The Ears Storybook is a selection of over twenty-five stories by notable New Zealand authors (Joy Cowley, Rachel McApline, and others) that were broadcast on EARS, a National Radio of New Zealand programme for children. The anthology includes Anthony Holcroft’s classic tale “The Old Man and the Cat”, which was first published in picture book form in 1984.

The Old Man and the Cat

An old man makes himself a wooden flute and is delighted to discover that its magical song charms all the creatures living in the forest. But a black cat is watching from the shadows, and one day the flute mysteriously disappears ...