Lost Cat

PreS-Gr 1—Slipper lives a happy life with Mrs. Fluffy Slippers. When the old woman moves, the poor tabby is left behind in the commotion. Chasing after the moving van, she gets lost and decides that she will adopt a new owner. Portrayed from the perspective of a cat, all humans are cleverly depicted as various pairs of footwear. Slipper rejects Ms. Muddy Boots, High Tops, and Mr. Big Boots and finally runs into Miss Shiny Shoes, whom she accepts, and who serendipitously reunites her with Mrs. Fluffy Slippers. Mader's full-spread pastels portray Slipper with realistic feline expressions that cat lovers and owners will immediately recognize. The depictions of poignant moments, such as the tiny cat in an immense dark forest with only the word "Lost!" above her or Slipper contentedly sprawled out on her owner's feet, are sure to capture the audience's attention and affection, and make them root for the intrepid feline. A neatly told story, sweet without being saccharine, that charms from beginning to end.—Yelena Alekseyeva-Popova, formerly at Chappaqua Library, NY