The Catnip Man, whom Bob and Nancy befriend, is the prototype of raggedy childhood idols often, unfortunately, outside the pale of adult approval. But this time the three worlds meet -- adult, outcast and children -- in a gay, brisk story in which the old Catnip Man is rescued from slumbering in the woods after his house is torn down, and is not only given a new house by the town, but is asked to Bob and Nancy's house to dinner. A light-hearted, sympathetic story of playtime and project time centered around an endearing character, who could be a special friend of children everywhere. The illustrations by Lial Weil are unusually appealing and lively.