Cat, What Is That? - Softcover

reS-Gr 3-Pete, a little yellow dog who made a brief appearance in Next Stop Grand Central (Putnam, 2001), is the star with the unstoppable appetite in this title. Starting with "cousin Rocky's accordion," the pup travels alphabetically through friends and family making enemies as he gobbles up anything in sight. Although there does not appear to be much order, there is. Letters are used many times in many words (nouns, adjectives, verbs) or they become part of the illustrations. There are different fonts and colors. The ideas are wild. "S" is not merely for "shoes"; a double-page spread shows Pete with a stinky sneaker, a sandal, a pointy shoe, and a soft suede slipper inside his body. Kalman's trademark bright, sophisticated cartoons burst out of the pages. People reappear in different guises in several pictures. Characters become familiar through a single-sentence description: "In his Wallet, Rocky keeps a list of all the times he was insulted his whole life." Fortunately, Pete destroys the list. There are as many stories and characters here as there are in any family or neighborhood. Viewers move with the frantic pace of the tale but will stop to read a tiny picture, or repeat a combination of sounds. The presentation and ideas are distinctly original and will trigger an imaginative response or awaken innovative thinking. Reading this book is a participatory experience par excellence.

Marlene Gawron, Orange County Library, Orlando, FL

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