Old Chen, a bookshop owner in Chinatown, is preparing for this year's New Year's Poetry and Calligraphy Competition. He is sad this year and can't think of a good poem. Then Old Rat, who lives inside a forgotten book in a corner of the shop, spills the ink. Can Old Chen find inspiration in the inky pawprints which run across the page? Follow a series of mishaps as Old Rat and Old Chen each carry out their daily lives in the days preceding the competition. This illustrated book is written in English but includes Chinese characters and translations.