Taiko, a jet-black cat with four white feet and a white vest, is a free spirit who ventures off on a midnight prowl one windy night. The adventurous feline does the things all cats (and some kids) would do at night if they could: walks along a fence, climbs a tree, chases a mouse, watches a raccoon, and hides from a scary dog. Derby’s (My Steps, 1996, etc.) poetic language dances along like the wind-blown leaves on every page, capturing that mysterious, thrilling world of a night with a stirring wind and a full moon, when just about anything might happen to those daring enough to escape the familiar warmth of home for a while. Taiko’s owner, an unnamed girl, keeps searching for him and calling him, and after being scared by the unfamiliar dog, Taiko is happy to return home, curling up on the girl’s bed with the moonlight streaming in onto the warm blanket. Oil pastels provide an exciting (but safe) suburban environment for Taiko’s exhilarating evening, with warm, golden light shining out from the windows in every house. The cover is unfortunately rather dark (depicting a black cat at night, after all), but the story itself is full of warmth, and it will blend nicely into story hours with themes of wind, night, or cats. (Picture book. 4-8)
