Rectangle Time

PreS-Gr 1–Any reader who has ever lived with a cat will recognize the antics of this book’s feline narrator. A chunky and supremely confident calico loves Rectangle Time (or as onlookers will note, lap-time reading), when he snuggles in a chair with a dad, his toddler boy, and their rectangle. Clearly the cat has no idea what reading is, and he becomes more puzzled as the boy grows and the father is no longer doing all the talking at Rectangle Time. Soon enough, the boy holds his rectangle by himself and nobody is talking at all. How lonely and quiet! The cat tries to be helpful in any way he can, adding background music with purrs, leaning in close for company, patting at the pages, and “enhancing” an open book by sitting directly on it. His services are not appreciated until the cat learns to drape himself around the boy’s shoulders. The words “reading” and “books” are never used in this kitty monologue, yet the story subtly celebrates the pleasures of being read to and of growing toward reading independence. The text works best when it is spare and shares the storytelling with the illustrations. A delicate line and soft washes portray a cozy home, a warm father-son relationship, and an adorably persistent, clueless cat.