The Amazing Hamweenie Escapes!

K-Gr 2—Every cat lover relishes the sweet torture of owning a cat—feline beauty combined with feline disdain. Bowman has created a plump, cape-wearing kitty with oversize dreams of being a circus maestro or an Oscar-winning actor. Instead, Hamweenie is trapped in a "prison," using a kitty litter box for "Husky Cats" and being smothered by love from a little girl with pigtails. Hamweenie finally makes a break for freedom, plummeting down the laundry chute and leaping through the basement window in order to become a star at the Darnum & Dailey Circus. Far from stealing the show, Hamweenie has his hat and cape stolen by monkeys; is chased by a grumpy, tutu-wearing bear; and is forced to take a nap in the concession stand. His ignominious adventure ends when his doting owner rescues him and brings him home, tucked snugly in her backpack. Back in their apartment, Hamweenie is once again master of his domain, basking in the adulation of the local mice. This is a follow-up to The Amazing Hamweenie (Philomel, 2012), and Bowman again captures perfectly the superior attitude and maddening actions displayed by so many cats. Children will chuckle at the disconnect between Hamweenie's words and the action depicted in the illustrations, which suggest a lighter, more colorful version of Edward Gorey's finely detailed drawings.