NINI HERE AND THERE

Nini, the cat from One Lighthouse, One Moon (2000), is dismayed when she sees piles of suitcases: Her family is going away—without her! She tries her usual ploys: lying on a suitcase; stretching across a mound of shoes; sitting on the guitar. Then, she spots the “big black thing.” Hiding doesn’t work—she’s zipped into the carrying bag. Her meows of protest get smaller and smaller until she falls asleep. In her dreams, she flies in a hot-air balloon, bounces on the back of an elephant and rides a rocking horse. When her traveling bag is unzipped, Nini sees beautiful countryside, birds, butterflies and a white dog. From her new windowsill, Nina watches the sun set and moon rise; contented, she sighs, “They did not go away without me.” Lobel’s hallmark art and design paint a charming tale told by the striped tabby, one that will be quite familiar to cat owners who’ve experienced the trauma of transporting same. Nini’s expressions tell it all. (Picture book. 4-7)