Two house cats go on an independent trip to the farmers market in this self-illustrated feline adventure.

When Emily and her dad take their cats, Tiger and Cookie, to the vet, little do they know that the two pets will soon make their escape. First, gray cat Tiger opens her carrier, attracted by smells from the farmers market across the street. Tiger then frees hesitant tan tabby Cookie from her carrier, enticing her with a promise of sausage and lobster. Next thing you know, the freedom-loving felines are running past the outdoor vendors into the market building while “following their super sensitive noses…to the butcher.” After encountering a cheese vendor, a musician, a cat bed vendor, a knitter, and a fishmonger, the cats are finally apprehended by their owners. Tiger and Cookie’s story sees brave Tiger and timid Cookie in a low-stakes, stand-alone tale. Power celebrates the many different vendors at the farmers market, creating her oil pastel illustrations from photographs of the real markets that she used for inspiration. Though the diverse humans in the story vary in detail, with some faces looking quite realistic, the charismatic cats are always energetic and will keep young readers riveted. Power’s rich text includes context-specific stretch words for newly independent readers (aisle, havarti, gouda) that can be decoded from the context.

A lighthearted celebration of buying local from a cat’s perspective.