of dust, and a Bleep! Bleep! Bleep! they leave a trail of havoc as they visit such scenic landmarks as Crystal Caves, St. David's Lighthouse, Tobacco Bay and St. George's".

Taking her cue from Tuppie, who resolves at the outset to "take notes this time", Ms Aspinall has used the technique of 'journalling' to include information of interest about the places they visit and the Island itself.

"You still have your storyline, but journalling gives facts and figures about Bermuda, especially for visitors or even young children in school," she says.

The text of 'Road Toad' maintains its satirical double edge for adult readers, but not as deeply as in 'Shoo Cat Shoo', which was written to be enjoyed equally by children and adults. However, because the author wants it to to be read in schools, the text was edited by Laverne Lau to ensure it is 'squeaky clean'.

"You can't have references to rum swizzles or black rum in schoolbooks, for example," Ms Aspinall notes.

Whereas in the first book Tuppie travelled a lot on foot, and two pages were allocated to each stop he made along the way, this time the adventurous feline covers a lot of ground zooming around on his newfound friend's scooter, and the page count per venue has been upped to between four and six.

Feral chickens not only also appear regularly throughout the newest book, sometimes with their own conversations, but their many fans will be delighted to know that the author has dedicated 'Road Toad' to them with this loving inscription:

'Dedicated to Bermuda's handsome, feral chickens. They all have beating hearts just like ours'.

Noteworthy in Ms Aspinall's second book in the 'Shoo Cat Shoo' series is the addition of an educational glossary at the back, with Tuppie sharing his "wonderful knowledge of Bermuda", and Phyllonious the frog expounding on the environment, both of which, like the story itself, are charmingly informative and easily digested.

The concept of a story line with ongoing adventures in Bermuda's East End works to keep interest piqued as readers are drawn into the story and want to know what happens next. In terms of text, Ms Aspinall strikes a good balance between simplicity, mental stimulation, rhythm and vocabulary enrichment, the latter being particularly beneficial for younger readers, but also adds a dash of 'Bermujan'. Wry, tongue-in-cheek references to local vicissitudes, are deftly included as well.

In terms of the illustrations, as with her first book, 'Road Toad' is another example of the generous use of vibrant colour, which is her trademark as an artist. Page after page sizzles with eye-popping pinks, greens, aquas, yellows and more, and her imagination is seemingly limitless in terms of vividly illustrating the text, and of course Bermuda's familiar landmarks.

Interestingly, while much of the artwork is new, nothing is wasted with this author-artist, so Ms Aspinall has found use at last for some of the many paintings reposing for years in her personal archive. Only once does she use photography, and that is a double-page spread of the town of St. George taken from an upper deck of the Norwegian Majesty after Hurricane Fabian, with certain landmarks keyed in 'bubbles'. "Introducing photographs has given the books another extension, and is a technique which I will be adapting in my third book." the author says.

A few very personal touches are also found in the 'Road Toad' pages. For example, the person standing in the stocks on the town square in St. George's is Bernard Matraki, a personal friend of the author, who is also the pianist for the Gotenburg Ballet in Sweden.

The fish-feeding frenzy in Tobacco Bay is inspired by a true story, and again involves personal friends. This time, Mary Kline and her then-seven-year-old daughter, both of whom were avid snorkellers. On a visit here, the child arrived with a tiny suitcase packed with hundreds of dog biscuits – a sure-fire technique they had learned elsewhere to attract fish. On departure, they left the remaining biscuits behind, which Ms Aspinall then passed on to other visitors who were going to Tobacco Bay. The woman took the whole bag of biscuits into the water with her, and in no time flat she was surrounded by so many fish that she became terrified and screamed her head off.

Ms Aspinall is proud to reveal that all parts of the production process, except the actual printing, were done by herself – the story, the artwork, the layout, choice of typefaces, and even the colours and their tones.

As the owner of Pina of Bermuda, which produces her art prints, her many years of experience in silk screening stood her in good stead, as she is used to working with the Pantone colour system.

"When I was doing my art I chose my cyan, magenta, yellow and black (CMYK) percentages to get the exact colour that I wanted in the printing process," she says.

"I got the brilliant colours you see because I determined them myself."

To her delight, feedback on 'Road Toad' has been very positive, so followers will be glad to know that her third book, 'The Tree Frog and the Poinsettia', is expected to be on the shelves in early November.

Anyone wishing to see a specimen copy and pre-order can find Ms Aspinall at Harbour Nights in Hamilton and Market Night in St. George's.

Meanwhile, 'Road Toad' is being stocked at the following stores: The Book Mart, where Ms Aspinall has a book signing today from 11.30 a.m. to 2 p.m.; the Bermuda Bookstore, the Book Cellar, Collector's Hill Apothecary; Paget, Hamilton, People's and Caesar's pharmacies; Robertson's Drug Store, Bermuda Memories, Noak's Ark, the Animal and Garden House, Swizzle Inn, A.S. Cooper's, and the Craft Market in Dockyard. The price is $17.95. Ms Aspinall can be contacted at pina@logic.bm or tel. 293-2529.