LOST CAT!

Not all (cats) who wander are lost.

Frontmatter pages are key to understanding this clever picture book narrated by a light-skinned child with straight black hair who worries when their cat, Fred, goes missing. If readers notice that the cat bed depicted on the copyright page is filled with travel books and brochures rather than toys, perhaps they will deduce that Fred isn’t lost but instead indulging his sense of wanderlust as he sprints across the title page. The narrator doesn’t grasp this aspect of Fred’s character, however, and the next spread shows the child’s distress when he skips dinner. The following spread introduces superb use of ironic counterpoint as text delivers straightforward narration of all the places Fred is not while accompanying digital illustrations rendered in grayscale with judicious use of red detail show readers where Fred actually is (sneaking through a hole in a fence, driving a big red car, etc.). Ensuing pages continue to allow readers to know more than the narrator does as Fred appears lounging on a beach and visiting international landmarks—until he encounters a UFO. The extraterrestrials onboard the flying saucer then see one of the narrator’s lost-cat signs and return Fred home in time for dinner. Background characters are diverse. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

A fantastically fun feline frolic.